500 Korun National Theatre in Prague

The 500 Kčs silver series issued by Czechoslovakia throughout the 1970s and 80s commemorated cultural and architectural landmarks under a state program that was as much propaganda as preservation — the regime was keen to associate socialist Czechoslovakia with the prestige of Czech national institutions. The National Theatre itself had been funded largely by public subscription in the 19th century, a rare act of civic nationalism under Habsburg rule, and burned down just days after its 1881 inaugural performances before being rebuilt and reopened in 1883, exactly a century before this coin's issue date.

Mintage for this type was tightly controlled and a significant portion went directly to collector sets rather than circulation.