Catalog
10 Kuna
| Issuer | Narodna Banka Hrvatske (National Bank of Croatia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Juraj Dobrila (1812–1882), the Istrian bishop and national awakener, executed in fine intaglio engraving at right, set against a multicoloured guilloche underprint in shades of violet and rose. At upper left centre, a vignette of the Croatian coat of arms is accompanied by a smaller denomination box with geometric motifs; the serial number appears twice, once at upper left and once at lower centre. The vertical inscription 'NARODNA BANKA HRVATSKE' runs along the left margin, with 'DESET KUNA' printed vertically in the centre field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents two principal architectural vignettes: the ancient Roman amphitheatre of Pula (Arena), dating to the 1st century A.D., rendered in intaglio at left, and a panoramic view of the medieval hilltop town of Motovun in Istria at right. Both images are set within a structured layout over a multicoloured guilloche underprint, with denomination numerals and issuer inscriptions framing the composition. |
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Croatia's first post-independence banknote series, introduced in 1993 after the kuna replaced the Croatian dinar, was printed by Giesecke & Devrient in Leipzig — a politically neutral choice that kept production abroad during a period of active armed conflict on Croatian territory. The kuna itself was a deliberately loaded revival: the currency had last circulated under the Ustasha regime of the 1940s, and its reintroduction drew immediate criticism from Serbia and international observers, though Zagreb argued the name simply referenced the historical marten-pelt trade unit.
Father and son Miroslav and Šimun Šutej designed the full series. Miroslav was among Croatia's most recognized graphic artists, and his involvement gave the notes a coherence that distinguished them from the rushed emergency issues they replaced.