Рэспубліка Беларусь
Republic of Belarus
Нацыянальны банк Рэспублікі Беларусь
(National Bank of The Republic of Belarus)
Currency - Ruble (BYN)
Here I have posted a full set of banknotes all printed with the year dated 2009. These notes were released into circulation on 01.07.2016. A complete set comprises eight notes. The first four notes for the lower denominations came from an exchange partner from Italy back in October 2016, and since then I have been wanting to get the remaining high value notes to complete my collection. Recently I found three dealers having the remaining four notes in stock, so I decided to buy them to complete my collection. Needless to say, the 200 and 500 rubles are not cheap to collect. This set of banknotes is now 9 years old, and there is no shortage in supply in the market. Since this series was introduced, a few reprints have been issued and you can tell by the year date printed on the center top left side of the note. The signature for the reprints are also omitted from the designs as well. Please note that there are two varieties for the 5 rubles for this 2009 series. It is fair to say that since the reprints are not quite the same as those initial issued series, the set that I have posted here is the only notes issued for this series.
The purpose of issuing this new series was due to currency reform. The exchange rate from the old ruble was 10,000 for one new ruble. This is not the first time the country had a currency reform introduced. In the year 2000, it also went through a currency reform where one new ruble was exchanged for 1,000 old rubles. The largest denomination issued then before this reform was 5,000,000 ruble.
This series of banknotes were reportedly printed by DLR and all printed with the year date of 2009. It was also reported that the central bank initially intended to release this series shortly after it was printed, but decided to delay until in 2016 due to the devaluation of the Ruble in early 2009, 2011 and 2015, and also due to the slow recovery of the financial crises which started in 2007/2008 resulted in the stock market crash and an international banking crises impacted around the world.
The theme for this series is "Belarus is my country". Each banknote is dedicated to one of the regions of Belarus and the city of Minsk, the national's capital city. On the front, from the lowest to the highest denominations showcased the architectural heritage of Belarus in the historical perspective from its origins to the present day. On the back are paintings depicted about the country's historical, cultural and spiritual heritage using symbols of that era. I must say that the colours for the 50 and 100 rubles are quite similar, especially on the front and I wonder if people get confused between the two notes.
The designs for this series are similar to the Euro currency, except that it features historical buildings on the front and history of Belarus on the back, rather than those imaginary bridges designed for those Euro currencies. Personally, I find the designs on the front for the 50 and 100 rubles are quite nice.
I cannot say that I am a big fan of Belarusian banknotes. I find them a bit of a risk when it comes to collecting them as the country has gone into currency reform, not once but twice since it became independent from the Soviet Union in August 1991. Both the 200 and 500 rubles are not cheap, and should there be a third currency reform, then these two notes may not be worth the papers it had printed on, except to collectors. However, despite saying this, it is always nice to collect them in full sets.
Five Rubles
Front - An image of the Belaja tower in Kamenets city. According to a source, this tower was built between 1276 and 1288. This tower was originally built for defensive purposes and therefore the designs lack any architectural and decorative elements. This is not the only such tower built, as similar towers were also built in other towns such as in Brest, Grodno, Mstislavi, Myadel, Novogrudok, Polotski, Radoshkovichi, Turov and Shklov. However, only the Belaja tower still survives till today. It should also be noted that there are two versions of this note issued. The Belaja tower is also known as the White Tower and is also the main landmark in the city. The one that I have posted here is the first version. The second version is printed with a gap between the brickstone/brick wall in the far right on the front of the note.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - Tower of Kamyenuets
Dimensions - 136mm x 73mm
Back - Scene of wooden wheel, leather belt fragment, ancient settlements of the first Slavic.
Below is the 5 rubles note that is printed with a gap between the brickstone (as highlighted) in the far right hand side, but I do not know why there are two varieties for this denomination. Was this deliberate and what's the reason behind this? I would like to point out that the bank has also further altered the design on the front for the subsequent reprint (2019) with the outline brick wall design on the far left being removed and having this design replacing the solid brick wall on the far right.
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| Dimensions - 135.5mm x 73mm |
Front - Spaso-Preobrazhenskaja church situated in Polotsk city. This church was built in the 12th century and since then was reconstructed twice in the 17th and 19th centuries. Despite the reconstructions, it retained the original frescoes design.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - Transfiguration Church
Dimensions - 141mm x 73mm
Back - College dedicated to enlightenment and typograph, with images of an opened book, and books stacked together standing on a bookshelf.
Front - Rumjantsev and Paskevich palace, Gomel city. This two-storey palace was built between 1777 and 1796. The city of Gomel is located in the south-east of Belarus, very close to the borders of Russia and Ukraine. This property is now owned by the government of Belarus.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - Palace of Rumyanysev-Paskevich
Dimensions - 144mm x 73mm
Back - Collage on the theme of spirituality, the Turau Gospel, a bell in the center and image of half the bell in the far right. To the far left is an image of the ancient town of Turau.
Front - Mir Castle/Complex in Mir. This is a historical fortified castle and a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in December 2000. This castle was built in the 16th century and this building had appeared in Belarus's banknotes in the past. Unfortunately, this castle carried some unfortunate history. During World War II, this castle was used to house local Jews prior to their murders. Today, it is a tourist attraction in the city of Mir.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - Palace of Rumyantsev-Paskevich
Dimensions - 148mm x 73mm
Back - Musical chords, collage on the theme of art. A quill pen and musical notes in the background. In the middle is a lyre musical instrument.
Front - Nesvizh or Nyasvizh castle in Nyasvizh. This is also another UNESCO World Heritage Site listed since 2005. This historical building was constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries and was owned by the Radziwill family until 1939. During the invasion of Poland by the Soviet army, the Radziwill family was evicted and used as a sanatorium. Between 2004-2012, the government extensively restored and needless to say, this is now a tourist attraction for visitors.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - Nesvizh Castle
Dimensions - 152mm x 72.5mm
Back - Violin, collage on the theme of theater and folk holidays. In the center is a violin and in the background is a tambourine with an image of a building and people standing on the balcony.
Two Hundred Rubles
Front - Regional Museum of Art in Mahilyow/Mogilev. This building was built by Architect called A Drucker and was used as a bank until 1914. The Soviet government took over after the revolution of 1917. In November 1990 it turned this building into a museum. The museum houses more than 5,300 items and it is open to the public.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - Tower
Dimensions - 155mm x 73mm
Back - Collage on the theme of crafts and town-planning. An old opened book and below that is a building with three people and a dog running in the background.
Five Hundred Rubles
Front - The building of the National Library of Belarus in Minsk. This library houses the largest collection of Belarusian printed materials. Construction for this building started in 2002 and completed in 2006. One interesting fact about this building was that it was partly funded by the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq. It was reported that he contributed half a million dollars to the construction of this building.
Signature - Petr Pyatrovich Prokopovich
Date - 2009 (01.07.2016)
Watermark - National Library
Dimensions - 160mm x 73mm
Back - Collage on the theme of literature. On the left is a quill pen and an ink bottle and a frond (leave from a fern tree). In the middle right is a plant and to the far right is another frond.
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