Museum of the Ancient Mint of Lucca
The museum is located in the Casermetta San Donato on the Walls of Lucca and is the place dedicated to the discovery of one of the city's most prestigious historical, cultural, and economic realities.
Address: Casermetta San Donato, a walk along the City Walls
phone: 0583 582320
E-MAIL: info@zeccadilucca.it
website: macchiedilucca.it
accessibility: The Museum is accessible to people with motor disabilities via a ramp located at the main entrance.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Saturday and Sunday by appointment only for groups of ten or more.
entrance: a paid ticket is required
The Museum of the Ancient Mint Foundation of Lucca adheres to Lucca VisitCard the cumulative ticket that allows access to the main places of cultural interest and attractions of the city
The Lucca Mint is the oldest and longest-running mint in Europe: it minted coins from the Lombard era to Charles Louis of Bourbon (650 to 1843). A highly prized and "strong" coin on the markets, it was circulated throughout the continent by the rich and powerful merchants and bankers of Lucca. The coins also feature the effigy of the city's most well-known and revered symbol since the Middle Ages, the Holy Face (the wooden crucifix kept in the Cathedral of St. Martin).
The museum houses permanent exhibitions that explore the history of coinage from its origins to the present day, a collection of scales and coin weights, a selection of medals by excellent Lucca engravers, and the "Luigi Giorgi Artistic Collection," consisting of approximately 450 objects, including medals, wax and plaster models, bronze castings, small jewelry casts, sealing wax impressions, drawings, and photographs. Temporary exhibitions are also held throughout the year.
Researchers and students can request access to the library-archive, which contains more than 1.000 volumes dating back to 1500, catalogued under the headings of Numismatics, the history of engraving techniques, and the Lucca area.
The Mint has resumed its activities and an active laboratory mints historical coins used in the city in the past.