Numismatic Issues CROATIAN NATIONAL BANK Croatian National Bank Numismatic Issues 1994 – 2014 Croatian ISBN 978-953-8013-06-5 (print) • ISBN 978-953-8013-07-2 (PDF) PUBLISHER CROATIAN NATIONAL BANK Publishing Department Trg hrvatskih velikana 3, Zagreb Exchange Telephone No: +385 1 4564 555 Telephone No: +385 1 4565 006 Telefax No: +385 1 4564 687 www.hnb.hr Printed in: 1000 copies ISBN 978-953-8013-06-5 (print) • ISBN 978-953-8013-07-2 (PDF) NUMISMATIC ISSUES CROATIAN NATIONAL BANK 1994 – 2014 Zagreb, May 2014 4 Kuna and Lipa, Banknotes and Coins of the Republic of Croatia Kuna and Lipa, Banknotes and Coins of the Republic of Croatia The kuna, the monetary unit of the Republic of Croatia, The choice of the names the Croatian kruna and banica was introduced on 30 May 1994, when it replaced the caused public debate, with arguments for or against. temporary currency the Croatian dinar. Taking into consideration these arguments, the As the change of a national monetary unit is a Commission proposed a new solution: that the names landmark social and economic event, and often has the Croatian kruna and banica be replaced by the kuna a political dimension, the introduction of the kuna and the lipa. The Croatian Parliament accepted the also held a special importance for the then young proposal, and in August 1993 the provisions on naming independent state of Croatia. the monetary unit of the Republic of Croatia the kuna and its hundredth part the lipa were incorporated into Money is considered a very significant characteristic the Act on the Croatian National Bank. of sovereignty, a mirror of the country of issue. Money is also a mark of the identity, history and culture of a The name of the monetary unit the kuna comes from people. The symbolic role of money is one of its key the Croatian word for marten, an animal living in the features and its name adds to this role. Croatian woods, whose pelts were used as a means of trade, that is, functioned as money. The history of Since their arrival in their present homeland, the the Croatian kuna, which originated as a means of Croats have used various forms of money. Only a few payment in kind to become a unit of account and an of the names for money employed by the common actual currency that in some periods featured an image people are known today. of the marten, is comparable with the history of many other currencies. The Croatian dinar was introduced in late 1991, the year that Croatia gained independence. It replaced A decision had to be made on an appropriate name the Yugoslav dinar, a currency used in the territory for the hundredth part of the kuna. As the name the of today’s Croatia, which was then a republic in the kuna derives from the animal world, a counterpart former federal state. was sought for it in the plant world. A proposal was given for the name the lipa (linden), which is very easy The Croatian dinar was introduced as a temporary to pronounce and has its origins in the traditions of monetary unit to enable monetary independence amid Croatian folklore, literature and history. the adverse economic circumstances and war-inflicted destruction of the times, coupled with high inflation. The Stabilisation Programme, completed in early October 1993, succeeded in bringing down the inflation In the process of deciding on the name and rate and stabilising it at a low level. On 30 May 1994, appearance of a permanent Croatian currency, the the Croatian National Bank released into circulation the Commission for Drafting a Proposal for a Monetary kuna and lipa, which became the legal tender in Croatia. System Concept and the Manufacturing of the Republic of Croatia Banknotes announced in late Released into circulation were 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, August 1991 that the Croatian dinar would at a 500 and 1000 kuna banknotes as well as 1, 2 and 5 convenient moment be replaced by the permanent kuna and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 lipa coins. Croatian currency – the Croatian kruna, divided into one hundred banica. The design concept for the banknotes is by Miroslav Croatian National Bank Numismatic Issues 1994 – 2014 Kuna and Lipa, Banknotes and Coins of the Republic of Croatia 5 Šutej, Šimun Šutej and Vilko Žiljak. Each banknote has been improved by new security features. Therefore, in its main colour. The obverse of the banknotes features addition to the issues from 1993, the improved 2001, a leading figure of Croatian history and culture, while 2004 and 2012 issues are now also in circulation. the 5 kuna banknote bears an image of two Croatian noblemen related by blood, who were treacherously The denomination numeral on the obverse of the 1, executed because of their pursuit of freedom for the 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 lipa coins is displayed against a Croatian people. The reverse of all banknotes shows a background in the form a blooming linden branch and panorama or a typical Croatian town motif. on 1, 2, and 5 kuna coins this background is formed as an image of a running marten. The currency name The motifs on the obverse and reverse of the banknotes is positioned below the denomination numeral and the and the main colours: background. 