Saar-Franconia
Saar-Franken was the popular name of the coinage issued by the autonomous Saarland in 1954 and 1955. From 1921 to 1935 and from 1947 to 1959, the French franc was the currency of the Saar area under League of Nations administration (1920-1935), the autonomous Saarland (1947-1956) and the German state of Saarland (1957 to July 1959). In 1954/55 the French coins were supplemented by their own Saarland coins - these so-called "Saar-Franconian" coins, however, never legally represented their own currency.
history
1921-1935
According to Article 45 of the Versailles Treaty of 1920, the newly formed Saar area was under the fiduciary administration of the League of Nations for 15 years . At the same time, France was granted unrestricted ownership of the state coal mines in the Saar Basin area for a period of 15 years. The French were also given the right to process related payments in their own currency. The French franc was therefore initially used in the Saar area alongside the mark. From June 1, 1923, the country was merged with France in the economic sphere and the French franc was introduced as the only valid means of payment.
In addition to the normal French coins and bills, the French state mine administration issued its own bills of 50 centimes, 1 franc and 2 francs. This so-called "mine money" was in circulation until 1930 when it was replaced by regular French money.
After the Saar was annexed to the German Reich in 1935, the Reichsmark was immediately reintroduced. The official exchange rate was 1 Franc = 0.1645 RM.
1947-1959
On June 16, 1947, the Saar-Mark was introduced as the successor currency to the Reichsmark . On November 15, 1947, the French government was legally authorized to introduce the French currency in Saarland as part of the closer alignment it wanted with its own economy. The short-lived Saar-Mark was replaced by the French franc at an exchange ratio of 20: 1. Introduced on November 20, 1947, the franc became the sole legal tender in Saarland on January 15, 1948 . Until their own coins were minted in 1954 (10, 20, 50) and 1955 (100 francs), only French cash was in circulation. Own bills were not printed in Saarland.
As a result of the Saar referendum , Saarland was politically incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany on January 1, 1957, as the tenth federal state . The economic integration took place on July 6, 1959, the so-called "Day X". On this day, the German mark replaced the franc as currency.
The last exchange rate was 100 francs = 0.8507 DM or the equivalent of 1 DM ≈ 117.55 francs.
Coins 1954/55
The Saarland coins of 1954/1955 corresponded in weight, material and size to the coins of the French franc minted at the same time, but differed from them in terms of their motifs and German-language inscriptions. The coins of 10, 20 and 50 francs (minted in 1954) showed (from left to right) a steelworks, the Saarland coat of arms and the winding tower of a mine. On the 100-franc coin (minted in 1955) the coat of arms of the state, framed by a wreath, was seen as the hub of a mining wheel. Banknotes were not issued of their own; the French circulated.
Web links
- Law No. 47-2158 of November 15, 1947 introducing the French currency in Saarland
- Decree No. 47-2170 of November 15, 1947 on currency exchange in Saarland
- Implementing provisions of January 7, 1948 on currency conversion
- The different currencies in Saarland reflect Saar nostalgia
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b saar-nostalgie.de: Saar-Geld (last accessed: February 27, 2013)
- ^ Bruno Gebhardt: Germany under Allied occupation 1945–1949. Klett-Cotta, 2001. ISBN 3608600221 page 138