Bulgarian Coins and Notes in Circulation

NOTES

    1 lev

The obverse of the banknote shows a 1789 icon depicting of Sveti Ivan Rilski from the Uspenie Bogorodichno (Assumption of Our Lady) Church in the Pchelino Postnica (Hermitage) near the Rila Monastery.
Sveti Ivan Rilski (876 - 946)
Bulgaria adopted Christianity as a national religion in AD864, and Ivan of Rila preached Christ's doctrine in mediaeval Bulgaria. Canonised soon after his death, he became patron of the monastery which emerged on the spot where he ended his earthly span. Today the Rila Monastery, over a thousand years old, houses the Saint's relics.

The reverse of the banknote shows the main Monastery church set off by the cloister's open-air walkways.

    2 levs

An engraving of Pagisios of Chiliandar is the major item on the obverse side. The background depicts the Zografou Monastery on Mount Athos, the Monastery Seal, and the interior of Pagisios' monastic cell.
Pagisios of Chiliandar (1722 - 1773), the man who kindled the spark of the Bulgarian National Revival, served in Holy Orders at the monastery of Chiliandar on Mount Athos. He authored the "Historiae Sclavo-Bulgaricus": the first work of modern Bulgarian letters and harbinger of Bulgarians' spiritual emancipation and national reawakening

The reverse side shows a facsimile of the Zografou draft of the of the "Historiae Sclavo-Bulgaricus" with a list of Bulgarian rulers. This is overprinted with impressions of Tsar Kalogiannis Ring Seal and three seals with the images of Bulgarian Sovereigns Mihail Shishman, Svetoslav Terter and Tsar Ivan Asen II. The right side shows Hristofor Zhefarovich's lion rampant with the names of Bulgarian rulers from the First and Second Empires overprinted in microscopic lettering, Bottom right appears Bulgaria's Coat of Arms with three lions couchant, as published in the Gruenberg Heraldic Compendium of 1483.

    5 levs

Main feature of the obverse side of the banknote is the engraving of Ivan Milev, a noted Bulgarian 1920s artist. the background shows details of his painting "Art and the Crown of Thorns", decorative motifs from his other works, passages from his letters and a monogram from a bill advertising his first exhibition, held in Sofia in 1925.
Ivan Milev (1897 -1927), painter, avant-garde stage designer, and one of the circle who defined the fin-de-siecle in Bulgarian art. Gifted with the potent imagination and strong stylistic sensibility, he sought inspiration and models in village life and folk songs, legends and beliefs to create supple images rich in Bulgarian tradition and spirit.

The reverse shows fragments from his paintings "A Woman Harvesting", "The Bulgarian Madonna", and "Wedding of the Dragon".

    10 levs

The obverse side carries an engraving of Doctor Peter Beron. To the right of him appear the frontispiece and plates from his 1824 "Primer Containing Diverse Instructions". Colloquially known as Riben Bukvar (the Fish Primer), this was infused with the ideas of advanced European education.
Doctor Peter Beron (1799 - 1871), a National Revival scientist, Renaissance Man, reformer and sponsor of Bulgarian learning, this linguist with nine languages authored the first secular instruction book in Bulgarian, and encoded modern Bulgarian grammar. He contributed greatly to the modernisation of education and establishment of contemporary Bulgarian culture.

The reverse side shows sketches taken from Peter Beron's treatises in astronomy, and his personal telescope.

    20 levs

A portrait of Stefan Stambolov is the main feature on the obverse side of the banknote. The central part carries a cover facsimile of his anthology "Songs and Poems" issued in Bucharest in 1877, and his poem "To My Comrades". Below appears the Seal of the Edinstvo (Unity) Committee in Tarnovo, whose co-founder Stambolov was.
Stefan Stambolov (1854 - 1895), this most resolute, uncompromising and controversial of Bulgarian statesmen grasped the perilous historic task of modernising the nation. Participant in the National Liberation struggle, poet National Unification activist National Assembly Deputy, Chairman, Regent, and Prime Minister, Stambolov put Bulgaria upon the map of European statesmanship.

The reverse of the banknote depicts the National Assembly building and fragments of Orlov Most and Lavov Most (Sofia's Eagle and Lion Bridges): public edifices linked with his period in office; and manuscript in his hand.

    50 levs

Pencho Slaveykov's likeness appears on the obverse side of the banknote. The background includes detail fragments of the National Theatre and the National Library: institutions linked with the poet's artistic and public activity.
Pencho Slaveykov (1866 - 1912)
His contribution to the convergence of Bulgarian to world letters make this poet, columnist, translator and literary critic on of Bulgaria's most enduring literary classics. His character and writings left a powerful and enduring impression on Bulgarian intellectual development.

Major theme of the banknote's reverse side are Slaveykov's poems: the national epic "A Song of Blood", and a set of plates from his anthology "Epic Songs"; the facsimile shows a page of its first edition. The poet's intimate lyricism forms a second theme, represented by the "Dream of Joy" anthology, and a portrait of his great love - fellow poet Mara Belcheva