Bank notes of the Bayerische Notenbank

The Bayerische Notenbank (Bavarian Central Bank) counted among the last four private central banks still able to issue bank notes in the German Empire apart from the Reichsbank (imperial bank). These were the Sächsische Bank (Saxonian bank), the Bayerische Notenbank, the Württembergische Notenbank and the Badische Bank (Baden bank).

Up to the foundation of the German Empire in 1871, existed 54 state and private banks all of which circulated money in diverse currencies and denominations. To encourage the economy and the trade in the Empire, during the years 1871 to 1876 a standardisation of the monetary system for both coins and paper bills was undertaken.

For the Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechsel-Bank (Bavarian Mortgage and Exchange Bank) such fundamental changes meant enormous limitations of their banking business. Therefore, the bank decided to abandon the privilege to issue legal tender. The Bavarian government, however, did not wish to renounce the issuing of currency and, therefore, founded on 3 August 1875 the Bayerische Notenbank. It worked as a stock company with close connections to the Hypo-Bank.

In accordance with the banking law of 1875, the Bayerische Notenbank was allowed to issue bank notes up to an amount of 70m marks. The circulation of banking bills was limited to the Bavarian territory. A tight network of branches ensured the provision with bank note. Next to the business with bank notes, the Bayerische Notenbank worked in the fields of giro transfers and Lombard loans and, thus provided credit to foster the Bavarian economy.

In 1935, the NS-government terminated the privilege to issue legal tender of the private central banks. On 1 January 1936, the Bayerische Notenbank ceased its activities and was absorbed into the Bayerische Staatsbank (Bavarian State Bank).

• The objects of the collection "Bank notes of the Bayerische Notenbank" available in bavarikon

The partial collections of "Paper money in Bavaria" available in bavarikon

• Bank notes of the Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechsel-Bank
• Paper money of the Königlich Bayerische Staats- und Schuldentilgungs-Commission (Royal Bavarian State and Debt Repayment Commission)
• Emergency money bills of the nineteenth century
• Trans-regional emergency money issues 1918–1923
• Bavarian emergency money 1914–1923

>> This collection is part of the holdings of "Paper money in Bavaria" of the Giesecke+Devrient Stiftung Geldscheinsammlung (Giesecke+Devrient foundation: collections of bank notes).