100 Years: Litas, Lats, Kroon. Exhibition Catalogue

The publication „100 Years: Litas, Lats, Kroon is the catalogue“ for the international exhibition “100 Years: Litas, Lats, Kroon” held in the National Museum of Lithuania, Vilnius, in 28/09/2022 – 05/05/2023; in the National History Museum of Latvia, Riga, in 03/03/2023 – 28/05/2023; and in the Estonian History Museum, Tallinn, in 15/06/2023 – 10/12/2023.

In 2022, the national currency of Lithuania – the litas – marked its 100th anniversary. To commemorate this special occasion, the exhibition was arranged in close cooperation with the Latvian museologists – who also celebrated the centenary of the lats – and the Estonian museum workers getting to ready for the equally significant jubilee of the kroon. The introduction of the national currencies in the Baltic States after the declaration of their independence in 1918 as well as the restoration of their state independence in the late 20th century are somewhat similar; therefore, in order to better understand this, the same questions related to both periods are raised: what was the situation before the introduction of the national currency? How was it developed? Where and how were coins and banknotes made? How did we – each state – sought and still seek to look like in our money? Could the names of our money have been different? Could our coins and banknotes have been different? What was the value of our money, what could be purchased for it? Does the loss of the national currency signify the end? To answer the questions, the exhibition revealed the versatile meaning – historical, political, economic, cultural, ideological, artistic – of the national currencies of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Over a thousand exhibits – money and its substitutes, money sketches, designs, models and means of production; also, various articles made from coins – from the national, regional history, departmental museums and private collections, state and private archives as well as library funds of the three Baltic countries were displayed. Some exhibits were shown for the first time, whereas the rarities of exceptional historical and cultural significance were made available to the public only in one of the states. The exhibition publication presents the articles displayed in all three countries; the text part contains the illustrations and photographs of the valuables and documents complementing the topics.

The exhibition-journey through the three Baltic States and two historical periods is completed; however, the exhibition publication offers us the opportunity to take a look at the national currencies of the three states, to compare the context of their origin and existence, to decipher the history of the three peoples encoded in them, to highlight commonalities and tell the differences. The valuable insights presented in the introductory article by Dr Vytautas Ališauskas “Images and

Meanings in Banknotes and Coins of Baltic Countries” will help readers understand the images in the money and their meaning.