Destinations, Things to do in Corfu
Corfu Museums : The Banknote Museum
Corfu Banknote Museum
In the historic building of the Ionian Bank, where the first Greek bank operated, in 1839, when Corfu, as well as the rest of the Ionian Islands, belonged to the Ionian State, under the Protection of the English Commission, you will see the economic growth unfolding in front of you , and many parts of the Greek history in general.Unique in Greece, and one of the few in the world, the Corfu Banknote Museum has been operating since 1981 in the building of the Ionian Bank by the architect Ioannis Chronis.
A large collection of banknotes, printing matrices, bank documents, photos and mock-ups are displayed at all stages of banknote production: from the original design and the production of paper to the destruction of old ones in special furnaces.One of its rarest holdings is the 1860 “colonata”.
Among the exhibits there is a large number of notes of all the values that were put into circulation by the Ionian Bank from 1839 to 1920, as well as the first banknotes that were put into circulation in the liberated Greece in 1831.
There are still the banknotes that have been published by National Bank since 1840 and the banknotes that were published by the Bank of Greece since 1932.
The visit in the Banknote Museum starts with the bond notes in piastres issued by the Provisional Government of Greece in 1822 and the phoenix banknote, issued by Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1831, and ends with the last banknotes issued in drachmas, which were withdrawn in 2002 with the introduction of the euro.
The most remarkable exhibits are:
• The banknotes that the Ionian Bank issued from 1839 until 1920
• The banknotes that Capodistrias issued and the first banknotes of the National Bank of Greece
• A collection of postwar banknotes from various countries.
• The Chinese banknote of 1300 A.D, one of the oldest worldwide.
• The collection includes many seals, documents, books, coins, stamps etc that refer to the history of the Ionian Bank and the history of the Ionian Islands.
• Collection of banknotes that issued during World War II
The collection is complemented by dozens of stamps, documents, books, coins, stamps
, etc. which relate to the history of the bank and the Ionian Islands.
In another room of the Banknote Museum the several stages of the manufacturing process of the banknotes are shown, while special interest presents the part of the manufacture of the watermark, which is incorporated on the banknote. In the same place a small workshop is hosted, where the visitor can follow the procedure of the engraving of the model on the metal plates.
The second floor of the Building hosts temporary art exhibitions, conferences and seminars.
Aghiou Spyridonos Square
(Iroon Kypriakou Agonos Square)
GR-491 00 CORFU
Τel.: +30 266 104 1552
Fax: +30 266 102 5950
Website: http://www.alphapolitismos.gr/en
E-mail: http://www.alphapolitismos.gr/en/05-Banknote-Museum
Opening Hours:
1 October – 31March
Wednesday until Sunday: 08.00 – 15.00
Monday-Tuesday: Closed
1 April – 30 September
Wednesday: 09.00 – 14.00 & 17.30 – 20.30
Thursday: 09.00 – 15.00
Friday: 09.00 – 14.00 & 17.30 – 20.30
Saturday: 08.30 – 15.00
Sunday: 08.30 – 15.00
Monday-Tuesday: Closed
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