Lithuania banknotes 1000 Litu banknote of 1924
Bank of Lithuania - Lietuvos Bankas
Obverse: The Coat of arms of Lithuania - Vytis ("the Chaser") at center. Denomination figures “1000” in ornate guilloche at left and right and in each corner.
Reverse: Seated girl in peasant costume at left and young man at right (allegory of work and art) and the caduceus as the symbol of commerce at center.
Watermark: Kestutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Designer: Adomas Galdikas.
Printer: Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. England.
Lithuania banknotes - Lithuania paper money
1927-1928 Issue
1924 Issue
500 Litu 1000 Litu
1929-1930 "500 Years Vytautas the Great" Commemorative Issues
Lithuanian litas
The first litas was introduced on 2 October 1922, replacing the ostmark and ostruble, both of which had been issued by the occupying German forces during World War I. The ostmark was known as the auksinas in Lithuania.
The litas was established at a value of 10 litas = 1 US dollar and was subdivided into 100 centų. In the face of world wide economic depression, the litas appeared to be quite a strong and stable currency, reflecting the negligible influence of the depression on the Lithuanian economy. One litas was covered by 0.150462 grams of gold stored by the Bank of Lithuania in foreign countries. In March 1923, the circulation amounted to 39,412,984 litai, backed by 15,738,964 in actual gold and by 24,000,000 in high exchange securities. It was required that at least one third of the total circulation would be covered by gold and the rest by other assets. By 1938, 1 U.S. dollar was worth about 5.9 litai, falling to about 20 U.S. cents before its disappearance in 1941.
Memelgebiet
In March 1939 Nazi Germany demanded that Lithuania give up the Klaipėda Region (also known as the Memel Territory), which had been detached from Germany after World War I. The Lithuanian government complied, and on 23 March 1939 the area was annexed by Germany. On the same day the reichsmark replaced the litas as the official currency of the region, with 1 litas being exchanged for 40 pfennig. Until 20 May 1939 inhabitants of the Memelgebiet could exchange litas for reichsmarks.
Soviet Occupation
The litas was replaced by the Soviet ruble in April 1941 after Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union, with 1 litas equal to 0.9 ruble, although the actual value of the litas was about 3-5 rubles. Such an exchange rate provided great profits for the military and party officials. Trying to protect the value of the currency, people started to massively buy which, together with a downfall in production (following nationalization), caused material shortages. Withdrawals were then limited to 250 litų before the litas was completely abolished.
Coins
Coins were introduced in 1925 in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centų, 1, 2 and 5 litai, with the litas coins in silver. 10 litų coins were introduced in 1936. All these coins were designed by the sculptor Juozas Zikaras (1881–1944). The litas coins displayed Jonas Basanavičius and Vytautas the Great, which was replaced by a portrait of President Antanas Smetona.
Banknotes
In 1922, the Bank of Lithuania issued notes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centai, 1, 2, 5, 10, 50 and 100 litų. In 1924, 500 and 1000 litų notes were added. Denominations below 5 litai were replaced by coins in 1925.
Adomas Galdikas
Adomas Galdikas (October 18, 1893 Giršinai village, near Mosėdis – December 7, 1969 New York City) was a Lithuanian painter, graphic artist, scenographer.
Galdikas attended painting studios in Saint Petersburg and Berlin. Galdikas continued his studies in Sweden, Italy and France. In 1923, after returning to Lithuania, he founded his own graphics studio in Kaunas, where he worked until 1940. At the same time he was also lecturing at the Kaunas Art School. During World War II Galdikas was a professor at the Kaunas Applied Arts Institute. Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas was among his students. From 1946 to 1947 Galdikas lectured as a professor in Freiburg im Breisgau (École des Arts et Métiers). In 1947 Galdikas moved to Paris, and in 1952 to the United States. He settled in New York, where he lived until his death.
Works
Since 1920 Galdikas participated in art exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad. Galdikas also illustrated books and created scenography for 19 plays at the Kaunas State Theater. He has also designed a number of interbellum Lithuanian postage stamps, bonds and paper litas banknotes. In Germany, France and the United States he worked mainly as painter.
In 1937 for his triptych Lithuania Galdikas was awarded the 1937 Paris Exhibition Grand Prix. For the scenography and costumes for drama Šarūnas by Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius Galdikas was awarded 1937 Paris Exhibition Golden medal. Works by Adomas Galdikas were acquired by Stieglitz Museum of Applied Arts, Lithuanian M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, Lithuanian Art Museum, Latvian National Museum of Art, Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume in Paris, and other museums.
Kestutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania
Kęstutis (Latin: Kinstut; born ca. 1297, died on 3 August or 15 August 1382 in Kreva) was a ruler of medieval Lithuania. He was the Duke of Trakai and governed the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1342–1382, together with his brother Algirdas (until 1377), and with his nephew Jogaila (until 1381). He ruled over the Lithuanians and Ruthenians. Kęstutis is the father of Vytautas.
The name "Kęstutis" is a derivative from the old form of the name Kęstas, which is a shortened version of such Lithuanian names as Kęstaras, Kęstautas (there kęs-ti means to cope). Historic writing sources reflect different Lithuanian pronunciation.