The Deutsche Bundesbank will open a numismatic special exhibition on the topic of “Money Creators. Who decides what’s money?” at its Money Museum. At six stations, visitors can learn more about the key people and institutions who, as “money creators”, decide what counts as money.

Speaking at the opening, the Bundesbank Executive Board member in charge of cash, Johannes Beermann, stated that the outward appearance of money has always been evolving, and with it the people and institutions. “Yet there is a common thread running through the history of money creators: in order to survive in the long term as an issuer of money, they need, above all, the confidence of the public, that is to say, of those who are to be using the money every day,” he explained. The exhibition takes up this common thread and seeks answers to this question: who actually decides what money is?

The key functions of money are explained in the special exhibition, as is the role of the state as the traditionally most important issuer of money. Moreover, visitors will find out how people used emergency money or substitute currencies whenever, in times of crisis, governments have failed to maintain a functional system of cash transactions or to keep the value of money stable.

In the Money Museum, the numismatic collection will also show how money functions in various parts of the world in the absence of a state-controlled monetary system. The special exhibition will also look ahead to the future of money creators. “The outward appearance of money has always changed, and with it the people and institutions that create money,” Mr Beermann said. The exhibition will therefore also shine a light on new digital forms of money such as crypto tokens and seek to find out who the “money creators” of the future will be.

From 30 June 2021 to 29 May 2022, the exhibition will open its doors Sunday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00. Admission is free of charge subject to valid COVID-19 hygiene protocols. All texts will be presented in both English and German. The Money Museum is at pains to be accessible to all visitors: it is accessible to wheelchair users, and visitors with impaired vision can obtain an audio guide upon request.