Deutsche Mark

Deutsche Mark
D-Mark
Deutsche Mark banknotes from 1989
ISO 4217
CodeDEM
Unit
UnitMark
PluralMark
SymbolDM
Denominations
Subunit
1100Pfennig
Plural
PfennigPfennig
Symbol
Pfennigpf
Banknotes
 Freq. usedDM5, DM10, DM20, DM50, DM100, DM200
 Rarely usedDM500, DM1,000
Coins
 Freq. used1pf, 2pf, 5pf, 10pf, 50pf, DM1, DM2, DM5
Demographics
Official user(s)None, previously:
List
Unofficial user(s)
List
Issuance
Central bankDeutsche Bundesbank
 Websitewww.bundesbank.de
Printer
 Website
Mint
List
 Website
Valuation
Inflation1.4%, December 2001
Pegged byBosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, Bulgarian lev at par
EU Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)
Since13 March 1979
Fixed rate since31 December 1998
Replaced by euro, non cash1 January 1999
Replaced by euro, cash1 March 2002
1 € =DM 1.95583
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

The Deutsche Mark (German: [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈmaʁk] ; "German mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" ([ˈdeːˌmaʁk] ), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was typically called the "Deutschmark" (/ˈdɔɪmɑːrk/ DOYTCH-mark). One Deutsche Mark was divided into 100 pfennigs.

It was first issued under Allied occupation in 1948 to replace the Reichsmark and served as the Federal Republic of Germany's official currency from its founding the following year. On 31 December 1998, the Council of the European Union fixed the irrevocable exchange rate, effective 1 January 1999, for German mark to euros as DM 1.95583 = €1.[3] In 1999, the Deutsche Mark was replaced by the euro; its coins and banknotes remained in circulation, defined in terms of euros, until the introduction of euro notes and coins on 1 January 2002. The Deutsche Mark ceased to be legal tender immediately upon the introduction of the euro—in contrast to the other eurozone states, where the euro and legacy currency circulated side by side for up to two months. Mark coins and banknotes continued to be accepted as valid forms of payment in Germany until 1 March 2002.

The Deutsche Bundesbank has guaranteed that all German marks in cash form may be changed into euros indefinitely, and one may do so in person at any branch of the Bundesbank in Germany. Banknotes and coins can even be sent to the Bundesbank by mail.[4] In 2012, it was estimated that as many as 13.2 billion marks were in circulation, with one poll from 2011 showing a narrow majority of Germans favouring the currency's restoration (although only a minority believed this would bring any economic benefit).[5][6] Polls in the early 2020s indicated only a minority of Germans supported reintroduction of the Deutsche Mark.[7]

  1. ^ "Kosovo adopts Deutschmark". BBC. 3 September 1999. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  2. ^ Derek Boothby (January–March 2004). "The Political Challenges of Administering Eastern Slavonia". Global Governance. 10 (1). Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations: 37–51 (15 pages). doi:10.1163/19426720-01001005. JSTOR 27800508.
  3. ^ "Determination of the euro conversion rates". European Central Bank. 1 January 1999. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
  4. ^ "Exchanging DM for euro". Bundesbank. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Why are Germans still using the deutsche mark?". theweek.com. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Most Germans want Deutsche mark back, poll shows". reuters.com. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  7. ^ "RTL/ntv Trendbarometer: Sehnsucht nach der D-Mark geringer als noch vor zehn Jahren" (in German). Presseportal. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2022.