Greek Banknotes 5000 Drachmai 1950 Bank of Greece P-184a.
Obverse: Portrait of Greek poet Dionysios Solomos.
Reverse: "The sortie of Missolonghi" by Theodoros Vryzakis (1855), National Gallery of Athens.
Printer: IETA - Bank of Greece Printing Works.
TPAΠEZA THΣ EΛΛAΔOΣ - BANK OF GREECE
1950 Issue
5000 Drachma 50000 Drachma
Dionysios Solomos
Dionysios Solomos (Greek: Διονύσιος Σολωμός; 8 April 1798 – 9 February 1857) was a Greek poet from Zakynthos. He is best known for writing the Hymn to Liberty (Greek: Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν, Ýmnos eis tīn Eleutherían), of which the first two stanzas, set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, became the Greek national anthem in 1865. He was the central figure of the Heptanese School of poetry, and is considered the national poet of Greece—not only because he wrote the national anthem, but also because he contributed to the preservation of earlier poetic tradition and highlighted its usefulness to modern literature. Other notable poems include Ὁ Κρητικός (Τhe Cretan), Ἐλεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι (The Free Besieged) and others. A characteristic of his work is that no poem except the Hymn to Liberty was completed, and almost nothing was published during his lifetime.
The Exodus of Mesolongi Greece: The Exodus of Mesolongi is one of the most important historical events of the Greek War of Independence. It took place in April 1826. The fighting over the Turks had started a few years ago and the Greeks were trying to gain their freedom. The residents of Mesolongi, along with other greek cities, had also rebelled, killed their Turkish governors and set their city free. Trying to gain the city back, the Sultan sent an army to suppress the revolution. His first attempt in 1822 failed and in 1825 he sent an even stronger army. The residents of Mesolongi, from inside the walls, fought the turkish army with courage but the siege lasted for a whole year. The Turks had circled the area and the Greeks could not get food supplies. People started dying from famine and diseases and the other Greeks were unable to help them. In the end, the exhausted residents of Mesolongi decided to secretly exit their city in the night of April, 10th, 1826, cross the turkish camp and hide themselves in the mountains and the close by villages. However, their plan was betrayed to the enemy and when the Greeks opened the gates in the middle of the night, the Turks attacked them and killed all women and children and most of the soldiers. Only 1,300 men finally managed to save their lives. The Exodus is considered to be a great act of courage and it is celebrated every year in Mesolongi the Sunday before Easter, as an annual anniversary and a memorance of this heroic act. This day, a parade starts from the centre of the town and ends in the Garden of Heroes, followed by a memorial to the heroes of the Greek Revolution.