Report At the historical moment of the free struggle for the hryvnia, the hryvnia has significantly more value, rather than simply being used for decommissioning, transferred to the NBU
A large-scale mystical-historical project created by the teams of the National Bank of Ukraine and the Ukrainian House – the exhibition “Hryvnia. The materials of the final expedition, carried out by scientists and the regulator, are summarized: the thousand-year history of pennies on the territory of present-day Ukraine and the bearing of deep national identity, and also Ukraine It has the right to stand up for the defense of its penniless independence in the face of any pseudo-historical influxes and encroachments. Also the history of the appearance of national groschen, the most valuable coins of Kievan Rus – hryvnia steps, the ceremonial Constitution of Ukraine, as well as the new life path of current banknotes from the bavovna to shredder – and what is more surprising is the unique exhibition-expedition in the center of Kiev, as Ukrinform correspondents reported.
ABOUT THE VOICE OF THE EPOCH AND THE GLIBINA OF THE CULTURAL CONTEXT
Gently crossing the threshold of the Ukrainian House, you are immediately lost in the full visual installation of the artist Dasha Podoltseva entitled “More”. A majestic collage of decorations simply on the underside of the atrium – with visual images and verbal messages. The idea of the project belonged to the head of the National Bank of Ukraine Andriy Pishny , who propagated it to the Ukrainian House just like that.
Andriy Pishny / Photo: NBU
“More than pennies” – this expression clearly conveys the essence of the national currency. What it is called, as it appears, why it is created, how the national currency changes over time, and the manifestation of historical epochs that pass through the country, a marker of its uniqueness, partly a cultural context, and a sign of independence and struggle for it. The hryvnia is our attribute of sovereignty, the voice of historical epochs and evidence of formation. development of Ukraine”, – Having noticed the closing hour. Behind these words, through the history of pennies, the organizers wanted to reveal a broad context: the history of sovereignty, Ukrainian style, self-esteem, and ask questions about the lessons of the past and those that await us in the future. Walk through human shares, happy and tragic situations, images.
“The hryvnia is not less than what we have in the city, in the city, or in its own place. It is a great layer of history, culture, the voice of the eras, a symbol of the independence of our land,” Olga, the director of the Ukrainian House, echoes the thought Viera.
In total, the exhibition presents over 300 exhibits – coins, documents, artifacts and works of art. The scale of the exhibition is impressive, since such a large number of unique objects of the exhibition have become possible. The current exhibition included the Museum of Pennies of the National Bank of Ukraine, the State Archive Service of Ukraine, the Central State Archives of the Museum of Literature and Mystery of Ukraine, the Lviv National Gallery named after Voznitsky, The National Museum at Lviv named after Andrey Sheptytsky, the National Nature Reserve “Sofia of Kiev”, the Sheremetyevo Museum and dozens of other institutions that have presented their exhibits.
“There is no greedy display of Ukrainian pennies, which we did not lie to.
And if you realize that one coin or one banknote can so richly contain sensations, aesthetics, and historical narrative, you completely replace the name of the exhibition: Hryvnia. More than pennies,” added Pishny.
THE WAY OF A WOMAN'S BEAUTY TO THE PENNY
One of the sections tells about the change in the name of the Ukrainian currency.
“It seems that the hryvnia is like the decoration of the hryvnia on the neck, which is closed on the neck with special earplugs,” says Andriy Boyko-Gagarin , Doctor of Historical Sciences, the chief treasurer of the Pennies Museum Foundation. – In Russia they traded with Byzantium and vikorized their standard of vagi – “liter” (160 grams). Robiti and embellishment have become the standard. Then hryvnias appeared as a way to monetize this standard, so that trading would be easier. And it so happened that the name hryvnia “shiyna” migrated to the hryvnia “coin”. In this way we deprived the name of the coin of a single penny as a whole, as if it resembled a woman’s adornment.”
