Commemorative banknote 100 Kč Vilem Pospisil

The Czech National Bank's commemorative banknotes pay tribute to important figures associated with the building of the Czechoslovak currency. The third collectible paper currency with a nominal value of 100 Kč commemorates Vilém Pospíšil.

Although Vilém Pospíšil studied law, he decided to try his luck at the Prague Municipal Savings Bank. This choice changed his whole life. In 1902, he joined the bank as a mere clerk, but in 1917 he became its director and in 1922 even its chief executive. During World War I, he risked everything when he actively joined the anti-Austrian resistance, and after the collapse of the monarchy, as a prominent financial expert, he participated in the monetary separation. In 1919, he became vice-chairman of the banking committee of the Banking Office of the Ministry of Finance, a state institution that provisionally played the role of a central bank. He was nominated for this position as a supporter of the economic concept of Alois Rašín, but also as a leading representative of Czechoslovak savings banks, having held the position of chairman of the Union of Czechoslovak Savings Banks. Vilém Pospíšil also represented Czechoslovakia in the Financial Commission of the League of Nations and in 1926 became the first governor of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia – the highest representative of a truly independent central bank of the state...

The banknote was designed by academic painter Eva Hašková. On the front side, you will find a portrait of Vilém Pospíšil, the building of the Czech National Bank in Prague with a sculpture of a light bearer and a lion, a cornucopia with fruit, the central state emblem of the Czechoslovak Republic, and a genius with a laurel wreath. The reverse side of the banknote features the corner of the former headquarters of the Prague Municipal Savings Bank, fruit, the large state emblem of the Czech Republic, a linden wreath, and a genius with a beehive.

The issuance of commemorative banknotes was sanctioned by a special law, and their exclusive manufacturer is the State Printing Office in Prague.