The time has come.  On 01.01.2002 the euro will be introduced. This article will talk about what the notes and coins will look like.

Coins:

Unlike the notes, the reverse sides of the coins will have a wide variety of motifs according to the different countries.  Here we shall limit our attention to the Spanish coins.

There are coins with the values of 2 and 1 euros, as well as 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 centimes.

The obverse of all the euro coins is the same in all the countries and shows each coin’s face value.




The reverses of the Spanish euro coins look like this:




The reverses of the 2 and 1 euro coins show the image of King Juan Carlos I.  Their interior is made of a brass and nickel alloy while the outside is made of copper and nickel.

The reverse sides of the 50, 20 and 10 centime coins show the head of Miguel de Cervantes. These coins are made of Nordic gold (Cu89Al5Zn5Sn1).

The reverse sides of the 5, 2 and 1 centime coins show the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.  These coins are made of copper coated steel.



The euro notes

The design decided upon for the bank notes plays on the theme “Periods and styles in Europe”.  Represented on the notes are the architectural styles of seven periods from Europe’s cultural history: the classical style, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, baroque, rococo, the architecture of iron and glass, and the modern architecture of the 20th century.
The chief motifs are windows, doors and bridges. The series of sketches chosen does not depict windows, doors and bridges that actually exist.  Nor are the sketches directly related to any monuments in the EU member States.  Rather they show stylistic features that may be found throughout Europe. Thus no country should feel either snubbed or privileged.
The windows and doors of a particular period make up the main elements on the obverse of the various bank notes and are intended to act as a symbol of the spirit of openness and cooperation that prevails in Europe.
The bridges symbolise the union between the peoples of Europe, and between Europe and the world.


The five euro bank note (120 x 62 mm) is the smallest. Grey in colour, the design alludes to the classical style:





The 10 euro bank note (127 x 67 mm) is distinctive for its strong red colour, while its design alludes to the Romanesque style:





The 20 euro note (133 x 72 mm) has a luminous blue and shows Gothic elements:





The 50 euro note (140 x 77 mm), with its eye-catching orange, alludes to the age of the Renaissance:





The 100 euro note (147 x 82 mm) alludes to the Baroque style:





The 200 euro note (153 x 82 mm), a combination of brown and yellow, depicts constructions proper to the architecture of iron and glass:





The most valuable bank note is the 500 hundred euro note (160 x 82 mm) which shows the modern architecture of the 20th century.





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