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Commemorative coin of the Kingdom of Belgium, 2018. Dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the May 1968 events. Bimetallic, diameter 25.75 mm, weight 8.5 g.
Obverse
The center of the coin depicts a stylized figure symbolizing the spirit of May 1968 - student protests, youth movement and the fight for change. The design uses a graphic language typical of posters of the time. Around it are the inscriptions "50 jaar mei 68" in Dutch and "50 ans mai 68" in French (50 years of May 68). Also included are the country code "BE" and the year of issue "2018". The mintmarks and the mint director's marks are present. On the outer ring - 12 stars of the European Union.
Reverse
The reverse is the common side of the 2 euro coins of the second type, designed by Luc Luix. A map of Europe without internal borders, on the left - the denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right - a map. On the outer ring - 12 stars of the EU. On the band - a groove with the inscription "2 ★ ★", repeated six times.
Historical context
May 1968 - a period of mass student protests and general strikes in Western Europe, especially in France, Belgium and other countries. The protests expressed dissatisfaction with social, economic and cultural conditions - conservatism, a rigid education system, the Vietnam War, racism. In Belgium, the most famous was the "Louvain-Vlaams" crisis - in January 1968, Flemish students at the Catholic University of Leuven demanded the expulsion of the French-speaking department ("Walen buiten!" - "Walloons out!"). This led to the split of one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1425) into two separate universities: the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain (transferred to Louvain-la-Neuve in 1968–1972). These events had a profound impact on Belgian society and contributed to the federalization of the country.