24 January 2020

Whose portraits are on Polish banknotes?

Have you ever wondered whose portraits are depicted on Polish banknotes?

They are Polish kings and rulers on polish banknotes. Read on and find out their names.

• 10 PLN – the dark brown and green banknote shows a portrait of Mieszko I of Poland inspired by a drawing by Jan Matejko. Mieszko I is known in history as the first historical ruler of Poland, who was baptized in 966 and established Christianity as a national religion.
  
• 20 PLN – a purple-pink banknote depicts King Boleslaw I the Brave. He was the first king of Poland.
  
• 50 PLN – in the central part of the banknote, in navy blue and navy blue colors, there is a portrait of King Casimir III the Great. It is said that he “found a wooden Poland and left a brick one”.
  
• 100 PLN – a green-olive banknote depicts King Władysław II Jagiełło. He was the founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty.
  
• 200 PLN – on the brown-olive banknote there is a portrait of King Sigismund I the Old. It is believed that the times of his reign were the “golden age” of Poland.
  
• 500 PLN – the banknote with the highest face value so far depicts the portrait of King Jan III Sobieski. He was decorated by the Pope with the title fidei defensor, i.e. the defender of the faith.

Interesting fact
Collector banknotes with images of other important figures in the history of Poland are issued once in a while depending on the occasion.