How did the Bundesbank become an independent institution? How were the German gold reserves created? And how did the D-Mark reach eastern Germany? In the anniversary year of 2017, the Bundesbank is looking back at its history and providing numerous opportunities for the public to get to know the central bank and its tasks.

On 1 August 1957, the Bundesbank Act came into force, making the Bundesbank the central bank of Germany. For sixty years it has ensured a stable currency – firstly supporting the D-Mark for a good four decades, and then the euro, Europe's single currency, since 2002. "Our principal task is to safeguard the value of our currency. To accomplish this, we need the confidence and the support of the public," said Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann at the beginning of the anniversary year.

On the occasion of its 60th anniversary, the Bundesbank is making a wide variety of information available to the general public. By means of online and printed media as well as numerous events all over Germany, members of the public can discover how the Bundesbank came into being and learn about formative events in its history and its tasks.

Central bank history in text, images and sound

Those keen to learn more will find, among other things, a timeline which traces the history of the German central bank in text and images on the Bank's anniversary website at www.60jahre.bundesbank.de. Readers can start by learning how the Bank deutscher Länder, which was founded in 1948, became the Deutsche Bundesbank on 1 August 1957. The website's content will be updated continually throughout the year. Additionally, short videos reveal original images and voice clips from the past six decades of the Deutsche Bundesbank's history.

The publication "Die Deutsche Bundesbank – Notenbank für Deutschland" can be referred to for more information on the Bank's current tasks both within Germany and within the Eurosystem. The Bundesbank has completely revised the book on the occasion of its anniversary. It can be ordered or downloaded free of charge at www.bundesbank.de/buch.

On the "60 years of the Deutsche Bundesbank" press page, media representatives will find, among other things, dates, information about the legal framework, quotations from Bundesbank Presidents past and present and a collection of interesting and unexpected facts about the Bundesbank.

On-site events

Members of the public can also learn about the Bundesbank and its history on site. On 1 and 2 July 2017, there will be open days at Central Office and the Regional Office in Hesse in Frankfurt am Main. The Bundesbank will also be opening its doors to the public in Hanover, Berlin and Coblenz on 10 and 16 September 2017. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the Bundesbank's buildings, discover the highlights of sixty years of monetary history in an exhibition, take part in public discussion sessions with the President and talk to experts to learn more about topics such as counterfeit prevention, gold reserves and tasks such as monetary policy or banking supervision. In addition, many cities across Germany – from Munich to Hamburg, from Düsseldorf to Berlin – are hosting evening events as part of the "Forum Bundesbank" series of talks. Complemented by a travelling exhibition, the talks afford the public a fascinating insight into monetary history, from the D-Mark's beginnings to Europe's single currency, the euro.