National Bank of Ukraine
Dear friends,
You can register for our accompanied by a guide virtual tour.
We invite everyone who is interested in history of currency on Ukrainian lands from ancient times till nowadays. To register for virtual tour, please fill the form:
At the Money Museum you can learn about the functions performed by the NBU, delve into the world of finance and currency circulation, gain basic skills for managing your own finances, learn everything about money security features, and see a complete collection of the numismatic products issued by the NBU.
TOP-10 museum exhibits
Tetrassarion
Copper tetrassarii were made in the Greek colony of Tyras, on the north coast of the Black Sea, in the first century AD. At that time, the town was under Roman influence. The coin derives its name from the Greek word for “four”, which means that it was equal to four assarii. Only about 10 tetrassarii have survived across the entire world.
Dates: 69 AD – 79 AD
Locations: Tyras
Materials: copper
Hryvnia of Kyiv type
Not for nothing is the period from the 12th through the 14th centuries AD referred to as the “coinless period”. Coins ceased to circulate in Kyiv Rus during that time, due to internecine strife between Kyiv Rus princes. They were replaced by massive silver ingots called hryvnias. The hryvnia derives its name from an ornament in the form of a hoop, which was worn around the neck (or on the “zahryvok”, literally on the nape of the neck). Over time, the word came to mean a unit of weight. The most common types were the Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Novhorod hryvnias.
Dates: XI–XII centuries
Locations: Kyiv Rus
Materials: silver
Prague Groshen
The museum boasts a treasure trove of Prague groschen, which was discovered in the village of Tomashivka (Fastiv District in Kyiv Oblast). Three coins feature over-engravings, or special markings that allowed people from different countries to use these coins.
Dates: ХІV–XV centuries
Locations: Kingdom of Bohemia
Materials: silver
Schraubtaler or Screw Taler
Screw talers were coins with a secret space inside. The two halves of these talers or medallions unscrewed to reveal a space inside, often filled with drawings that told entire stories, pictures of people’s loved ones or relatives – or other secrets that the taler’s owner wanted to hide from prying eyes. Fashion followers of the time who wanted to a create a new stylish image would overlay pictures depicting clothes and hairstyles on the portraits that were placed inside such coins.
Dates: XVII century
Locations: Holy Roman Empire
Materials: silver
Ducats of Franz Joseph I
In September 1880, Franz Joseph I (1848–1916), the emperor of Austria-Hungary, visited Galicia (Halychyna), a historical and geographic region between Central and Eastern Europe. He was so impressed by two newly married couples on horseback from the villages of Kosmach and Kryvorivnia that he gave a gift of 50 gold ducats to each couple. The coins displayed at the museum give you an idea of what the gift from Franz Joseph I looked like. Although these ducats were made later, in 1915, their production relied on designs that dated back to the 1860s. That is why these coins came to be called restrikes and modern replicas.
Dates: 1915
Locations: Austro-Hungarian Empire
Materials: gold
100 Karbovanets
The 100 karbovanets note, made in the Baroque style, is embellished with decorative fonts and an image of the trident. People dubbed it “fried eggs” because of its color. The banknote has inscriptions in four languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Polish and Yiddish, which show the Central Council’s inclusive attitude towards the various ethnic minorities that lived in Ukraine at that time.
Dates: 1918
Locations: Ukrainian People's Republic
Materials: paper
100 Hryvnia Note
The banknote was designed by the prominent Ukrainian graphic artist Heorhiy Narbut. The banknote’s design is an example of filigree art, and demonstrates the extraordinary talent and skill of the artist. In the center of the note is a large, exuberant wreath made of flowers, fruits and wheat ears. On one side of the wreath is the figure of a peasant woman, with the figure of a worker being on the other. The figures resemble the poet Lesia Ukrainka and the philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda.
Dates: 1918
Locations: Ukrainian People's Republic
Materials: paper
5 Zloty
The museum boasts an artistic banknote – a 5 zloty note issued in 1930. The front of the note is inspired by the picture “The Castellan's Wife” by the famous Polish artist Jan Matejko. The charming stranger depicted on the banknote is Stanisława Serafińska, a niece of the artist’s wife. It is easy to see why the painting upset Matejko’s wife, Teodora.
