Slovakia's wildlife coin program has consistently drawn on the country's Carpathian fauna, and the Eurasian lynx is an apt subject — the species was hunted to near-extinction in Central Europe by the early 20th century before a slow recolonization from the Carpathians began in the 1960s and '70s. The Slovak population remains one of the more stable remnants of that recovery, though habitat fragmentation continues to suppress range expansion westward.
The denomination itself — 3.33 euros — reflects the exact silver content value calculation Slovakia used when transitioning collector coinage away from round-figure face values after euro adoption in 2009.
Slovakia's wildlife coin program has consistently drawn on the country's Carpathian fauna, and the Eurasian lynx is an apt subject — the species was hunted to near-extinction in Central Europe by the early 20th century before a slow recolonization from the Carpathians began in the 1960s and '70s. The Slovak population remains one of the more stable remnants of that recovery, though habitat fragmentation continues to suppress range expansion westward.
The denomination itself — 3.33 euros — reflects the exact silver content value calculation Slovakia used when transitioning collector coinage away from round-figure face values after euro adoption in 2009.