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Banknotes/currencies
of different European countries
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
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this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
This article offers a gallery
and the exchange rates of the many different currencies of
European cultures and countries. Banknotes are a key source
in understanding what a culture holds dear to itself in term
of its history, religion, and identity. Some currencies have
churches on them, others Jesus, others images of dictators
like Stalin and Enver Hoxha. If you have any currencies not
included here, please notify us.
NOTE: the currency exchange
rates are as of February, 2008. The format means 1 US dollar
is equal to X dollars of that country's currency. The source
of the exchange rate is XE.com
- the world's favourite currency converter. Also note that
currencies no longer used are marked OBSOLETE. Of course,
only the most majestic and culturally-indicative banknotes
have been shown per currency.
List of countries
using the EURO as of February, 2008:
Belgium, Germany, Spain,
France, Ireland, Italy, Cyprus, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands,
Austria, Portugal, Finland, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece.
$1 US=0.68127 EURO. The
Euro has a series of frequently-updated images from across
the continent, including the Brandenburg Gate, the Acropolis
of Athens, etc.
Albanian LEKE:
$1 US = 83.8945
The archaic-looking hero
on Albanian currency is Gjerje Skanderbeg, the 15th-century
defender of Albanians against the Islamic conquest of the
Turks. He converted to Islam in order to survive, then reverted
back to Christendom to lead the rebellion (that failed). It
is ironic that Albanians are so proud of the defender of their
culture against Islamic invasion, yet they remain the only
Muslim culture in Europe at roughly 70% (though nominal).
Kosovo, which is a disputed nation populated by Albanian Muslims,
is the only other Muslim-majority nation of Europe. To get
a rare inside look at Albania, read my
article. As most of the Albanian currency descends from
the post-WWII period, when under dictator Enver Hoxha (another
hero of Albania), Islam and all religions were banned.
Kosovo
Kosovo, a new and disputed
nation that broke from Serbia in 2008 after 1000 years of
Serbian and Turkish Muslim rule, has not developed formal
banknotes yet. There were, before independence, some de facto
banknotes that simply included Albanian-language words over
Serbian banknotes.
Transnistria (Moldovan
breakaway state)
Transnistria is a breakaway
republic in eastern Moldova (which is east of Romania) that
is not formally recognized. Primarily populated by Russians,
the Soviet Union gave Transnistria recognition as a Soviet
territory with quasi-autonomy. When independence came, and
Romania and Moldova separated, Transnistrians were angered
that they did not receive independence. When they were a Soviet
state, independent banknotes were printed in Russian with
the Cyrillic alphabet. The conflict with the already-poor
Moldova makes Moldova one of the most unstable and indeed
the poorest nation in Europe.
Belarusian RUBLE:
$1 US = roughly 2150.00
Belarus is one of Europe's
youngest countries, indeed not having an independent national
history before the breakup of Russia. Its proud Slavic people,
largely undistinguishable from Russians after whom they are
named, were long part of the massive Polish-Lithuanian empire
until Russia annexed the entire area east of Prussia from
the 18th century onward. Known as "White Russia"
for many disputed reasons (in part because of it being a largely
non-Communist Russian region), the territory broke from Russia
when the Soviet Union collapsed by 1992. It retains strong
ties to the Soviet history and to the Russian state, and remains
"Europe's only dictatorship" under Lukashenko. Their
currency is unusual in that it almost exclusively has only
animals depicted.
Bosnian MARKA:
$1 US = 1.33245
Bosnia has among the simplest
banknotes in the world. There is no recognition in the artwork
of the Bosniak Muslim culture. Most of their notes reflect
the proud Yugoslav heritage of the Bosnian people (not to
say that they have affections for the Serbs). Bosnia, despite
being one of the poorest nations of Europe, sets its currency
with rather high value. Today, as a result of the Yugoslav
conflict, Bosnia is split in three internally: Republika Srpska
for Serbs in the east, Croats in the southwest, and Bosnian
Christians and Bosniak Muslims in the center. The division
is evident in the fact that Republika Srpska even prints its
own money!
