Banknote Themes
Explore the WorldBanknotes.eu catalogue through the subjects represented on banknotes, from portraits and cultural heritage to wildlife, landscapes, science and transport.
Banknote themes show how countries use currency design to present people, places, traditions, achievements and ideas. Each banknote is assigned to one principal Theme according to the dominant subject of its overall design.
Browse the themes below to discover banknotes connected by what they depict, while individual notes may also carry more specific motifs and subjects within their descriptions.
Explore Banknote Themes
Cultural Heritage
415 banknotes
Banknotes on which architecture, archaeological sites, monuments, traditional objects or other material heritage define the design. These notes treat a place or artefact as the principal subject rather…
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Portraits & People
365 banknotes
Banknotes where a person or group of people is the main visual subject: named public figures, writers, monarchs, reformers and other identified people, as well as unnamed figures…
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Wildlife
172 banknotes
Banknotes on which an animal is the principal subject: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects and other fauna given the leading position in the design. Habitat may surround them…
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Industry & Infrastructure
138 banknotes
Banknotes built around engineered systems and large-scale construction: dams, power stations, factories, refineries, mines, bridges, ports and communications structures. These are designs in which a constructed or industrial…
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Religious Heritage
132 banknotes
Banknotes whose principal subject is explicitly religious: mosques, churches, temples, monasteries and shrines, together with sacred texts, ritual objects and religious figures when their religious character defines the…
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Military & Historical Events
128 banknotes
Banknotes that visibly depict military subjects or historical events: battles, campaigns, revolutions, uprisings, declarations, liberations, armed formations and other recognisable historical scenes. The design itself must show the…
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Government
113 banknotes
Banknotes centred on institutions of public authority: parliaments, courts, ministries, presidential or administrative buildings, central-bank headquarters and other government-related institutions when their official function defines the design. The…
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Agriculture
101 banknotes
Banknotes centred on farming and husbandry: crops, fields, harvesting, livestock, agricultural labour and the produce of cultivation. Both a single crop and a wider working scene can qualify…
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Landscapes & Nature
77 banknotes
Banknotes where natural scenery itself carries the design: mountains, coastlines, waterfalls, rivers, deserts, forests, rock formations and other natural features. No person, building or animal takes the leading…
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Art & Music
67 banknotes
Banknotes whose principal subject is artistic or musical: reproduced paintings and sculptures, artists and composers shown with their work, musical instruments, dancers, performers and other clearly developed creative…
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National Symbols
61 banknotes
Banknotes on which an official national emblem is the principal subject: coats of arms, flags, state seals and related devices given the leading position in the design. Such…
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Science & Medicine
50 banknotes
Banknotes whose principal subject is scientific or medical: researchers and physicians shown with their work, instruments, diagrams, laboratories, observatories, medical imagery and depicted discoveries. The scientific or medical…
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Abstract & Ornamental Design
36 banknotes
Banknotes where pattern, lettering and non-figurative structure replace a dominant pictorial subject: guilloche lattices, rosettes, geometric fields, denomination numerals and typographic layouts in which no portrait, building, animal…
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Transportation
33 banknotes
Banknotes whose principal subject is a vehicle or vessel: ships and boats, trains and locomotives, aircraft, road vehicles and traditional craft. The moving object must define the design…
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Sport & Traditional Games
22 banknotes
Banknotes depicting sport, athletic competition or traditional games: athletes in action, sporting events and venues, wrestling, racing, archery, ball games and customary contests. The Theme is determined by…
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