Austria: Latest Gold Proof Coins commemorate an Austrian woman who inspired future generations.

Dedicated to the accomplishments of Austrian women in five fields of profession, the programme has chosen five of Austria’s great women and highlights their achievements in the arts and sciences. The series explores creative and talented women in Austria during the late-19th and early-20th centuries and focuses on the ultimate successes of the women featured in their five different fields.  For 2025, the latest coin remembers Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897 – 1999) a female pioneer in a male-dominated domain, an ambassador for humane architecture, a woman of great social commitment and a courageous resistance fighter against the Third Reich. So much more than a ground-breaking architect, she first made history as one of the first women to study architecture in Austria.

Born in Vienna in 1897, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s most famous innovation, the Frankfurt kitchen, is regarded as the prototype of the modern fitted kitchen. Designed in 1926, the kitchen was a functional design based on labour-saving criteria that revolutionised housework. Installed in some 10,000 flats, the Frankfurt kitchen remains a prime example of well-thought-out architecture to this day. In addition, Schütte-Lihotzky was the only woman to be involved in the design of the pioneering of Vienna’s Werkbundsiedlung council estate, especially as she was a campaigner for decent housing and showed unparalleled courage in resisting the Nazi regime, which she almost paid for with her life. A student of outspoken architect Adolf Loos, after the Second World War she organised exhibitions, took part in international architecture congresses, promoted social architecture and was also involved in both the peace and women's movements. Her commitment was recognised in the form of numerous awards. Her long and eventful life ended 102 years later when Schütte-Lihotzky passed away in the same neighbourhood in which she was born.

Designed by Helmut Andexlinger and Kathrin Kuntner, the coin captures the essence of Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky's life and work. The obverse features a portrait of the architect in front of a stylised floor plan. To the left of Schütte-Lihotzky's front-facing portrait, the vertical text reads REPUBLIK OSTERREICH. On the right, her name MARGARETE SCHÜTTE-LIHOTZKY also vertically arranged. To the lower left is the denomination and year of issue, 50 EURO 2025. In the style of a collage, the coin’s reverse is divided between an image of the Frankfurt kitchen, which was just 1.9 metres or, 6.2 feet in width along with the text just below WERKBUNDSIEDLUNG. To the right of the kitchen plan is a portrait of the aspiring young architect confidently exuding strength confidence maintained well until old age.

Available from the 22nd January, each proof-quality silver coin is encapsulated and presented in a heavy-gauge card case complete with a numbered certificate of authenticity and protective slipcase.  

Austria's Unsung Heroines Collector Case. Made of solid Austrian oak, the collector coin tower is packaged in a dark-red protective box. The tower is divided into five separate discs each with a recess that houses and protects each of the five encapsulated coins in the Austria's Unsung Heroines series. The discs can be fanned out so each coin can be easily viewed at the same time. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Austrian Mint.

Other Austrian women featured in the series will include:  2026 Hilde Loewe-Flatter – musician and, 2027 Lise Meitner – scientist.