Bosnia's Serbian internal state prints its own money. Notice
the Serbian eagle.
Another print of a banknote within Bosnia for the Serbian
state in the east.
Britain, N. Ireland,
Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Scotland POUND: $1 US = 0.50984
The British Pound remains
one of the world's most valuable currencies, the basis for
dozens of colonial-created countries' banking, and a standard
measure of the worth of a currency. Because of its extremely
high worth (the most valuable in Europe), its use is often
shunned by traders from countries with less valuable currency
(like the USA) in favor of the Euro or even less valuable
forms. The British currency applies to all of its formal colonies
today (Gibraltar, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Guernsey,
Jersey, Isle of Man, the Falklands off of Argenina, and other
maritime colonies). Like the Euro, some banknotes have different
country emblems (like Gibraltar), but can be traded all across
the Empire in many cases.
Bulgarian LEVA:
$1 US = 1.33200
Bulgaria has an interestingly
currency reflecting their ancient history as one of the oldest-surviving
nations on earth, founded in the 7th century. Bulgarian banknotes
express the proud Bulgarian Orthodox Christian heritage of
this ancient Slavic nation. To get an inside look at Bulgaria,
read my article.
Croatian KUNA:
$1 US = 4.94705
Croatian money has had a
difficult economic and political history. As can be seen in
the first banknote's worth, Croatian money was worthless when
the country was breaking from Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia
(see the Visual History of
Yugoslavia), but as the country has picked up to become
a major and beautiful tourist paradise, the value of the Kuna
has increased. Croatian currency expresses the strong Slavic
(and Catholic) pride of this culture on the coast. The first
banknote's reverse (the strange statue) is an ancient sculpture
of early Slavic history.
Czech Republic
KORUNY: $1 US = 17.1710
Though the Czechs and Slovaks
have only had completely independent nations very recently,
having been a puppet of the Germans for over 1000 years, the
Czechs and Slovaks are quite proud of their Slavic and Catholic
heritage. Their currency expresses their early Slavic roots,
their church, and their medieval heritage as Bohemia, which
broke from the Austria-Hungarian empire after World War I.
Their Czechoslovakia banknotes are particularly beautiful
and ancient-inspired. The Czechs and Slovaks, two cultures
with almost identical history, genetics, language, religion,
and heritage split into two states in the Velvet Divorce of
the 1990s largely because of Cold War-esque political disputes.
Danish & Greenlandic
KRONER: $1 US = 5.07735
Scandinavia tends to simply
use coins for transactions. Scandinavia easily has the highest
cost of living in the world, with a cup of coffee sometimes
exceeding $8 US. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and (before the
Euro) Finland have historically had very similar currency
because of their common Scandinavian identity. The same applies
to Estonia. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are Danish colonies,
and use the Kroner.
Estonian KROON:
$1 US = 10.6596
This proud Baltic state has
a long history, though very little as its own nation. The
geography of Estonia (historically Estland) implies that it
is an easy target for Polish, Lithuanian, German, Swedish,
and Russian expansionism. It is a Lutheran Finnic country
that broke from the Soviet Union by 1992, maintaining a strong
cultural and economic tie with Scandinavia. Its capital, Tallinn,
is a small town centuries old that has changed very little
in its overall look ever since it was a province of the German
Teutonic Order.
Hungarian FORINT:
$1 US = 179.550
The Hungarian Forint is among
the most useless of the European currencies, and also among
the most beautiful. They express great pride of Hungary's
ancient 1000-year history as a major Catholic player that
has shaped the history of Europe. Before 1918, when it was
part of the German Austrian leadership, their currency was
shared. During World War II, Hungary was among Germany's closest
allies.
Icelandic KRONUR:
$1 US = 67.0210
Like Sweden, Denmark, and
Norway, all of Scandinavia has a similar and often shared
currency to promote their Scandinavian Germanic identity and
economic relations.
