The Brighter Faces of the New Georgian Banknotes
The National Bank of Georgia plans to release new Lari banknotes in 2016. The new 20, 50 and 100 Lari notes will be introduced gradually and will be circulated with the older banknotes.
“This is the first major update of the Lari banknote designs in 20 years,” National Bank Preisdent Giorgi Kadagidze stated. “The National Bank is replacing faded and damaged banknotes with newer ones in order to refill reserves. It came at a good time because the process would require additional financial resources.”
Sights and Stories
The original themes of the old Lari banknotes are being maintained. At the same time the updated banknotes have various new elements added to their stories. Let’s take a closer look at some of those stories:
The 20 Lari banknote shows the portrait of Ilia Chavchavadze, a Georgian politician, lawyer, journalist, writer and poet and named saint of the 20th century. Behind him you can see the newspaper he founded, Iveria, the Iveria publishing house, the magazine ‘Georgia’s Messenger’ and various personal items belonging to Chavchavadze.
The back of the 20 Lari banknote features a panorama of Old Tbilisi, the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali- the founder of the city who famously shot a pheasant down into a boiling sulfur bath-, an 18th century Tbilisi map and the national emblem of Georgia.
The 50 Lari banknote features the portrait of Tamar the Great, the first woman to rule Georgia during its Golden Age in the 12th century. You will also now see the famous caves of the Vardzia Monastery Complex and a bas-relief of the Pitareti Monastery. Also featured on this note is the zodiac sign of Sagittarius Miniature, a manuscript from the 12th century and the national emblem of Georgia.
The front of the 100 Lari banknote features the portrait of Shota Rustaveli, 12th century Georgian poet and creator of the Georgian national epic poem ‘The Knight in the Panther’s Skin.’ Behind him is an illustration of that poem; the page of the poem from its first ever print; an ornament from the 17th century manuscript of the poem and a 7th century bas-relief from the Martvili Monastery.
The back of the 100 Lari banknote shows the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre (expected to reopen this December), an excerpt from the score of the national anthem and the national emblem of Georgia.
The National Bank of Georgia developed the sketches for the renewed banknotes with the involvement of the world’s leading companies: Giesecke & Devrient (Germany), Oberthur Fiduciaire (France), and De La Rue (England).
Bigger and Brighter
The 20 Lari note will be a brighter red colour, the 50 Lari note will be green and the 100 Lari note will have a deeper purple colour. The sizes of the new banknote have also been changed and all will now include a nominal recognition mark for people with poor eyesight.
The new banknotes were designed by Bacha Malazonia. The 5 and 10 Lari notes will also be updated but at a later date.
Ana Akhalaia