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German History in Documents and Images
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Monetary Union: Sacks of Deutschmarks Arrive in Leipzig (July 1, 1990)
On July 1, 1990, the monetary, economic, and social union took effect. This photo shows a security company employee (left) delivering sacks of Deutschmarks (DM) to a branch of the municipal/district savings bank in Leipzig. Over 180 billion Deutschmarks were distributed during the largest currency exchange initiative in German economic history. The monetary union was the first step in the direction of reunification. Photo: Waltraud Grubitzsch.