Latvian LATI:
$1 US = 0.478929
Latvia has a long history,
though little of its own as a nation. Its Baltic and Finnic
populations were annexed to the German Empire and led by their
Teutonic Order legions from the 13th century until the 16th,
when the broken principalities of German-dominated Kurland
passed to Poland in the Livonian War. It then became part
of Russia, from which it broke after both the first World
War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Lithuanian LITAI:
$1 US = 2.35242
Christianized primarily by
Danish and German crusaders in the 13th century, this Baltic
state that is typically considered an insignificant and "backwater"
ex-Soviet state is actually one of the most powerful empires
in Eastern European history, having merged with Poland to
conquer a massive empire stretching from Belarus to the Black
Sea for centuries until it was carved up by the German Empire
and the Russian Empire with the destruction of Poland from
the 17th century onward.
Macedonian DENAR:
$1 US = 41.930
As the newest country in
European history (with Slovenia and Slovakia), Slavic Macedonia
has little independent history of its own, though it prides
itself in a strong revolution against the Islamic rule of
the Ottomans before World War I. It has only historically
acted as a disputed buffer zone between the Serbian, Bulgarian,
and Byzantine empires. Today it is one of the poorest nations
in Europe, and with a 33% hated Albanian Muslim minority that
led an Islamic Jihad and rebellion against Yugoslavia in the
Kosovo conflict, Macedonia has great hurdles ahead. They are
criticized by Greek nationalists for apparently trying to
"take credit" for Alexander the Great's (of Macedon[ia])
conquests, though Macedonians admit their independent, non-Greek
Slavic and Orthodox heritage with pride.
Moldovan LEI:
$1 US = roughly 11.29
As Europe's poorest country,
ravaged by internal civil conflict with the Russian Transnistria
breakaway state, and rife with corruption, Moldova is slandered
as a "backwater Eastern Bloc country". Having broken
from Romania after the fall of the Soviet Union, Moldova has
the same language, same currency name, same culture, same
religion (Orthodoxy), and same history, but because of Cold
War politics considers themselves a different people. Romania
as a nation only began in the 19th century. Before, "Romania"
consisted of Wallachia and Moldova, both of which principalities
fought hard to resist the coming Islamic conquest of the Turks.
This independent history of the two provinces gives justification
to Moldovan independence efforts to this day.
Norwegian KRONER:
$1 US = 5.38810
Like Sweden, Denmark, and
Iceland, currency primarily relies upon coins instead of banknotes
(though less so in Norway). Their currencies are all very
similar, reflecting their common cultural, ethnic, linguistic,
and economic ties as Germanic Scandinavians.
Polish ZLOTYCH:
$1 US = 2.43723
Often dismissed as an "Eastern
Bloc" backwater, Poland (with Lithuania) is historically
one of the most important and powerful empires in Eastern
European history, leading an empire stretching from Belarus
to the Black Sea. It is also one of the oldest Christian countries
of Europe, having been Christianized by Mieszko I over 1000
years ago. Its currency is set at high value despite their
shoddy economy.
Romanian NEW LEI:
$1 US = 2.48480 (replaced Old Lei, ~25,000
per USD)
Romania, with its large Gypsy
population, is one of the poorest nations in Europe. It reformed
its useless "Old Lei" currency, then worth roughly
25,000 to the US dollar, into the New Lei of today. It is
set higher than it is actually worth. To get a rare inside
look at Romania, read my article.
Their currencies express the agriculture, social, and cultural
traditions of the Romanian, Wallachian, and Moldovan people
in the land of Dracula.
Russian RUBLE:
$1 US = 24.5861
The Ruble is one of the more
famous currencies of Europe, having been an active currency
(at least in name) for centuries. The Soviet Union used a
Ruble as well, though the format, worth, and imagery have
changed. Interestly, it is almost impossible to find a Russian
currency (new or old) with Joseph Stalin on it despite his
cult of personality as the leader of the largest empire on
earth at the time. Instead, Lenin is on virtually every banknote.
