A monetary reform was carried out at the "Slavianski Bazaar"

July 8, Vitebsk /Eduard Pivovar - BELTA/. A monetary reform of its own took place at the opening of the XX International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" today. New samples of festival money, "vasilki," have been put into circulation at the renowned forum, a BELTA correspondent reports.

Festival money appeared in Vitebsk almost from the birth of "Slavianski Bazaar." The idea was to relieve numerous foreign guests and participants of the forum from problems with exchanging national currencies, especially since in the early 1990s, currency exchange offices were practically non-existent. And although later the deficit of currency exchange points disappeared, the "vasilki" became so popular among the participants of "Slavianski Bazaar" that it was decided not to abandon them.

Festival currency has limited circulation - it can only be used in restaurants, bars, cafes, and buffets. Its exchange rate is set at one to one against the Belarusian ruble. At the first "Slavianski Bazaar" in 1992, "vasilki" resembled coupons. But by the second festival, special banknotes were issued, featuring the emblem of the Vitebsk forum - a cornflower growing on a musical staff. This is how the festival currency got its name. And in 1995, "vasilki" were printed in Moscow, and like real money, they had a number of security features. When designing the banknotes, engravings by the famous Vitebsk artist Grigory Klikushin, depicting views of old Vitebsk, were used.

As Olga Salnikova, Deputy Director of the festival, told a BELTA correspondent, the "cornflowers" were last printed in 2002, and during this time the banknotes have become worn out. Therefore, it was decided to issue new "cornflowers" for the anniversary, twentieth "Slavianski Bazaar". Their denomination and color scheme correspond to the banknotes of the Belarusian ruble. The obverse depicts the best stage design options for the Summer Amphitheater over the last decade. It so happened that the author of all selected options is the famous Belarusian stage designer Zinovy Margolin. And on the reverse side of the banknotes, the festival emblem is placed - a cornflower. By the way, a special exhibition dedicated to the history of festival money is open in the halls of Vitebsk's Dukhovskoy Kruglik. -0-