The “coin” part of the exhibition presents in chronology the thousand-year history of the hryvnia – from the times of Kievan Rus to the present day. “The whole thing is irrefutable proof of the antiquity of the hryvnia,” says exhibition curator Tetyana Voloshina .
UNIQUE DOCUMENTS AND STATE SYMBOLS
No less important part of the exhibition is dedicated to the connection of the hryvnia with sovereign attributes, symbols and signs. The President of our country is presented with the Ceremonial Constitution of Ukraine, on which the President of our land takes the oath.
“Among the especially valuable exhibits, you can see the Ceremonial Constitution of Ukraine, which was specially given by the Verkhovna Rada for the opening of the exhibition. The exhibition will contain unique artifacts that were previously preserved in the central archive installations and were inaccessible to the general public,” says Olga Vieru.
Photo: NBU
Head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, during the timely opening of the exhibition, also signifies its importance for the general Ukrainian identity: “The hryvnia allows not only to demonstrate its identity, but also trace the history of the development of our sovereignty. In addition, it characterizes those periods when Ukraine was actively Ukrainian and was under other regimes.”
Of particular esteem is the ensign, sewn from two shirts by the grandfather of the young Ukrainian artist Vitaly Kravets, and his mother Galina, in the 80s of the last century, since the Ukrainian ensign was fenced off. This is a true native relic, which has become an important part of the exhibition.
VIEW OF THE NATION BEFORE SCHRÖDER: THE SECRET LIFE OF BANKNOTES
One of the most important parts of the exhibition is the hall, which forces the withdrawal of pennies from the next life cycle. Here you can quilt the entire banknote line – from paper collection to disposal of worn banknotes.
Few people know that only natural materials are used for the production of Ukrainian banknotes. “The banknote with a face value of 1 thousand hryvnias is not only slightly tinted so that the banknote is more flexible and more elastic, and is more protected from fragments,” representatives of the Penny Museum explain. National Bank. In the museum space there are presented images of natural “penny” money, so that tourists can see with their own eyes where the journey of hryvnia “from the field to the hamantz” begins.
The exhibition reveals facts about the triviality of life on paper pennies. It turns out that banknotes “live” from one to eight rocks, depending on the face value. It’s interesting that other banknotes, which are used more often, wear out faster. They themselves denominations of up to 10 hryvnias are gradually replaced by coins – they are significantly more durable.
Particularly noteworthy is the demonstration of the result of recycling used banknotes through shredding – they are reduced into smaller pieces, which are then disposed of. This is the surest way to get rid of the pennies that came out of poverty. Before the word, the National Bank once, hotly, presented journalists with souvenir tubes filled with shredded 5-hryvnia bills. Having said that, in the extreme case of life, you can save 5,000 hryvnia from one such tube. At the exhibition today you can get similar souvenir tube briquettes, which will “revenge” as much as 30 thousand hryvnia… with tiny little bangles!
VIEW PAST – UNTIL MAYBUTH HRYVNIA
The organizers of the exhibition confirm that the educational role of the exhibition is not just a guess about the past, but an attempt to formulate the future national currency. In a commentary for journalists, Andriy Pishny has revealed the main meta of the project – to stimulate a vigorous discussion about the upcoming Ukrainian hryvnia, bearing in mind the idea of promoting the replacement of “grown” copies loose coins steps.
“If we talk about new banknotes, new designs of banknotes and coins, then I will tell you about it – this, melodiously, is one of the goals of this exhibition. We want a discussion about the return to the current historical levels of Ukrainian groschen We want to talk to the Ukrainian community about turning back to the historical decline. alien “bodies” our penny system.”
Also, these exhibitions may not only reveal more about the Ukrainian currency, but also part of the history. In one of the halls you can make a donation to support cultural initiatives and receive a special gift from the National Bank of Ukraine.
The exhibition “Hryvnia. More than a penny” will run until May 11, 2025. And you think that you know everything about the pennies that you hold in your hands every day, this exposure will definitely make you change your mind.
Victoria Aleksieva , Kiev