The Federal Republic of Germany (more known as West Germany) is a central European country that existed from its formation on 23 May 1949 until the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990. The Federal Republic of Germany was formed as a political entity during the Allied occupation of Germany after the Second World War, established from 12 states formed in the 3 Allied zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Its provisional capital was the city of Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia.
At the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided between the Western and Eastern blocs. Germany was also divided into two countries—the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The Federal Republic of Germany claimed an exclusive mandate for all of Germany, representing itself as the sole continuation of the German Reich. Three southwestern states merged to form Baden-Wurttemberg in 1952, while Saarland joined in 1957 after it separated from Allied-occupied Germany. West Berlin was also considered the unofficial de facto eleventh state.
The Federal Republic of Germany experienced an economic miracle in the 1950s (Wirschaftswunder/ The Miracle of Rhine). The country became the world’s second-largest economy. The Miracle of Rhine was sustained by many factors, including the currency reform of 1948, the Allied dismantling of the West German coal and steel industry in 1950, and the availability of skilled and cheap labor. Increased demand for consumer goods and the drop in Allied reparations also contributed to the rapid growth. The Federal Republic of Germany joined the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, NATO in 1955, and the G6 in 1975. Following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the opening of the Berlin Wall, both East and West Germany moved to the reunification of Germany in 1990. The reunified sides make up modern Germany.
The Deutsche Mark (German mark, DEM) was the official currency of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was divided into 100 pfennig. The Deutsche mark replaced the reichsmark, rentenmark, and Allied Military currency at par.
The German Central Bank (Deutsche Bundesbank) is the official central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany. It took over issuing and other central bank responsibilities from 1960 onwards.
In the early 1960s, two series of banknotes were designed, printed, and stored in case of emergencies. These notes featured portraits of people in front and geometric designs and guilloches at the back. A series for West Germany was dated 1960 and completed denominations of 10, 20, 50, and 100 deutsche mark. Meanwhile, another series for West Berlin was dated 1963 and completed denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 deutsche mark.
The first complete series of notes issued by the Central Bank featured portraits of various people in front and cultural vignettes at the back. The notes that were dated 1970 came in two different varieties. The denominations that were issued were 5 deutsche mark, 10 deutsche mark, 20 deutsche mark, 50 deutsche mark, 100 deutsche mark, 500 deutsche mark, and 1,000 deutsche mark.
In 1989, a newly designed series of notes were issued and circulated. These notes featured prominent German artists, musicians, philosophers, and scientists in front and an artifact that represented their field of expertise at the back. These notes also had updated security features, including windowed security threads and watermarks.
After the reunification of Germany, the Central Bank of Germany continued to issue banknotes. In 1996, the bank updated the security features of the 50, 100, and 200 deutsche mark notes.