Stams Abbey in Tyrol, founded in 1273 by Count Meinhard II of Gorz-Tyrol and his mother Elisabeth of Bavaria as a mausoleum for the Tyrolean ruling dynasty, became one of the most politically significant Cistercian houses in the Alpine region. The 1984 issue commemorated the abbey's 700th anniversary — though the precise founding year carries some ambiguity in the historical record, with certain documents pointing to 1272 for the initial endowment. Austria's commemorative 500-Schilling silver program of this period was among the more ambitious in postwar European numismatics, averaging several thematic issues per year through the 1970s and 1980s.
Stams Abbey in Tyrol, founded in 1273 by Count Meinhard II of Gorz-Tyrol and his mother Elisabeth of Bavaria as a mausoleum for the Tyrolean ruling dynasty, became one of the most politically significant Cistercian houses in the Alpine region. The 1984 issue commemorated the abbey's 700th anniversary — though the precise founding year carries some ambiguity in the historical record, with certain documents pointing to 1272 for the initial endowment. Austria's commemorative 500-Schilling silver program of this period was among the more ambitious in postwar European numismatics, averaging several thematic issues per year through the 1970s and 1980s.