Euro banknotes
Euro banknotes
Euro banknotes are the banknotes of the
euro, the currency of the eurozone (see
European Union). They have been in circula-
tion since 2002 and are issued by the
European Central Bank (ECB), each bearing
the signature of
the President of
the
European Central Bank. Denominations of
notes range from €5 to €500 and, unlike euro
coins, the design is identical across the whole
of the eurozone, although they are printed in
various member states.
Denominations
The banknotes show the signature of the
president of the ECB, currently Jean-Claude
Trichet
There are seven different denominations,
each having a distinctive colour and size. The
design for each of them has a common theme
of European architecture in various artistic
periods. The front (or recto) of the note fea-
tures windows or gateways while the back
(or verso) has bridges. Care has been taken
so that the architectural examples do not rep-
resent any actual existing monument, so as
not to induce jealousy and controversy in the
choice of which monument should be depic-
ted.[1]
Common to all notes are the European
flag, the initials of the European Central
Bank in five versions (BCE, ECB, EZB, ΕΚΤ,
EKP), a map of Europe on the back, the name
"euro"
in both Latin and Greek script
("ΕΥΡΩ") and the signature of the current
president of the ECB. The 12 stars from the
European Flag are also incorporated into
every note.
The euro banknote designs were chosen
from 44 proposals in a design competition,
launched by The Council of the European
Monetary Institute (EMI) on 12 February
1996. The winning entry, created by Robert
Kalina from the Oesterreichische National-
bank, was selected on 3 December 1996.
Specification
The paper used for euro banknotes is 100%
pure cotton fibre, which improves their dur-
ability as well as imparting a distinctive
feel.[2]
2002 Series
Image
Obverse
Reverse
Value Dimensions
(millimetres)
Main
Colour
€5
120 × 62
Grey
€10 127 × 67
Red
€20 133 × 72
Blue
€50 140 × 77
Orange
€100 147 × 82
Green
From Wikipedia, t