5 kuna OBVERSE: Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan ∙ The reverse of all kuna and lipa denominations features REVERSE: Varaždin Castle ∙ MAIN COLOUR: green a motif of a plant species (on lipa coins) or an animal 10 kuna species (on kuna coins) living in Croatia next to the OBVERSE: Juraj Dobrila ∙ REVERSE: Arena in Pula ∙ minting year. MAIN COLOUR: purple 1 lipa CORN STALK 20 kuna 2 lipa VINE BRANCH OBVERSE: Josip Jelačić ∙ REVERSE: Vučedol dove 5 lipa COMMON OAK BRANCH and the Castle of Count Eltz in Vukovar ∙ 10 lipa TOBACCO PLANT MAIN COLOUR: orange-red 20 lipa OLIVE BRANCH 50 kuna 50 lipa VELEBIT DEGENIA OBVERSE: Ivan Gundulić ∙ REVERSE: Dubrovnik ∙ 1 kuna NIGHTINGALE MAIN COLOUR: blue 2 kuna TUNA 100 kuna 5 kuna BROWN BEAR OBVERSE: Ivan Mažuranić ∙ REVERSE: Church of St. Vitus in Rijeka ∙ MAIN COLOUR: light brown The names of the plants and animals are in Croatian on 200 kuna the coins issued in odd years (since 1993) and in Latin OBVERSE: Stjepan Radić ∙ REVERSE: building of the on the coins issued in even years (since 1994). general headquarters in Osijek, 1726 ∙ MAIN COLOUR: brown The first commemorative 25 kuna circulation coin 500 kuna issue was released by the Croatian National Bank in OBVERSE: Marko Marulić ∙ REVERSE: Diocletian’s 1997, and was followed by eleven issues released into Palace in Split and the figure of a Croatian ruler ∙ circulation to date to mark events of special importance MAIN COLOUR: greenish for the Republic of Croatia. 1000 kuna OBVERSE: Ante Starčević ∙ REVERSE: monument to The design concept for kuna and lipa circulation coins King Tomislav and the Zagreb cathedral ∙ is by Kuzma Kovačić and the 25 kuna design concept MAIN COLOUR: red and blue is the work of Damir Mataušić. The banknotes’ appearance and features have been Over the past twenty years, kuna banknotes and kuna slightly altered over the twenty years that they have and lipa coins of the Republic of Croatia have been been in use: the 10 kuna banknote’s main colour accepted as one of the main features of its identity and has been changed to grey and all banknotes have sovereignty. Croatian National Bank Numismatic Issues 1994 – 2014 6 KUNA COINAGE – from Idea to Realisation KUNA COINAGE – from Idea to Realisation “It will be so wonderful .... to see Croatian children holding Croatian coins in their hands ... – the coins I have made by my own hand, the Croatian money ... that will always be around, like Roman money, until the end of time.” Kuzma Kovačić, author of the Croatian kuna design, 1993. Preliminary sketch of a marten, 1993 Marten in motion, drawing, 1993 Final drawing of a marten, 1993 Final model of a marten, plaster cast, 1993 Croatian National Bank Numismatic Issues 1994 – 2014 KUNA COINAGE – from Idea to Realisation 7 Late in 1993, the Croatian National Bank invited a tender for the graphic design concept of the Croatian coinage. The new Croatian currency was to be called kuna and its hundredth part the lipa. Kuna and lipa coins were to feature flora and fauna motifs. The design of Kuzma Kovačić was chosen from among seven sculptors’ entries as the best model for minting kuna and lipa coins. The kuna, both symbolically and by name, relates to the hundreds of year old Croatian history. Marten pelts were once used as a means of payment, Croatian coins featured an image of the marten and the name of the Croatian money, kuna, comes from the Croatian word for marten. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the nine coins of various denominations bearing motifs of typical Croatian species: a corn stalk, a vine branch, a common oak branch, a tobacco plant, an olive branch, the Velebit degenia, a nightingale, a tuna fish and a brown bear. At a session held on 10 May 1994, chaired by Dr Pero Jurković, the Croatian National Bank Council adopted the Decision on Issuing Banknotes and Coins Representative of the Monetary Unit of the Republic of Croatia. Sketch drawings of the Sketch drawing of the Croatian coinage, 1993 Croatian interlace for the reverse of 2, 10, 20 and 50 lipa coins, 1993 First 1 kuna coin model, First 1 kuna coin model 1 kuna coin model, 1 kuna coin model with a ceramic, 1993 with a nightingale motif, bronze, 1993 nightingale motif, bronze, ceramic, 1993 1993 Pictures on pages 6 and 7 are from the catalogue "Kuzma Kovačić – Coinage of the Republic of Croatia", published by Moderna galerija.