Today, they tend instead to show the glorious architecture
of Russian churches and government offices like the Kremlin.
Serbian DINAR:
$1 US = 55.4053
Serbian money has taken many
changes because of its previous union with Bosnia, Macedonia,
Slovenia, and Croatia as Yugoslavia. Its Yugoslav currencies
of the past show great pride in collective work, the Slavic
people, Marshall Tito (the beloved dictator and founder of
the socialist version of Yugoslavia), etc. Most of the breakaway
states still had a proud expression of Yugoslav heritage in
their banknotes despite hatred for what Serbia had become
as an oppressor of their brethren. When the empire collapsed,
the Serbian currency became valued at 500 BILLION per US dollar.
It remains among Europe's poorest country, still troubled
by corruption and a constantly-nagging Albanian Muslim minority
in Kosovo (where they are the majority). Serbian currency
today expresses the proud Yugoslav heritage of the country,
their ancient Slavic history, and the role of Orthodoxy in
Serbian culture. The last scan is of Tito.
Slovakia KORUNY:
$1 US = 22.3900
Though the Czechs and Slovaks
have only had completely independent nations very recently,
having been a puppet of the Germans for over 1000 years, the
Czechs and Slovaks are quite proud of their Slavic and Catholic
heritage. Their currency expresses their early Slavic roots,
their church, and their medieval heritage as Bohemia, which
broke from the Austria-Hungarian empire after World War I.
Their Czechoslovakia banknotes are particularly beautiful
and ancient-inspired. The Czechs and Slovaks, two cultures
with almost identical history, genetics, language, religion,
and heritage split into two states in the Velvet Divorce of
the 1990s largely because of Cold War-esque political disputes.
The bottom two scans are from united Czechoslovakia.
Swedish KRONA:
$1 US = 6.34960
Like Denmark, Norway, and
Iceland, Swedish currency expresses pride in the common ethnic,
cultural, linguistic, and economic bond of Scandinavia. Coins
are very common in Scandinavia, unlike much of the world.
Swiss FRANC: $1
US = 1.09330 (note also used in Liechtenstein)
The Swiss Franc is based,
of course, on the pre-Euro French currency, the Franc. It
was chosen historically instead of German currencies (the
Mark) because of a closer economic relation with France, and
also to protect their independence from the ever-intervening
German empires. It is used in Liechtenstein and sometimes
Luxemburg, and is one of the most valuable currencies in the
world. It is unusual in that it has many vertically-directed
notes, and many have everyday individuals on their obverse.
As France is a consociational state divided into three ethnicities:
majority German, minority France, and minority Italian, its
currencies are trilingual.
Ukranian HRYVNIA:
$1 US = 5.052
Ukraine is often dismissed
as a "backwater" Eastern Bloc country, and indeed
it is rife with corruption, economic hardship, and political
fraud, but it is growing to be one of the newest economic
and political players in Eastern Europe because of its stranglehold
on the oil and natural gas to Western Europe. Ever proud of
their Slavic, Cossack, and Orthodox Christian heritage, one
Ukrainian banknote (the first below) interestingly admits
the fact disputed by many Slavic nationalists that the first
pan-Slavic nation (Kievan Rus) in Ukraine and Russia was founded
by Germanic Vikings called the "Varangians".
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is the owner
and Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I am working
for a doctorate in history, with a specific emphasis on Islamic
and European histories. I am well versed in all world cultures,
ethnicities, religions, languages, politics, and historical
evolution in relation to and against each other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
The banknote images are not
copyrighted; they are widely distributed across the internet
without any proper owners. Many banknote websites exist, with
images, that may be helpful for further research (and in some
cases may be the original owners of the images), including
banknotes.com, worldatlas.com,
etc. Currency conversion credited to XE.com
- the world's favourite currency converter.
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