Visitors flock in their thousands to gather their own impressions of the Bundesbank

04.07.2017 DE FR

The Bundesbank celebrated its 60th anniversary by throwing open its doors in Frankfurt am Main for an open day on 1 and 2 July. Around 28,000 visitors eager to gather their own impressions of the Bundesbank flocked to the bank’s Central Office and Regional Office in Hesse. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann bid visitors a warm welcome to the bank’s Central Office in the Bockenheim area of Frankfurt, while Diana Rutzka-Hascher, president of the Regional Office in Hesse, did likewise at the Taunusanlage campus in the city centre.

Regional Office

A popular photo motif: the euro mascot ©Bert Bostelmann — Visitors were able to gain an impression of the Bundesbank at the Regional Office, too, on Saturday.

Visitors having a look at the gold bar. ©Bert Bostelmann — A magnet for visitors – a chance to touch a bar of gold.

Diana Rutzka-Hascher ©Bert Bostelmann — Diana Rutzka-Hascher, President of the Regional Office in Hesse, welcoming visitors.

Band on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — Captivating live music ...

Magician on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — ... and magicians on stage.

Visitors waiting for the guided tour to begin. ©Bert Bostelmann — Guided tours of the Bank’s premises attracted a lot of interest, …

Audience following a presentation. ©Bert Bostelmann — ... as did thought-provoking presentations in the Regional Office.

Boy shooting at a goal-wall. ©Bert Bostelmann — There was fun to be had at the goal-wall shooting

A girl beeing made up. ©Bert Bostelmann — ... and face-painting for the younger children.

Open day at the regional office ©Bert Bostelmann — Many visitors used the open day to become acquainted with the Regional Office in Hesse.

Visitors on a guided tour ©Bert Bostelmann — The guided tours of the Regional Office were particularly popular.

Visitors at the training course on counterfeits. ©Bert Bostelmann — Close examination: visitors at the training course on counterfeits.

Game of skill on the subject of financial stability ©Bert Bostelmann — Learning through play: the game of skill on the subject of financial stability

Andreas Dombret live on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — Bundesbank Executive Board member Andreas Dombret talking to …

Joachim Wuermeling live on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — ... moderator Sissi Hajtmanek, who also spoke to Joachim Wuermeling ...

Johannes Beermann live on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — ... and Bundesbank Executive Board member Johannes Beermann.

Claudia Buch live on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — Vice-President Claudia Buch also joined Sissi Hajtmanek on the stage.

A band on stage ©Bert Bostelmann — Visitors were enthralled by live music.

A rich and varied outreach programme, complete with multimedia “jubilee path”, invited visitors to find out more about the Bundesbank’s 60 years of history, while numerous information stands dotted around the premises shed light on the broad range of tasks which Germany’s central bank currently performs.

Up close and personal with the President

One of the open day’s highlights was undoubtedly the Bundesbank President's Q&A sessions on Saturday and Sunday, in which visitors had the opportunity to put their very own questions on topics like monetary policy, financial stability or banking supervision to Jens Weidmann himself. Guided tours of the bank’s offices, which even let visitors take a peek into the President's office on the 12th floor of Central Office, were another popular attraction.

Central Office

Visitors in front of the Bundesbank main building ©Nils Thies — Visitors flock to the Deutsche Bundsbank’s Open Day 2017

Visitors watching a video about the Bundesbank's hisotry. ©Nils Thies — The “jubilee path” with lots of information on the Bundesbank’s history.

Visitors inside the Bundesbank's main building ©Nils Thies — Guided tour through the Bundesbank’s Central Office.

Visitors taking pictures of the skyline ©Nils Thies — Open day visitors glimpsed Frankfurt from a whole new perspective.

Musicians live on stage ©Nils Thies — Musicians live on stage at the Bundesbank Central Office open day

Jens Weidmann ©Nils Thies — Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann with moderator Rolf-Dieter Krause

Visitor holds a gold bar in his hands. ©Nils Thies — A chance to touch a gold bar

Visitors watching a money processing machine in action. ©Nils Thies — A money processing machine in action

Jens Weidmann talking with visitors ©Nils Thies — Jens Weidmann talking with visitors

A girl climbing a tower of beverage crates. ©Nils Thies — The children’s programme at the open day…

Two children participating in a sack race. ©Nils Thies — …kept the kids amused.

Visitors queue for a guided tour. ©Nils Thies — Many visitors were interested in a guided tour through the building.

The Buba Singers, the Bundesbank staff choir, live on stage ©Nils Thies — Entertainment was also provided by the Buba Singers, the Bundesbank staff choir.

The euro mascot with a visitor ©Nils Thies — A popular photo motif: the euro mascot

Julia Bauer ©Nils Thies — Moderator on the stage at Central Office: Julia Bauer

A girl on the surf simulator. ©Nils Thies — Learning about financial stability through play with the surf simulator

The band “Men in Blech” ©Nils Thies — Dressed in black: good vibes from the band “Men in Blech”

Show with police dogs. ©Nils Thies — Spectacular show by the Federal police force

Police dog treeing during a show. ©Nils Thies — The police dogs stole the show, demonstrating their skills.

Activities for children ©Nils Thies — The open day provided lots of fun activities for the very young, too.

Visitors young and old were captivated by the gold bars they were invited to touch and lift, just as they had been at the bank’s first open day three years ago. A new attraction at Central Office this year was the opportunity to see a large money processing machine in action as it checked banknotes for authenticity. Visitors also found out for themselves how to easily spot counterfeit currency. The dog section of the Federal police force, meanwhile, dazzled visitors with an action-packed display of their unique line of work.

Something for everyone

Besides providing visitors with a wide array of information, the bank also kept everyone entertained. Bands like Fresh Music Live, Groundtown 99 and Fayette took to the stage at both of the bank’s Frankfurt offices, while a rich variety of food trucks catered for every taste.

Visitors were invited to take home a lasting memento of their impressions of the Bundesbank – a personalised photo album into which they could stick photos taken by mobile phone during the open day and printed off using the photo printers provided.