Albanian currency lek. History of creation, design of coins and banknotes

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The Albanian currency lek got its name as a result of the abbreviation of the name of the legendary commander of antiquity Alexander the Great. In a similar way, the people of this country decided to declare to the whole world their involvement in this outstanding historical figure. Nevertheless, until 1926 the Albanian state did not have its own banknotes. The currency of Austria-Hungary, France and Italy was used on the territory of this country.

History of Appearance

Ahmet Zogu became the first king of Albania, during whose reign the Albanian national currency was put into circulation. This currency was the gold franc. An interesting fact is the fact that this monetary unit was minted at the mint of Rome. The gold franc was designated with the help of the Latin letter R. These banknotes were used in Albania until 1947, after which a new Albanian currency, the lek, was put into circulation in the state, whichused in the country today.

Banknote design

The design of the Albanian lek banknotes has changed several times. The modern look of the banknote was acquired in 1996. The currency is issued by the Albanian State Bank. Albanian currency one lek includes one hundred kindarok. But this token is not currently in circulation. In transactions of purchase and sale, banknotes are used in denominations of two hundred, five hundred, one thousand and five thousand leks. In addition, there are coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. Albanian banknotes bear images of prominent historical figures who have made a huge contribution to the formation and development of a sovereign Albanian state.

A good example is the largest denomination of five thousand lek. This Albanian currency on the obverse contains the image of the national hero of the nation, George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. The leader of the Albanian people fought for the independence of his state from the Ottoman Empire for a quarter of a century. On a banknote of five hundred leks, you can find the image of the first prime minister of the country, Ismail Kemale. In addition, significant historical figures are also present on Albanian coins.

So, a hundred lek coin contains the image of the Illyrian queen Teuta. She, like Skanderbeg, fought for the sovereignty of Albania. True, not with the Ottomans, but against the Roman Empire.

It should be emphasized that in 1996 not onlythe visual appearance of Albanian banknotes, but also the entire financial system of the state. So, the famous Austrian "Raiffeisenbank" today has branches and offices in almost any more or less significant settlement in Albania. In addition, it is important to note that Albanian currency, whose name is lek, and US dollars and euros are in free circulation in this state.

Albanian exchange rate

Banknotes of other countries can be freely exchanged for leks at bank branches, exchange offices or hotels. Plastic cards are not accepted in all outlets. Therefore, it is recommended to always carry cash, US dollars or euros with you. Today, the ratio of the euro to the Albanian lek is about 1 to 137, and for one US dollar you can get 122 lek. The Albanian currency against the ruble has a rate of 1 ALL=0.51 RUB.

In closing

In conclusion, it should be noted that when planning a trip to Albania, it is better to take care in advance and purchase Albanian leks, as well as take euros or US dollars with you. Even if it is not possible to pre-purchase the local national currency, you can always exchange the main world monetary units for leks already upon arrival in Albania. By the way, in this country, the local population is very friendly towards Russian-speaking tourists.