20 Euros Silent Night

The "Silent Night" coin was issued on the bicentennial of the carol's first performance — Christmas Eve, 1818, at the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf bei Salzburg. The piece was composed hastily by Franz Xaver Gruber, with lyrics by Joseph Mohr, reportedly because the church organ had broken down and a guitar accompaniment was needed instead. Whether the organ story is fully documented or partially mythologized remains a point of minor scholarly contention, but the date and location of the premiere are established.

Austria has issued several "Silent Night" commemoratives over the decades; this 2018 piece marks the most significant anniversary in the series.