500 GRD #223

Front

Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776–1831), Greek diplomat, politician, and statesman who served as the first head of state of independent Greece (1827–1831). A former Russian Foreign Minister, he was appointed Governor of the newly established First Hellenic Republic and worked to organize the nascent Greek state after the War of Independence. He was assassinated in 1831 and remains one of Greece's most honoured founding figures. The front also depicts the Bank of Greece headquarters building at lower right.

Back

The Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio) of Corfu, a Venetian fortress built on a rocky promontory jutting into the sea. Originally a Byzantine fortification, it was extensively rebuilt and expanded by the Venetians between the 15th and 17th centuries to defend against Ottoman attacks. The fortress is one of the most iconic landmarks of Corfu and a symbol of the island's strategic importance in the Ionian Sea. The scene shows the fortifications, the surrounding landscape with Mediterranean vegetation, and the characteristic architecture of the citadel.

History

The 1983 series of Greek drachma banknotes was issued by the Bank of Greece (Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος) and remained in circulation until Greece adopted the euro in 2002. The 500 drachma note was part of a series that honored major figures from Greek history, with Kapodistrias chosen to represent the nation's modern political foundation. These notes were in use throughout the final decades of the drachma, which had served as Greece's currency since 1832. The series was demonetized on February 28, 2002, when the euro became Greece's sole legal tender. The note is dated Athens, 1 February 1983 (ΑΘΗΝΑ 1 ΦΕΒΡΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ 1983).