Currency of the Eurozone New 5 euro banknote 2013 European Central Bank
Obverse: Classic architecture
Reverse: Bridge of classic architecture and map of Europe.
Watermark: When the note is held under a normal light source, a portrait of Europa and an electrotype denomination appear on either side.
Signature of third President of the European Central Bank - Mario Draghi.
8 November 2012: The ECB announces the introduction of a new series of euro banknotes, starting with the €5 banknote, and reveals three of the security features.
10 January 2013: The €5 banknote of the Europa series is unveiled.
2 May 2013: The new €5 banknote is introduced in all the euro area countries.
On 10 January 2013 Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, unveiled the new €5 banknote at the Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt am Main.
The new €5 banknote came into circulation on 2 May 2013.
The five euro note is the smallest at 120 by 62 millimetres (4.7 in × 2.4 in) with a grey colour scheme. All bank notes depict bridges, arches or doorways in a different historical European style; the five euro note shows the Classical era (up to the fifth century). Although Robert Kalina's original designs were intended to show real monuments, for political reasons the bridge and art are merely hypothetical examples of the architectural era.
Like all euro notes, it contains the denomination, the EU flag, the signature of the president of the ECB and the initials of said bank in different EU languages, a depiction of EU territories overseas, the stars from the EU flag.
Portraits have traditionally been used in banknotes all over the world, and research shows that people tend to recognise faces intuitively. The Eurosystem chose to put a portrait of Europa in the watermark and the hologram of the new series of euro banknotes. Europa is a figure from Greek mythology. The portrait was taken from a vase at the Louvre in Paris which was found in southern Italy and is over 2,000 years old. This portrait was chosen because it has a clear association with the continent of Europe and also adds a human touch to the banknotes.
In Greek mythology, Europa, the daughter of a Phoenician king, was seduced by the god Zeus, in the shape of a bull, who carried her away to Crete. The story inspired the ancient Greeks to use “Europe” as a geographical term.
Euro banknotes
2002 Series
Europa series of euro banknotes
2013-2015 Issue
Currency Exchange Rates for Euro Member Countries
5 Euro = 68.80 Austrian schillings 5 Euro = 201.7 Belgian francs