The coming months will see two notable milestones in connection with national monetary developments: 8 October will mark 35 years since the introduction of the tolar, the first currency of independent Slovenia, while 1 January of next year makes it 20 years since Slovenia introduced the euro and joined the Eurosystem. Banka Slovenije will mark the two anniversaries with a series of events. The centrepiece event will be held on 5 November under the name From value to values, and will celebrate all the major monetary milestones of the independent state. We are also organising an exhibition featuring the tolar, which will be held at the National and University Library in Ljubljana between 8 October 2026 and 13 February 2027. The two anniversaries will also be marked by events held under our financial literacy banner.
Banka Slovenije released the first payment notes into circulation on 8 October 1991. These acted as temporary legal tender, and constituted the first step in Slovenia introducing its own national currency. By issuing tolar banknotes and coins soon after, Slovenia assumed one of the key powers of an independent state, namely providing for its own currency and running its own monetary policy.
Fifteen years later Banka Slovenije saw its mandate expand significantly. With Slovenia joining the euro and the Eurosystem on 1 January 2007, Banka Slovenije became part of the common European System of Central Banks, and thus took up a role in helping to set monetary policy for the entire euro area.
Together these anniversaries – 20 years since joining the euro and 35 years since introducing the tolar – add a symbolic coherence to Slovenia’s monetary journey. Banka Slovenije is celebrating them with a series of events.
The centrepiece event: From value to values
The main event marking the two anniversaries will be a celebration entitled From value to values, which will be held on Thursday, 5 November in Ljubljana.
The celebrations will highlight the development of Slovenia’s monetary story during the introduction of the tolar and its integration into the European community, while some of the attention will also be focused on the future of money. The aim is to highlight the importance of confidence, stability and shared values, which represent the very foundation of progress in a successful society.
At Banka Slovenije we understand our mission more broadly than simply ensuring a stable economic environment, and we realise this by making a responsible contribution to the progress of society, to art, and to the preservation of the cultural heritage. We put young people, their education, and their opportunity to express themselves creatively to the fore. These values are realised through our work to the benefit of society, including financial literacy programmes and support for young artists, which will also be a central theme running through the celebrations.
Guests at the celebrations will hear speeches by President Nataša Pirc Musar, Primož Dolenc, Governor of Banka Slovenije, and Christine Lagarde, president of the ECB, who will join the event via a video link.
Exhibition featuring the money of independent Slovenia
On the anniversary of the introduction of the tolar, namely at 5 pm on Thursday, 8 October, we will open an exhibition entitled From the tolar to the euro: images of our money at the National and University Library in Ljubljana.
The exhibition will give visitors insight into the development of currency in independent Slovenia, and will showcase the key milestones on the journey from the first payment notes and the tolar to the euro. The banknotes and coins of this period will feature, together with interesting facts about the creation of Slovenia’s currency, the role of the tolar in reaffirming statehood, and Slovenia’s inclusion in the euro area.
The exhibition will run until 13 February 2027.
The anniversaries through the lens of financial literacy
The two anniversaries will also be celebrated as part of our financial literacy programmes. We will hold a children’s workshop at 4.30 pm on Monday, 5 October at the Banka Slovenije museum as part of this year’s Week of the Child events. Via creative activities it will give primary school students the opportunity to learn about the journey from the tolar to the euro, and the importance of money through the ages.
The anniversaries will also feature in this year’s literary competition for nursery schools and primary schools. The aim is to encourage young people to think about money, its role in society, and the importance of financial literacy. They will have the 2026/27 school year to create a banknote that features the legacy of the tolar on one side, and 20 years of the euro in Slovenia on the other. More information about the competition will be announced in October.