Finland 2011 5€ Lapland - Historical Provinces

The provincial coins series reflect tones of everyday life in Finland’s historical provinces.

Lapland is one of nine historical provinces in Finland.


On the reverse side of the coin there is the historical province's coat of arms and the face value, 5 EURO.

Finland's northernmost province is known around the world for its stunning natural scenery and fascinating traditions. The provincial coin captures the mythology of Lapland's longest-standing inhabitants, the Sami people.
 
Lapland was the last region where the Finns settled. Finns starting moving into the region from the 1550s when King Gustav I of Sweden wished to populate the wilderness areas of his kingdom. By the 1590s, there were 350 Finns living in Alatornio and Ylitornio.

The Sami were living in Lapland long before the Finns arrived. The Sami are the descendents of the people who inhabited Northern Fennoscandia straight after the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago. The Sami are the only aboriginal people in the European Union.

The Provincial coin celebrates Sami heritage

The Lapland provincial coin commemorates the longest-standing inhabitants of Lapland. Lapland's provincial coin depicts the shaman's drum, key to the Sami wise men's epic songs and spirituality.

Shamans used drums to predict a family’s good fortune and to heal patients. The drum symbolised life and the entire universe in the past, present and future. Drum sticks were often made of reindeer horn.


There are nine historical provinces in Finland: Åland, Tavastia, Karelia, Lapland, Ostrobothnia, Satakunta, Savo, Uusimaa and Finland Proper.