First złoty banknotes

A 500 złotych note was among the treasury notes issued in 1794.

Second złoty banknotes

Once the złoty was reinstated in 1924, a 500 złotych note featuring an image of Tadeusz Kościuszko, dated 1919 and printed in advance in United Kingdom, was put into circulation. It was the highest-value note in circulation until the outbreak of World War II.

Under the General Government, the Bank of Issue in Poland issued a 500 złotych note dated 1940.

The so-called Lublin series (seria lubelska) of banknotes dated 1944 included a 500 złotych note. It was withdrawn in 1947, earlier than the other notes from the same series, due to being forged particularly often.

Two other 500 złotych notes followed. They were dated 1946 and 1947 and entered circulation in 1946 and 1949, respectively. Both were withdrawn in 1950.

Third złoty banknotes

In 1950, a series of notes dated 1948 was introduced. It included a 500 złotych note, the largest of the series, that featured a likeness of a miner on the front and three miners at work on the back. These notes circulated between 1950 and 1977. From January 1975 onwards, the 1948 series started being replaced with new, smaller notes. A likeness of Tadeusz Kościuszko was once again chosen for the 500 złotych note. These notes are dated 1974, 1976, 1979, and 1982, the latter ones being issued into the 1990s without the date being changed. They circulated until the end of 1996. Replaced by the fourth złoty, they could be exchanged for the new currency until the end of 2010.

Current banknotes

In 1995, a new series of notes was introduced. Initially, it included values of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 złotych. In 2017, the National Bank of Poland put the 500 złotych note into circulation in order to facilitate cash settlements between individuals, decrease the currency management costs for entrepreneurs and the central bank, as well as allow the bank to improve the management of the supply of circulating banknotes.