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1 Lev
| Issuer | Bulgarian National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Lev (1 BGN) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a vignette of the 1789 icon of St. Ivan Rilski, patron saint of Bulgaria, sourced from the Uspenie Bogorodichno (Assumption) Church near the Rila Monastery, rendered in intaglio against a multicoloured guilloche underprint. A vertical hologram stripe with rhomboid elements is positioned along the left margin. The denomination and issuer name appear in Cyrillic script, alongside the saint's name and life dates. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents an intaglio vignette of the main church of the Rila Monastery — the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin — with its characteristic domed roof, arcaded galleries, and striped decorative stonework rendered in rose and ochre tones over a patterned guilloche underprint. A schematic floor plan of the monastery complex appears in the upper left, while a large numeral "1" in intaglio occupies the lower left. A rosette security element is visible at lower right, and the issuer name and denomination are lettered in Cyrillic along the left and right margins respectively. |
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| Comments |
Bulgaria's 1999 currency reform was a direct consequence of the catastrophic hyperinflation of 1996–97, when the lev lost roughly 90% of its value in under twelve months and the banking system effectively collapsed. The redenomination, effective July 1999, replaced 1,000 old leva with 1 new lev — this note being among the lowest denominations introduced under that restructured system, pegged via a currency board arrangement to the Deutsche Mark at 1:1.
The Bulgarian National Bank's in-house printing facility in Sofia took over production of this series, an unusual arrangement given that many smaller central banks contract abroad. The hologram strip on this denomination was a deliberate security investment for a note whose face value, even post-redenomination, made counterfeiting barely worthwhile.