Der Euro, Unser Geld

"Der Euro, Unser Geld" On January 1, 2002, it was the talk of the town, the talk of the world, actually. The Euro, the largest financial creation known to our modern world. Living in Germany during this momentous transition has provided interesting insight into the Euro's true impression on the people. Of course, the change from using the Deutschmark to using the Euro was not the only significant impact. The deeper financial integration with 11 other countries permeates and concerns the minds of Germans. The physical transition to the Euro currency went very smoothly. Overnight, ATM machines were fully capable of dispensing Euros, and bank personnel were trained to handle any questions or problems that could arise. Fortunately, with the exchange rate locked in at almost 2 (1.95583) Marks to 1 Euro, the conversion math has been relatively simple for the average person. Additionally, many product prices had been published in both Marks and Euros for several months, so most Germans experienced few problems with the transition. For a country whose people are known to travel more often outside of their borders than inside, adapting to new bills and coins has not been a difficult task. From the beginning of October, the government launched a heavy Euro advertising campaign throughout the entire country. Posters were plastered everywhere displaying the new currency, the various adaptations by each country (all coins have a common front, while each country prints its own back), and information on where to go for questions. Advertisements were ubiquitous, boasting “Der Euro Kommt” (The Euro is coming) or “Der Euro, Unser Geld” (The Euro, Our Money). Therefore, within the last three months of the Mark’s existence, the atmosphere seemed to be one of excitement. Euro Starter Kits, including the new coins, became publicly available in December, giving everyone a chance to both join in on the excitement and also ease themselves into this new step. Now, people are thrilled when they receive a coin printed in Portugal or Holland that has already made its way to Germany. Naturally, in a capitalist country, many businesses took advantage of the change to sell new products and, in turn, generate more publicity for the Euro. For example, children can now play the beautiful EuroMonopoly, complete with simulated currency.