Austria’s Beethoven €2 arrives in December

El Diario Vasco (25 August 2026) previews the commemorative €2 Austria will dedicate to Ludwig van Beethoven on the bicentenary of his death (1827). Münze Österreich has released the design: the collector edition, in proof, is offered on 2 December 2026; the coin enters general circulation on 4 January 2027.

A portrait without a stave

The national side drops notes, instruments, or scores. The centre shows a frontal close-up of Beethoven — tousled hair, furrowed brow, and a fixed gaze — on a geometric ground. His surname appears in capitals under the bust; at left, vertically, “REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH”; on the ring, the stars of the European Union.

It is Austria’s second euro coin for a composer: the circulating €1 already shows Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The note places the issue beside other European €2 coins for musicians: Verdi (Italy, 2013), Puccini (San Marino, 2014), Sibelius (Finland, 2015), and, from Greece, Mitropoulos (2016), Maria Callas (2023), and Mikis Theodorakis (2025).

Mintage and price

According to El Diario Vasco, the mint confirmed the launch proof but had not yet published a total mintage or sale price. The note also leaves open whether the piece starts a series on classical composers.

In a side note, the source mentions Spain’s 2026 €60 silver coin on Princess Leonor’s military training, with both sides devoted to her time at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier. More detail in El Diario Vasco (opens in a new tab).