50 Heller Lwow

Gmina Miasta Lwowa issued emergency notgeld during the brief but brutal Polish-Ukrainian conflict over Lviv in late 1918 and into 1919 — the city changed hands violently before Polish forces secured it in November 1918, and the collapse of normal currency supply made municipal scrip a practical necessity. Rudolf Mękicki, a Lwów-born graphic artist and medallist closely associated with the city's cultural institutions, both designed and engraved the note himself, which is unusual enough to warrant attention.

Mękicki's involvement gives these heller notes an artistic coherence rare in emergency municipal issues.