Iceland Banknotes 5000 Icelandic Krona banknote 1961
Central Bank of Iceland - Seðlabanki Íslands
Obverse: Portrait of Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir (1646-1715), third wife of Gísli Þorláksson, Bishop of Hólar; and the bishop and his two earlier wives, Gróa Þorleifsdóttir and Ingibjörg Benediktsdóttir.
Reverse: Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir instructing two girls in embroidery, with initials from her pattern book at the side. The borders and main pattern on both sides, and the embroidered lettering on the obverse, are copied from the Laufáskirkja altar cloth at the National Museum of Iceland.
Blind recognition feature: three vertical lines intaglio-printed on the obverse.
The watermark is a portrait of Jón Sigurðsson, leader of Iceland's independence movement. It is clearly visible on both sides of the note when held up to the light.
Artists: Kristin Thorkelsdottir, Stephan Fairbairn.
First put into circulation in 1986. In November 2003 the Central Bank put an upgraded design of the 5000 kr. note into circulation. Size: 70 x 155 mm. Predominant colour: blue on multicoloured underprint.
Icelandic banknotes - Iceland paper money
1981-2013 Issue
Currency Reform 1981 (1:100)
In 1981, the Icelandic króna was devalued, due to hyperinflation, with 100 old krónur (ISJ) being worth 1 new króna (ISK).
2000 Kronur 5000 Kronur 10000 Kronur
Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir (1646–1715) was an Icelandic seamstress and Bishop's wife.
She was the daughter of the Reverend Jón Arason (1606–1673) of Vatnsfjörður and his wife Hólmfríður Sigurðardóttir. She was one of twelve children and was an active seamstress. She taught this skill actively.
Ragnheiður became the wife of two consecutive Lutheran bishops in the Hólar - Gísli Þorláksson and Einar Þorsteinsson. Ragnheiður was considered one of the finest marriageable women of her time. Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir and her husband Bishop Þórláksson asked Guðmundur Guðmundsson (c.1618–after 1703) from Bjarnastaðahlíð in Vesturdalur, who was one of the most renowned craftsman in Iceland in the 17th century, to build the church at Gröf on the Skagi peninsula, at that time the sanctuary for the widows of bishops. The building, among the smallest houses of worship in Iceland, is located just south of Hofsós.