Dates: 1930
Locations: Second Polish Republic
Materials: paper
Portraits Engravings for Banknotes
It is common knowledge now that the first series of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 hryvnia banknotes was printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company Limited in 1992. Our museum features portrait engravings for the 50 and 100 hryvnia banknotes, which were never issued into circulation. These engravings were made to a design by Vasyl Lopata.
Dates: 1992
Locations: Canada
Materials: aluminium
500 Hryvnia Coin to Commemorate Euro-2012
This 500 hryvnia coin, which is made of the finest gold, commemorates an important sports event – the finals of the UEFA European Football Championship, which were held in Ukraine and Poland in 2012. This is the most expensive and most valuable commemorative coin in Ukraine.
Dates: 2012
Locations: Ukraine
Materials: gold
The museum’s exhibits tell the story of the currencies used in Ukrainian lands from ancient times to the present.
The museum collection stores pre-monetary forms of currency, ancient and medieval coins, the money of the Russian Empire, banknotes of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the money of the Soviet Union and Independent Ukraine.
Opening hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Address
9, Instytutska Street,
Kyiv
Cost of visits
Free of charge
Please be aware!
fill in the application,
get confirmation of receipt
you are required to produce ID to gain entry to the museum
(a passport, driver’s license, student ID, school ID card, or a birth certificate)
The museum administration reserves the right to change the time and dates of visits, and to cancel planned visits.
The Money Museum currently offers not only tours, but also interactive events for adults and children. Today only one program tour is available in English, but our guides will be glad to see you in Money Museum on the general tour.
General Tour of the Money Museum in English
General Tour of the Money Museum in English will take you to the NBU’s building and tell you the history of the Ukrainian central bank. During this tour, you will also be able to see money from various historical epochs and countries, delve into the history of the domestic currency – the hryvnia – and view a unique collection of commemorative coins of independent Ukraine.
for visitors of any age
Quest
Treasure hunting quest through solving different tasks will help children to discover history of money circulation in Ukraine.
for middle school students
Quest
You will learn interactively about the history of the domestic currency, the technology used to produce it, and what security features banknotes have.
for middle school students
Lecture
How do our emotions influence our financial decisions? Why was a psychologist awarded a Nobel prize for economics? What pitfalls to achieving our financial goals does our own brain create, and why? How do you get your inner Homer Simpson under control? Learn all of this during our lecture on behavioral economics.
for high school and university students and adults
General tour of the Money Museum
During the tour you will see money from various historical epochs and countries: from ancient Roman and Byzantine coins to euro and dollar coins, learn about the history of the domestic currency – the hryvnia – and view a unique collection of commemorative coins of independent Ukraine.
for visitors of any age
Quest
In just one hour, you can visit ten countries, learn about the national currencies of these countries, and find out about the traditions and cultures of different peoples on our planet. During this interactive quest, you will find out whose images are most often depicted on money, which countries’ banknotes are considered the most beautiful, and why coins can come in the most intricate forms.
for middle and high school students
Workshop
The main purpose of the workshop is to teach participants how to plan their own expenses and how to achieve their own financial goals. During the workshop you will immerse yourself in the incredible atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Kyiv and Victorian London, hear the clink of the money of that time in your pockets, and experience several financial months of an ordinary family.
for middle and high school students
Interactive Lesson
The youngest visitors are invited to an interactive lesson, during which they will be able to learn about the country’s central bank. While playing, children will learn about the tasks and functions of the NBU, find out about the full life cycle of money (from the production of banknotes and coins to their withdrawal from circulation), learn about the security features of the hryvnia, and discover the secret of the NBU’s vault.
for elementary and middle school students
Master Class Lecture
Keep abreast of all financial innovations! Sign up for a themed lecture to find out about the current revolution in the world of economics and finance, how neobanks operate, what a cashless economy is, and what role the NBU is playing in the development of Fintech.
