NBP unveils PLN 500 banknote

The Central bank NBP has revealed the design of a new PLN 500 banknote to be introduced into circulation in February 2017 in reaction to a growing demand for high-denomination banknotes, particularly the PLN 200 bills, the bank said.

"In the first years, the PLN 500 banknote will be used to store strategic stock at the NBP, so it will be rarely seen in circulation. The new bill will help in lowering costs of ordering and storing strategic stock, thus it will lead to savings in the functioning of the NBP," said Marek Belka, president of the central bank.

Polish king Jan III Sobieski will appear on the face of the PLN 500 bill, hence the chronological continuity of the "Polish rulers" series will be retained. The banknote was designed by Andrzej Heidrich, the author of  other Polish banknotes in denominations of PLN 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. Polish rulers from the Piast dynasty and the Jagiellonian dynasty are depicted in chronological order corresponding to the growth of denominations: Mieszko I, Bolesław Chrobry, Kazimierz Wielki, Władysław Jagiełło and Zygmunt I Stary. The producer of banknotes on behalf of the NBP is the Polish Security Printing Works.