|
| Markka |
|---|
| |
| 1 Markka coin 1994 |
The
markka (or '''Finnish mark''') was the
Currency used in
Finland from
1860 until
January 1 ,
1999 (in practice on
January 1 ,
2002 ), when it was replaced by the
Euro (€). The
Currency Code used for the markka was FIM, and the usual familiar notation was a postfix '''mk'''. It was divided into 100 ''penni''. The conversion for one euro was 5.94573 markkaa.
With numbers,
Finnish uses the
Partitive singular forms: ''"10 markkaa"'' and ''"10 penniä"''.
History
''']]
The markka was introduced in 1860 as a quarter of the
Russian Ruble . In
1865 the markka was separated from the Russian ruble and tied to the value of
Silver . After Finland gained independence in
1917 , the
Bank Of Finland was founded and the markka was reintroduced as an independent currency backed by gold. The
Gold Standard was abolished in
1940 , and the markka suffered heavy inflation during the
War Years . In
1963 the markka was replaced by the ''new markka'', equivalent to 100 old units.
The name "markka" was based on a medieval unit of weight. Both "markka" and "penni" are loanwords based on the same roots as the
German Mark and
Pfennig .
Although the word "markka" predates the currency by several centuries, the currency was established before being named "markka". A competition was held for its name, and some of the other entries included "sataikko" (meaning "having a hundred parts"), "omena" (apple) and "suomo" (from "Suomi", the Finnish name for Finland).
During the history of the Finnish markka, spanning over 140 years, 28 coins denominated in markka have been minted. The pictorial subjects have changed over the years, but they have all been distinctly Finnish. The Finnish markka is now history, when Finland changed its currency to the euro in
1999 (markka coins and notes were not withdrawn from circulation until
2002 ).
Portraits in Banknote s
This section covers the last design series of the Finnish markka, designed in the 1980s by Finnish designer
Erik Bruun and issued in
1986 .
- 10 markkaa (blue) - Paavo Nurmi (1897–1973), athlete and Olympic winner (note discontinued upon introduction of the 20 markkaa note)
- 20 markkaa (blue/green) - Väinö Linna (1920–1992), author and novelist (note introduced in 1993)
- 50 markkaa (brown) - Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), architect
- 100 markkaa (green) - Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), composer
- 500 markkaa (red) - Elias Lönnrot (1802-1884), historian
- 1000 markkaa (blue/purple) - Anders Chydenius (1729-1803), priest and statesman
The series also included a preliminary design for a 5000 markkaa (red/purple) note, depicting priest and linguist Mikael Agricola , but the note was never officially introduced into use.
Earlier banknotes
The second-to-last banknote design series, designed by
Tapio Wirkkala , was introduced in
1955 and revised in the reform of
1963 . It was the first series to depict actual specific persons. These included
Juho Kusti Paasikivi on the 10 markkaa note,
J. V. Snellman on the 100 markkaa note and
Urho Kekkonen on the 500 markkaa note (introduced later).
Unlike Erik Bruun's series, this series did not depict any other real-life subjects, but only abstract ornaments in addition to the person depictions. A popular joke at the time was to cover all but the right-hand side of Paasikivi's face on the 10 markkaa note, ending up with something resembling a mouse, said to be the only animal illustration in the entire series.
The still older notes, designed by
Eliel Saarinen , were introduced in
1922 . They also depicted humans, but these were generic men and women, and did not represent any specific persons. The fact that these men and women were depicted nude caused a minor controversy at the time.
Coins
- The last series of Finnish markka coins included five coins:
- --- 10 penniä (silver-coloured) - a honeycomb on the reverse and a Lily Of The Valley flower on the obverse
- --- 50 penniä (silver-coloured) - haircap moss on the reverse and a Bear on the obverse
- --- 1 markka (copper-coloured) - the Finnish coat of arms on the obverse
- --- 5 markkaa (copper-coloured) - a Lily Pad leaf and a Dragonfly on the reverse and a Saimaa Seal on the obverse
- --- 10 markkaa (two-metal coin, copper-coloured centre and silver-coloured edge) - Rowan Tree branches and berries on the reverse and a Wood Grouse on the obverse
See also
External links