for high school and university students
Themed Walking Tour
Visitors are invited to walk along the same routes that Kyiv’s bankers, industrialists and merchants often took from the latter half of the 19th century through the beginning of the 20th century. Walking along Instytutska Street, you will find out from which institutions they took out loans, how they traded on the stock exchange, and where they lived. Special attention will be paid to the history of the NBU’s main building.
for visitors of any age
Themed Tour and a Lecture
People called the first Ukrainian banknotes horpynky (because some of them depicted a beautiful young woman – Horpyna is a Ukrainian female name), lopatky (little spades) and metelyky (butterflies). You will find out how they were made, what they were spent on, as well as about people’s budgets and the state budget in Ukraine in 1917 – 1921.
for high school and university students and adults
The Money Museum currently offers not only tours, but also interactive events for adults and children. Today only one program tour is available in English, but our guides will be glad to see you in Money Museum on the general tour.
General Tour of the Money Museum in English
General Tour of the Money Museum in English will take you to the NBU’s building and tell you the history of the Ukrainian central bank. During this tour, you will also be able to see money from various historical epochs and countries, delve into the history of the domestic currency – the hryvnia – and view a unique collection of commemorative coins of independent Ukraine.
for visitors of any age
General Tour of the Money Museum
During the tour you will see money from various historical epochs and countries: from ancient Roman and Byzantine coins to euro and dollar coins, learn about the history of the domestic currency – the hryvnia – and view a unique collection of commemorative coins of independent Ukraine.
for visitors of any age
Treasure Hunting Quest
Treasure hunting quest through solving different tasks will help children to discover history of money circulation in Ukraine
for middle school students
Quest
You will learn interactively about the history of the domestic currency, the technology used to produce it, and what security features banknotes have.
for middle school students
Lecture
How do our emotions influence our financial decisions? Why was a psychologist awarded a Nobel prize for economics? What pitfalls to achieving our financial goals does our own brain create, and why? How do you get your inner Homer Simpson under control? Learn all of this during our lecture on behavioral economics.
for high school and university students and adults
Quest
In just one hour, you can visit ten countries, learn about the national currencies of these countries, and find out about the traditions and cultures of different peoples on our planet. During this interactive quest, you will find out whose images are most often depicted on money, which countries’ banknotes are considered the most beautiful, and why coins can come in the most intricate forms.
for middle and high school students
Workshop
The main purpose of the workshop is to teach participants how to plan their own expenses and how to achieve their own financial goals. During the workshop you will immerse yourself in the incredible atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Kyiv and Victorian London, hear the clink of the money of that time in your pockets, and experience several financial months of an ordinary family.
for middle and high school students
Interactive Lesson
The youngest visitors are invited to an interactive lesson, during which they will be able to learn about the country’s central bank. While playing, children will learn about the tasks and functions of the NBU, find out about the full life cycle of money (from the production of banknotes and coins to their withdrawal from circulation), learn about the security features of the hryvnia, and discover the secret of the NBU’s vault.
for elementary and middle school students
Master Class Lecture
Keep abreast of all financial innovations! Sign up for a themed lecture to find out about the current revolution in the world of economics and finance, how neobanks operate, what a cashless economy is, and what role the NBU is playing in the development of Fintech.
for high school and university students
Themed Walking Tour
Visitors are invited to walk along the same routes that Kyiv’s bankers, industrialists and merchants often took from the latter half of the 19th century through the beginning of the 20th century. Walking along Instytutska Street, you will find out from which institutions they took out loans, how they traded on the stock exchange, and where they lived. Special attention will be paid to the history of the NBU’s main building.
for visitors of any age
Themed Tour and a Lecture
People called the first Ukrainian banknotes horpynky (because some of them depicted a beautiful young woman – Horpyna is a Ukrainian female name), lopatky (little spades) and metelyky (butterflies). You will find out how they were made, what they were spent on, as well as about people’s budgets and the state budget in Ukraine in 1917 – 1921.
for high school and university students and adults
