20 zł Battle of Warsaw 1920

The National Bank of Poland issued a collector banknote in vertical format to mark the hundredth anniversary of the great Polish victory over the Bolsheviks in the Battle of Warsaw. 

The front of the banknote shows the figure of Józef Piłsudski. The image was taken from Kazimierz Mańkowski's painting entitled "The Bolshevik Battle of Warsaw". The image was taken from Kazimierz Mańkowski's painting "The Year 1920". The Head of State is shown as the defender of Warsaw. In the background there are outlines of characteristic Warsaw buildings. In turn, the obverse of the Cross of Valour presented here - with the Polish eagle, the inscription "On the Field of Glory" and the date 1920 - is a reference to the collective effort of the Polish soldier and the time of establishing this decoration at the key moment of the struggle near Warsaw. The front side of the banknote is complemented by the inscription NIEPODLEGŁOŚĆ (Independence), inscribed in an oak leaf wreath, as well as graphic elements and plant motifs on the banknotes of Polish marks, including the image of the eagle and the Polish monogram on the banknote of 100 Polish marks from 1919.

On the reverse side of the banknote, under the national colours, is the central fragment of Jerzy Kossak's painting entitled "The Eagle and the Polish Monogram". On the reverse side of the banknote, under the national colours, there is a central fragment of Jerzy Kossak's painting entitled "Miracle on the Vistula". It depicts a symbolic scene - priest Ignacy Skorupka leading to an attack by soldiers of voluntary formations. The whole is complemented by a wreath of bay laurel leaves, a commemorative medal for the war 1918-1921 (erratt for the banknote wrapping) and a fragment of the proclamation of the Government of National Defence "Homeland in Danger" of 5 August 1920.

The Battle of Warsaw was a turning point in the war with the Bolsheviks. The victory was hailed as a Miracle on the Wisła River and help in success was attributed to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose feast of the Assumption fell on the climax of the struggle. The merits in terms of command should be attributed both to Commander-in-Chief Józef Piłsudski, Chief of Staff General Tadeusz Rozwadowski and General Władysław Sikorski - the commander of the 5th Army, Józef Hallerow - the commander of the Volunteer Army fighting in the foreground of Warsaw and Maxime Weygand. The victory was possible thanks to the unification of the nation and the sacrifice of the Polish soldiers holding back the Bolshevik invasion.