As of July 1, 1993, the Bulgarian National Bank had put into circulation a new issue of coins of 10, 20 and 50 stotinki and 1, 2, 5, and 10 leva face value. The main artistic motif on the obverse of the 10, 20, and 50 stotinki coins is an image of a lion on a slabstone (11-13 century AD), found in the region of Stara Zagora. The text reads "Republic of Bulgaria." The main artistic motif on the obverse of the 1, 2, 5, and 10 leva coins is an image of the Madara Horseman - a rock relief from the early 8th century found near the village of Madara, Shoumen region. The text reads "Republic of Bulgaria."
The face value in figures and words, the year of issue (1992), and a sun and a fish (symbols of the Slav and Thracian origin of the Bulgarian state) are inscribed on the reverse of all coins. The edge of all coins is serrated.
As of May 8, 1997, the Bulgarian National Bank had put into circulation 10 banknotes, with denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, and 50000 leva. All banknotes feature protective measures such as transparent register ornament, watermark, microtext, security thread, holographic anti-copy element, and a relief designation for blind people.
The face of the 20 leva banknote depicts the Boyana Church frescoe of Duchess ("sevastokratoritsa") Desislava, who lived in the 11th century AD. She and her husband donated the funds used for the construction of the church, and according to the centuries-long tradition, frescoes of them were painted inside the church. The back of the banknote depicts the Boyana Church itself.
The face of the 50 leva banknote depicts Hristo G. Danov (1828-1911), one of the first publishers of the Bulgarian Renaissance. Thanks to him, many books and textbooks became available to a larger part of the population, and that is why he is called the father of Bulgarian printing. The back of the banknote depicts Danov's printing press.
The face of the 100 leva banknote depicts Zahari Hristovich Zograf, who was a famous painter of churches, monasteries, and cathedrals during the 18th century AD. The back of the banknote depicts one of Zahari Zograf's works, called the Circle of Life. It consists of four circles: in the center circle Zograf painted the Fate; the next circle lists the names of the months; the third cirlce depicts the four seasons and activities associated with them; and the outer circle depicts the stages of human life (birth, baby, child, adolescent, young man, a mature man, an old man, and death). He arranged the images in such a way that every three months match a season, and every season matches a stage of human life. For instance, December, January, and February correspond to the winter season, which in turn corresponds to old age and death.
The face of the 200 leva banknote depicts Ivan Vazov (June 27, 1850 -Sept. 22, 1921), the most famous figure in modern Bulgarian literature. His poems--especially "Izbavlenie" (Deliverance, 1878), "Epopeya na zabravenite" (Epic of the Forgotten, 1881-84), and "Slivnitsa" (Fusion, 1886)--recount the historical hardships and patriotic aspirations of his people. His internationally famous novel "Under the Yoke" (1894; Eng. trans., 1894) describes Bulgarian village life in the years before Bulgaria's liberation (1878) from Turkish rule. After settling in Sofia in 1889, he was elected (1894) to the national assembly and served (1897-99) as minister of education while continuing to write poetry, drama, and fiction. Vazov's plays, especially the 1910 productions "Borislav" and "Kum propast" (Toward the Abyss), dominated the Sofia theater for a decade. The back of the banknote depicts a symbol of Vazov's impressive poetic gift and inspiration.
The face of the 500 leva banknote depicts Dobri Hristov (1875-1941), one of the most distinguished Bulgarian composers of the twentieth century. The back of the banknote depicts the building of the Opera House in the city of Varna.
The face of the 1,000 leva banknote depicts Vasil Levski (1837-1873), "the Apostle of Freedom" - the greatest national hero and fighter for Bulgarian freedom and independence from the Ottoman Empire. For years he hid from the Ottomans while traveling to all parts of Bulgaria, where he organized secret rebellion committees. When he was finally captured by the Ottomans with the help of a traitor, he was tried and hanged in Sofia on February 19th, 1873. The front of the banknote also features a woman holding a flag, with a lion beside her (both symbols of independent Bulgaria), as well as Levski's most famous quote: "If I prevail, all the people will prevail; if I lose, I will lose myself only," an expression of his readiness to sacrifice himself for his people's freedom. The back of the banknote depicts the monument built on the place of Levski's death in Sofia; it also depicts the Bible, the cross, the knife, and the pistol that Levski and his compatriot rebels used as a symbol of their secret rebel organization. The cursiv text featured on the back is the oath that Levski and his fellow rebels took upon entering the organization.
The face of the 2,000 leva banknote depicts Nikola Fichev (1800-1881), the most prominent Bulgarian architect of the 19th century AD. The front also features some of his projects, most notably his covered river bridge in the city of Lovech, which also served for a shopping center, as it contained numerous little shops. The back of the banknote depicts several of Fichev's other projects, including a sample of his handwriting. This banknote was the first to feature an anti-copy stripe on its front left side - a stripe with the colors of the rainbow which appears when viewed from different angles.
The face of the 5,000 leva banknote depicts Zahary Stoyanov (1851-1889), a Bulgarian revolutionary and a fighter against the Ottoman empire in the 19th century AD. Both the front and the back feature facsimiles from his famous book "Sketches on the Bulgarian Upheavels," which narrates of Stoyanov's first-hand experiences in the rebellions against Ottoman rule. The back of the banknote also depicts fragments of the memorial built in memory of the Bulgarians who gave their lives for the freedom and the independence of their country.
The 10,000 leva banknote was issued on December 9, 1996, the last banknote of the series that were initiated in 1991. Its front depicts Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora (1882-1960), a distinguished Bulgarian painter who luridly reproduced the picturesqueness of Bulgarian nature and the beauty of country life. The National Academy of Arts, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1996, is depicted as a background on the front of the banknote. Fragments of the painter's works are featured on the reverse of the banknote: the print interpretation of the painting "Bulgarian Madonna" against a background of plant life motifs in the center; fragments of the painter's drawings on the left; and a facsimile of a manuscript with the signature of the painter is printed underneath.
In the beginning of 1997 the Bulgarian National Bank issued a new 10,000 leva banknote to be circulated simultaneously with the older 10,000 banknote. Its front depicts Dr. Petar Beron (1799-1871), a distinguished Bulgarian scientist and teacher. He wrote the first Bulgarian textbook, which paved the road for a modern system of education in Bulgaria. In 1824 Beron published "Textbook with Miscellaneous Teachings," popularly called "the Fish Textbook" because it depicted a whale on its front page. The textbook contained information on several major topics, among them grammar, natural sciences, mathematics, anatomy, and history, as well as an introduction of a new method of teaching, the so-called Bell-Lancaster method. The front of the banknote also depicts the title page of Dr. Beron's textbook, as well as some drawings taken from it. The back of the banknote depicts varios drawings from the textbook as well, among them a telescope and a sectant, along with a representation of the Moon's phases.
On May 8, 1997, the Bulgarian National Bank put into circulation a 50,000 leva banknote. The sculptures of the saint brothers Cyril and Methodius in front of the National Library in Sofia (named after them) are depicted on the face of the banknote. The two brothers are credited with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets, first adopted by Bulgaria in the 9th century AD. St. Cyril and St. Methodius are patrons of literacy, literature, and learning, and in 1985 Pope John Paul II proclaimed them to be "protectors of Europe." A composition of letters from the ancient Bulgarian Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets and excerpts from a manuscript by Chernorizets Hrabur (10th century AD) serve for a background in the front. The back of the banknote depicts architectural monuments from the ancient Bulgarian capitals of Pliska and Preslav, as well as a facsimile of the "Slaveno-Bulgarian History" of Paisi Hilendarski (1722-1773).
