Sweden Currency 1000 Swedish Krona banknote 1992 King Gustav Vasa
Swedish National Bank - Sveriges Riksbank
Obverse side of the 1000 Swedish kronor is showing the portrait of Gustav Vasa (1496–1560), King of Sweden 1523–1560. Founded the Swedish hereditary monarchy and united the loosely-ordered Sweden of the 16th century into a centrally-administered state. The portrait is an intaglio print after an oil painting by Cornelius Arentz from the 1620s. Detail from Vädersolstavlan, an oil painting of an atmospheric optical phenomenon that was visible over Stockholm on 20 April 1535. The phenomenon, probably a halo display, is symbolised by the rings. The painting, which hangs in Stockholm Cathedral, is the oldest image of Stockholm existing in Sweden.
Microtext at right: Translation of the Bible into Swedish: Quotation from Gustav I taken from an archbishop's circular from 1525 in which he informs his brethren that the king has decided to translate the Bible into the Swedish language. Microtext that can be read with the aid of a magnifying glass, written in latin and meaning Let them have the Holy Scripture in their own language: Scripturam in propria habeant lingua.
Reverse side of the 1000 Swedish kronor is showing a harvest picture from Olaus Magnus Description: Graphic interpretation from the 1555 work Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (A Description of the Northern Peoples) by Olaus Magnus (1490–1557), scientific writer whose work is considered to be one of the most important sources for our knowledge of Sweden's geography and cultural history in the 16th century. The image shows the harvest being gathered and threshed under a shining sun.
Watermark depicting the denomination and portrait on the banknote which becomes visible when you hold the banknote to the light. The denomination appears significantly lighter than the rest of the paper.
Measures: 82 x 150 millimetres
Colour: Red
Introduced: 2001
Banknote paper: Manufactured of cotton fibres that are not fluorescent, which is to say they do not emit any light under ultraviolet light (other types of paper may emit a bluish glow).
Banknote number: shows which year the note was printed. The first digit is the last figure of the printing year. The second and third digits show which decade the note was printed, according to a special system.
Sweden Banknotes - Sweden Paper Money
1985-2012 Issue
20 Kronor 50 Kronor 100 Kronor 500 Kronor 1000 Kronor
2005 "250 Years Tumba Bruk Printing Works" Commemorative Issue
King Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his 1560 death, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (Rikshövitsman) from 1521, during the ongoing Swedish War of Liberation against King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Initially of low standing, Gustav rose to lead the rebel movement following the Stockholm Bloodbath, in which his father perished. Gustav's election as King on 6 June 1523 and his triumphant entry into Stockholm eleven days later meant the end of Medieval Sweden's elective monarchy and the Kalmar Union, and the birth of a hereditary monarchy under the House of Vasa and its successors, including the current House of Bernadotte.
As King, Gustav proved an enigmatic administrator with a ruthless streak not inferior to his predecessor's, brutally suppressing subsequent uprisings (three in Dalarna – which had once been the first region to support his claim to the throne - one in Västergötland, and one in Småland). He worked to raise taxes, end Feudalism and bring about a Swedish Reformation, replacing the prerogatives of local landowners, noblemen and clergy with centrally appointed governors and bishops. His 37-year rule, which was the longest of a mature Swedish king to that date (subsequently passed by Gustav V and Carl XVI Gustav) saw a complete break with not only the Danish supremacy but also the Roman Catholic Church, whose assets were nationalised, with the Lutheran Church of Sweden established under his personal control. He became the first truly autocratic native Swedish sovereign and was a skilled propagandist and bureaucrat, with his main opponent, Christian's, infamous mark as the "tyrant king" and his largely fictitious adventures during the liberation struggle still widespread to date. Due to a vibrant dynastic succession, his three sons, Erik, Johan and Karl IX, all held the kingship at different points.
Gustav I has subsequently been labelled the founder of modern Sweden, and the "father of the nation". Gustav liked to compare himself to Moses, whom he believed to have also liberated his people and established a sovereign state. As a person, Gustav was known for ruthless methods and a bad temper, but also a fondness for music and had a certain sly wit and ability to outmaneuver and annihilate his opponents. He founded one of the now oldest orchestras of the world, the Kungliga Hovkapellet (Royal Court Orchestra). Royal housekeeping accounts from 1526 mention twelve musicians including wind players and a timpanist but no string players. Today the Kungliga Hovkapellet is the orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera.