50 Francs 1985, Belgium
| in Krause book | Number: 46d |
| Years of issue: | 1985 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | De directeur generaal der theaurie: Mr. René Lauwerijns (In office 01.12.1984 - 31.03.1988). |
| Serie: | 1961 - 1971 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 16.05.1966 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 127 х 64 |
| Printer: | Belgian Nationalbank, Brussels |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
HM The King Baudouin.
Avers:
HM The King of Belgium Baudouin and HM The Quuen Fabiola (effigies).
The engraving on banknote is, presumably, made from the wedding photo of the pair.
Baudouin (Dutch: Boudewijn; 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993) reigned as the fifth King of the Belgians, following his father's abdication, from 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of Congo.
He was the elder son of King Leopold III (1901–83) and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden (1905–35). Because he had no children with his wife, Fabiola de Mora, the crown passed to his younger brother, Albert II (formerly Prince of Liège), following his death. 
Queen Fabiola of Belgium (born Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón on 11 June 1928 – 5 December 2014) was Queen of the Belgians from her marriage to King Baudouin in 1960 until his death in 1993. The couple had no children, so the Crown passed to her husband's younger brother, King Albert II.
On 15 December 1960, Fabiola married Baudouin, who had been King of the Belgians since the abdication of his father, Leopold III, in 1951. At the marriage ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, she wore a 1926 Art Deco tiara that had been a gift of the Belgian state to her husband's mother, Astrid of Sweden, upon her marriage to Leopold III. Her dress of satin and ermine was designed by the couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. Fabiola was a hospital nurse at the time of her engagement; TIME magazine, in its 26 September 1960, issue, called Doña Fabiola the "Cinderella Girl" and described her as "an attractive young woman, though no raving beauty" and "the girl who could not catch a man." On the occasion of her marriage, Spanish bakers set out to honour Fabiola and created a type of bread, "la fabiola", which is still made in Palencia.
The explorer Guido Derom named the Queen Fabiola Mountains – a newly discovered range of Antarctic mountains – in her honour in 1961. She also has several varieties of ornamental plants named after her.
The royal couple had no children, as the Queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage. There are reports, however, that she had a stillborn child in the mid 1960s. Fabiola openly spoke about her miscarriages in 2008: 'You know, I myself lost five children. You learn something from that experience. I had problems with all my pregnancies, but you know, in the end I think life is beautiful'.
At the bottom is the Alliance Coat of Arms of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola with motto: "Eendracht maakt macht" or "Unity makes strength".
The motto was used by Belgium after its Revolution of 1830, initially only in its French form "L'union fait la force". Only when Dutch was made equal in status to French did the Belgian state also take "Eendracht maakt macht" as its motto, sometimes with the variant "Eenheid baart macht". In 1830, this unity was identified with the unification of Belgium's nine provinces, whose nine provincial coats of arms are represented on the national arms, and the new country's unification of its liberal progressives and Catholic conservatives. Indeed, it was launched in 1827-1828 by newspapers published in Liège which allied liberals and Catholics in the unionism which brought about the Revolution and which then dominated Belgian politics until the founding of the Liberal Party in 1846. Although the motto is often used in Belgicist or unitarist circles (as a call to Flemings and Walloons, natives of Brussels and German speakers, all to maintain Belgium's unity), this is a historical misinterpretation — the motto is a unionist, not a unitarist, slogan. Its German version is "Einigkeit macht stark". Flemings sometimes parody the motto by chanting it as "L'union fait la farce" ("Union makes a farce") or "L'oignon fait la farce" ("The onion makes the filling"), trivialising it as a cooking recipe.
In lower part is an inscription: "De namaker wordt door de wet gestraft" ("The counterfeiter is being punished by law").
Denominations in numerals are in lower left and top right corners, in words - centered.
Revers:
The pond and Entrance/exit to the royal park, in front of the Palais des Nations, in Brussels.
On the other side of the park, opposite the Royal Palace, is the Palace of Nations. The Palace of Parliament or the Palace of the People (The National Palace, Palais de la Nation) is a beautiful neoclassical building that was built by architect Bimabe Guimard at the end of the 18th century. It was built from 1779 to 1983. Since 1830, parliamentary sessions are held here. They are listened to and passed laws, the history of the country is being made. Inside, there are two semi-circular meeting rooms, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
After the construction of the building was called the Palace of the Council of Brabant the First. The central part, consisting of a U-shaped building around the main courtyard (now called the Place de la Nation), was intended to house the Sovereign Council of Brabant, who ruled the Belgian provinces under the leadership of Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
On both sides of the entrance, opposite the Palais des Nations, there are columns with sculptures. As far as I could see - at this entrance are small winged boys with mumps.
The Brussels park (Parc de Bruxellex) is the largest and oldest city park with an area of 13,000 hectares. In the Middle Ages there was a wonderful forest surrounding the picturesque residence of the Dukes of Brabant, erected in the XI century on the hill of Kudenberg.
In most of the forest lands, the rulers hunted, and in the smaller, behind the palace, they walked through the garden labyrinth. But, in 1731, as we already know, in one night the chic Kudenberg Palace completely burnt down and was not rebuilt any more.
In 1775, the government of the Austrian Netherlands, which included the current Belgium, decided to beautify the territory of the former palace. As a result, the forest has become a classic park, which has become the central object of a new prestigious residential area for the time spent by wealthy citizens of Brussels.
The style for the park was chosen by the French with a clear geometry of borders, avenues and paths. If you look at the park from above, the main alleys form the compasses - a traditional pattern of garden paths, often used in the XVIII century. Landscape planning is also interesting because it creates a feeling of increasing space and vast territory.
From the main entrance a wide alley leads to a pond with a fountain. In this museum of nature along the crystal clear water bodies grow a variety of trees and plants. The park is surrounded by two rows of limes and a monumental fence.
There are many beautiful classical statues here, dedicated mainly to mythological characters. You can see allegorical images of trade and navigation, science and art, mercy and many others. Also there are images of historical personalities. For example, Peter the Great, whose bronze bust adorns one of the alleys. An interesting detail, reminiscent of the "forest" past the park - several sculptural groups on the topic of hunting.
The territory also houses the Royal Park Theater, a concert hall and musical arbors built in the late 18th century.
The Brussels park generously shares with its visitors memories of real historical events. After a fierce battle in September 1830, he witnessed and participated in the birth of the independent state of Belgium.
The pediment of the central part is decorated with a bas-relief of the sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle, which represents the Justice punishing the Vices and rewarding the Virtues.
Denominations in numerals are in lower left and top right corners, in words - at the top.
Comments:
Obverse designer: L. De Decker.
Reverse designer: H. Schepers.
Obverse engraver: Charles Leclercqz.
Reverse engraver: Henri Decuyper.
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