currency was adopted on 30 november according to the julian and 12 december according to the gregorian calendar. and while serbia was still formally a vassal to constantinople, the purpose of the monetary reform regulated by this law – apart from making the monetary system more modern and helping the country become part of europe in this field – was also the clear desire to prove the statehood of serbia in this area as well, on the country's path to full independence, which was finally achieved at the congress of berlin of 1878. at the same time, the law stipulated that the national currency should be named the " dinar, " after the currency minted by serbian medieval rulers. the dinar thus became the basic monetary unit of the principality and later kingdom of serbia and all its successor states, which over time changed their borders and names. once the first serbian issuing bank was established and one of its key tasks – the manufacture of banknotes – defined, conditions were created for the issuance of paper money. that same year, the privileged national bank of the kingdom of serbia, the central bank's name at the time, released into circulation the 100 - dinar banknote – the first serbian banknote. in 1885, 50 - and 10 - dinar banknotes were released into circulation, enabling the performance of smaller - value transactions and winning citizens'trust in paper money. for this reason, we can consider this year to be the start of modern history of serbian money. after world war i, yugoslavia, the newly created state of south slavs, retained the dinar as its monetary unit in all its subsequent forms of government. as the country's borders were much extended, monetary circulation increased and it became necessary to set up a domestic institute for manufacturing banknotes and 2 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches coins. established in 1930 after the french model, the institute for manufacturing banknotes and coins has been producing banknotes since 1930, and coins since 1938, to this date. with its design, motifs and emblems, money is a unique source of data on the issuing country or, as it can be often heard, the business card of a country. our currency today testifies to serbia's identity through the portraits of persons who have made an exceptional contribution to serbian science, culture and economy, as well as through its architectural landmarks. the exhibition showcases selected banknotes and coins in order to present to the public in a simple and clear way the 150 - year history of the serbian dinar

well as social, political and any other sense, greatly depends on the strength of its local currency. if the currency is strong and stable, if it resists hardships and global turmoil, if the people's confidence in it is preserved, then the economy of that country will enjoy respect in the world. the history of our nation has taught us the truth of this statement, and our own experiences from periods of instability confirm that it is critical that we take the utmost care of our domestic currency and its value. marking 150 years since the establishment of the dinar as the national monetary unit is an opportunity for us to recall the historical circumstances at the time of its establishment and the history of money of modern serbia, as well as to draw attention to the current monetary developments in serbia. 1 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches as stated in our press release – the journey of the serbian dinar through our history and tradition began on 12 december 1873, when the law on minting the serbian silver currency was adopted. this is regarded as the date when the dinar as the official legal tender of the principality of serbia was introduced. during its century - and - a - half long history, the dinar was the currency of different states of which our country formed part. it has weathered highly turbulent times as the bulwark of our national identity, the witness of our past, and the beacon of our future. over the years, our banknotes have featured different motifs, portraits of famous personalities, hidden messages which not only reflected the moment and the circumstances in which our country was at a particular time, but also served, and serve to this day, to remind us of the personalities and deeds of the most famous serbs. the monetary system of modern - day serbia began to take shape in very complex circumstances faced by the recently renewed, young serbian state in the 19th century. the lack of the national currency, a multitude of foreign currencies in circulation, dual exchange rates and ambiguous money tariffs were the monetary reality of the time. this created great difficulties for the households, as well as for the corporate sector and the government. the national currency was not only an economic, but also a national issue, as it was believed to represent another step away from the sublime porte and closer to the european standards. soon after the first issues of copper coins in 1868, a major step in establishing the monetary system of serbia came in 1873 when, 150 years ago, the law on minting the serbian silver