Coinage of Belarus

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Minsk, capital city of Belarus.

From Wikipedia:

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq. miles) is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including Kievan Rus', the Principality of Polotsk (11th to 14th centuries), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, different states arose and competed for legitimacy during the Russian Civil War. This resulted in the rise of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR), which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. However, Byelorussia (now known as Belarus) lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish–Soviet War of 1919 to 1921. In 1939 Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, and the Soviet Union took territory from Poland and redistributed it to Byelorussia, Ukraine and Lithuania. The Soviet Union subsequently lost those territories to the Nazis during the Second World War but later regained them, retaining them after the war.

Statistically, the Byelorussian SSR was the hardest-hit Soviet republic in World War II and remained in Nazi hands until 1944. During that time, Germany destroyed 209 out of 290 cities in the republic, 85% of the republic's industry, and more than one million buildings. The Germans' Generalplan Ost called for the extermination, expulsion, or enslavement of most or all Belarusians for the purpose of providing more living space in the East for Germans. Deaths are estimated to have been over 1 million. The Jewish population of Belarus was devastated during the Holocaust and never recovered. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years, and the Byelorussian SSR became a major center of manufacturing in the western USSR, creating jobs and attracting ethnic Russians.The population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war level until 1971.

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Flag of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Byelorussia from 1951 to 1991.

By the 1980s, the neo-Stalinist command economy of the Soviet Union (USSR) had become sclerotic and was failing. Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to introduce democratic and economic reforms from 1985 onward. However, the Soviet system was essentially unreformable. Moreover, the increasing freedoms unintentionally encouraged nationalism, and various republics of the USSR demanded more autonomy and even independence. After the failed coup attempt of 1991, when hardline communist opponents of Gorbachev attempted to restore old style Soviet rule, Gorbachev's power seeped away. The momentum was now with Boris Yeltsin, who had been democratically elected as the President of the Russian Republic.

Yeltsin had originally been a member of Gorbachev's cabinet until around 1988, when he fell out of favour with Gorbachev and became his political opponent, advocating democracy and a free market. Meanwhile, Byelorussia changed its name to the Republic of Belarus on 25 August 1991. Yeltsin eventually persuaded the leaders of the other big Soviet republics to declare independence and secede from the Soviet Union. Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan all duly seceded, leaving Gorbachev as the president of a Soviet Union that no longer existed. Soon all the Soviet Republics declared independence, and the Soviet Union was dissolved on December 26, 1991.

Flag of Belarus, 1991 to 1995.

Upon independence in 1991, Belarus adopted the flag that it had very briefly used before joining the Soviet Union in 1918. Stanislav Shushkevich remained the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, which was later renamed the Supreme Council of Belarus.

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Coat of arms of Belarus, 1991 to 1995.

Between 1991 and 1995, Belarus used a coat of arms, known as the Pahonia, as its national emblem.

The Pahonia was originally a symbol of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, of which Belarus had historically been a part.

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The location of Belarus within Europe.

Belarus is approximately a third of the size of Ukraine.

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Map of Belarus.

Belarus has a population of approximately 9½ million.

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INTRODUCTION OF THE BELARUSIAN RUBLE

From Wikipedia:

The Soviet ruble and Russian ruble circulated in Belarus until May 1992. They were then replaced by notes issued by the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. The first post-Soviet Belarusian ruble was assigned the ISO code BYB and replaced the Soviet currency at the rate of 1 Belarusian ruble = 10 Soviet rubles. It took about two years before the ruble became the official currency of the country.

Here you see just some of the attractive Belarusian banknotes, issued in 1992, which depicted local wildlife.

As a coin collector, I expected at that time that any Belarusian coin designs would be similar.

I also thought that they would not be long in arriving. I was wrong on both counts.

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The banknotes at that time featured the coat of arms on the front.

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Flag of Belarus, 1995 to 2012.

In 1994 Belarus appeared to begin to make the transition to a democracy.

From Wikipedia:

A two-part election for the presidency, on 24 June 1994 and 10 July 1994, catapulted the formerly unknown Alexander Lukashenko into national prominence. He garnered 45% of the vote in the first round and 80% in the second, defeating Vyacheslav Kebich who received 14% of the vote.

In May 1995 Lukashenko held a referendum on the question of adopting a new flag and national emblem. The new state symbols were adopted on 14 May 1995. With a voter turnout of 64.7%, the new flag was approved by a majority in the ratio of three to one (75.1% to 24.9%). Upon the results going in favor of President Lukashenko, he proclaimed that the return of the Soviet-style flag brought a sense of youth and pleasant memories to the nation.

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The national emblem of Belarus since June 1995.

From Wikipedia:

It featured a ribbon in the colors of the national flag, a map of Belarus, wheat ears and a red star. The emblem is an allusion to one that was used by the Byelorussian SSR, with the biggest change being a replacement of the Communist hammer and sickle with an outline map of Belarus.

In the center of the emblem sits an outline of Belarus, superimposed over the rays of a golden sun. The sun is partially covered by a globe, with the landmass (part of Eurasia) in purple and waters in blue. Lining the left and right sides of the emblem are stalks of wheat, superimposed with flowers. Clovers adorn the left wheat stalks; flax flowers adorn the right. Wrapped around the wheat stalks is a red and green ribbon bearing the colours of the flag of Belarus; the ribbon meets at the base of the emblem, where the name 'Republic of Belarus' is inscribed in gold in Belarusian. At the top of the emblem there is a five-pointed red star.

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REDENOMINATION OF THE BELARUSIAN RUBLE

From Wikipedia:

In 2000 a new ruble was introduced (ISO 4217 code BYR), replacing the first at a rate of 1 BYR = 1,000 BYB. This was redenomination with three zeros removed. Only banknotes were issued, with the only coins issued being commemoratives for collectors.

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In 2012 the flag was amended slightly. Still Belarus issued no coins, and by this point I thought that it never would.

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ANOTHER REDENOMINATION OF THE CURRENCY

From Wikipedia:

In July 2016, a new ruble was introduced (ISO 4217 code BYN), at a rate of 1 BYN = 10,000 BYR. Old and new rubles circulated in parallel from July 1 to December 31, 2016. Belarus also issued coins for general circulation for the first time. Eight denominations of coins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 copecks, and 1 and 2 rubles) were issued into circulation on July 1, 2016.

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The 1, 2 and 5 kopek coins are all made of copper-plated steel.

The common obverse features the national emblem.

The reverse features the denomination and a national ornament symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

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One curiosity of this set is that the coins all bear the date of 2009.

They were minted in 2008 and 2009 at the Kremnica Mint in Slovakia.

Lukashenko apparently postponed their releasefor many years, until the redenomination of 2016.

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The 10, 20 and 50 kopek coins are all made of brass-plated steel.

The common obverse features the national emblem.


The reverse features the denomination.

A national ornament symbolises fertility and the life force.