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Front: Vassil Levski (1837-1873), Bulgarian national hero

Levski was a life-long revolutionary. He fought to free Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. He was arrested by the Turkish authorities, sentenced and hanged in 1873.

Back: Monument and writings of Levski

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Front: Saint John of Rila (876-946), Bulgarian monk

St. John of Rila took the monastic vows at the age of 25, and became devoted to living in complete seclusion. He believed that monks should live in harmony and should include manual labor among their spiritual works. He once refused to receive Tsar Peter, co-ruler of Bulgaria, because he believed monks should have no contact with the princes of the world. This only served to spread his fame and more monks joined him, all living in small huts near Rila. He wrote a rule for this community, which survived to this day.

Back: Rila Monastery

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Front: Paisii Hilendarski (1722-1773), traveling monk

Father Paisii Hilendarski was the author of Slavonic-Bulgarian History (1762), which marked the beginning of the Bulgarian Renaissance.

Back: Heraldic lion

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This is the world's first hybrid polymer bank note, a paper note with a vertical polymer strip.

Front: Stylized elements from the National Bank building

Back: A replica of the first Bulgarian 20 Leva bank note of 1885 and the old National Bank building