The Bulgarian lion. Leo is a currency. Bulgarian Lev course

Bulgaria is a country with a rich history and culture. Now it attracts tourists from all over the world, including from Russia. Unlike many countries in Western Europe, where a single currency is used for financial calculations - the euro, in Bulgaria its national currency is a lion. This currency is more than 100 years old (and its historical prototypes are several centuries old). She experienced different times - wars, crises, inflation. But now many economists are considered one of the most reliable and stable in Europe. What is famous for the Bulgarian lion? Where can I buy this currency and is it expensive?

Bulgarian Lion: general information

The national monetary unit of Bulgaria is a lion, its international name is the abbreviation BGN. It is divided into 100 stotinki. Now in the currency circulation in the country there are bills in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or 50 leva and coins with practically the same denomination, only in the stitches. Many experts recognize Bulgarian currency bills as one of the most protected from fakes: they have a watermark on which the state emblem of the country is displayed (or the abbreviation of the Central Bank of Bulgaria), a protective strip with a microtext at full length of the bill. In addition, each banknote is protected by a strip of polymers. On the denominations of the Leva are depicted mainly monuments of architecture of the country or well-known buildings.

Where to buy the lions?

You can buy leva in Bulgarian banks. They usually work on weekdays from 9 to 16 hours (in some there is a lunch break from 12 to 13 hours). With rare exceptions, the Bulgarian banks are closed on weekends. Some experts and ordinary people believe that the rate of leva in banks is not very profitable in comparison with that at specialized exchange points. However, it is necessary to choose such points with care: cases when those, luring the client by a favorable course, include an impressive commission into their services. Inscriptions in large letters that any additional fees in the exchange of currency are zero, do not mean anything - somewhere in the corner a small font has an explanation - "advertising." From a legal point of view, everything is correct. And so it is better to choose banks for buying leva or reliable exchange points recommended by familiar people. Bulgarian levs can also be bought in Russia, but their rate here is not the most profitable.

Currency history

Leo - a traditional heraldic symbol for Bulgarian culture, adopted by the Byzantines. It is often found on ancient monuments, coats of arms and banners. Leo also gave the name to the national currency of Bulgaria.

The history of Bulgarian money goes back to the ages. The first state formations of the Bulgarians appeared in the Balkans in the 8th century. These were tribes who came here from the banks of the Volga - "Bulgars". They formed statehood under the strong influence of Byzantium.

After a century Bulgaria fell under the Turkish yoke. Actually, in the time of the Ottoman rule, in the 14th century, coins were minted on the territory inhabited by Bulgarians. Their name sounded like "aspri". On one side of these coins was depicted the silhouette of a lion. When the Russian troops helped to gain independence in the late 19th century, the National Bank of the country was formed, and in the 1880s - the currency under the modern name, the Bulgarian lion. It contained gold - as much as it was, by the way, in the French franc - 0.29 grams with a small. Since then, Bulgaria has its own currency, which has not changed its name until now.

The history of the exchange rate of the left

Since the introduction of the left into the circulation of money, the Bulgarian authorities have abolished, then introduced the gold standard of their national currency. In 1928, a new standard was established for the content of gold in it - about 10.87 mg. During the Second World War, the rate of the Bulgarian monetary unit was tied to the value of the German Reichsmark in the ratio of 32.75 to 1. When Bulgaria was liberated in 1944, the left rate was tied to the Soviet ruble - 15 to 1.

In the postwar years Bulgaria suffered from inflation. As a result, it was necessary to conduct a denomination of the national currency in 1952: a new lion was introduced, which was exchanged with the former in the ratio of 1 to 100. As part of this reform, it was decided to tie the Bulgarian lion to the US dollar at a rate of 6.8 to 1.

In 1962, Bulgarian economists again held a denomination of the left at the rate of 10 to 1. The results of the reforms made themselves felt only after 15 years, when the country's economy more or less stabilized, followed by the exchange rate. It is known, however, that the Bulgarian lion was, in spite of the peg to the dollar, an unconvertible currency, and the clandestine exchange rate was often overvalued (up to ten times).

Exchange rate left: modern realities

After the release of Bulgaria from the socialist camp, the economy of the country was again shaken by inflation. To stop it, in 1997 it was decided to tie the exchange rate to the German mark in the ratio of 1000 to 1.

Two years later, the denomination of the left was carried out so that the new currency was equal to the German mark. Soon, however, a new factor appeared that affects how much the currency of Bulgaria is - the rate towards the euro. The price of the national monetary unit of the Balkan country was tied to the single European currency replacing the German mark in the ratio 1.95583 to 1. This ratio does not change until now. According to some economists (although not very popular so far), Bulgaria can enter the Eurozone after 2015, and then the national currency will be replaced by a single European one.

Left to other currencies

Taking into account the fact that the currency of the Balkan country is strictly tied to the euro, the rate of the Bulgarian leva against other world currencies is set synchronously with the results of trades involving the European monetary unit.

A very simple formula is used. If, for example, 1 euro is worth 47 units of the Russian currency, then the rate of the Bulgarian lev to the ruble is easy to calculate, dividing 47 by 1.95583. That is, it is slightly more than 24 rubles.

Modern Bulgarian Lion: coins

Above we have indicated that now in the monetary turnover of Bulgaria there are coins with a nominal value of 1,2,5,10, and also 20 and 50 hundredths of the left - stotinki. The first three types of coins of this series were produced for a while from the alloy of copper, aluminum and nickel, from 2000 - from special bronze steel.

Stotinki denominations of 10, 20, and 50 units are made of a copper, nickel and zinc alloy. The coins of Bulgaria bear the image of the legendary Madara horseman. In 2000, there appeared thematic coins (nominal value of 50 stotinki), on which the symbols of NATO and the EU were displayed. In 2002, the National Bank of Bulgaria issued a coin of 1 lev.

... and bills

Leo is the currency represented in a large variety of banknotes. In 1999, banknotes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 and 50 levs were introduced into circulation - exactly the same figures as for stotinki. However, in 2003 there was also a banknote, with a face value of 100 currency units. A denomination of 1 Bulgarian lion was quickly replaced with a coin of similar dignity. But sometimes this rare banknote still appears in circulation.

A denomination of 1 lev is easy to recognize by red color. It depicts St. John the Rila and Rila Monastery, revered by the Bulgarians. The banknote in 2 leva is blue-purple, it shows a portrait of the Bulgarian monk Paisii Hilendarsky. A five-levs denomination is red, on it is a portrait of Ivan Milev, a famous artist. On a banknote with a denomination of 10 levs, which is a dark olive color - a portrait of Peter Beron, a famous Bulgarian astronomer. On a denomination of 20 levs there is a portrait of Stephen Stambolov, who is known as a revolutionary. On a banknote of 50 leva brown - a portrait of Pencho Slaveikov, a Bulgarian poet. A denomination of 100 leva - green, it shows a portrait of the famous Bulgarian writer and public figure Aleko Konstantinov.