The Kreuzer (), in English also spelled kreutzer[ New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1997] ( ), was a coin and unit of currency in the southern German states prior to the introduction of the German gold mark in 1871–1873, and in Austria and Switzerland. After 1760 it was made of copper.
Early history
The Kreuzer goes back to a
Groschen coin minted in
Merano in
South Tyrol in 1271 (the so-called
etscher Kreuzer). Because of the double cross (German:
Kreuz) on the face of the coin, it was soon given the name
Kreuzer. It spread in the 15th and 16th centuries throughout the south of the German-speaking area. The Imperial Coinage Act of 1551 made them the unit for small silver coins.
In 1559 a value of 60 Kreuzer to 1 Guilder had been adopted throughout the southern states of the Holy Roman Empire, but the northern German states declined to join, and used the Groschen instead of the Kreuzer. The Kreuzer in turn was worth about 4.2 (pennies). Thus one (golden) gulden was worth 60 Kreuzer or 252 Pfennige. Later currencies adopted a standard relationship of 240 Pfennige = 60 Kreuzer = 1 Gulden.
Conventionsmünze
Following the adoption of the Conventionsthaler in 1754, two distinct Kreuzer came into being. The first, sometimes referred to as the Conventionskreuzer, was worth of a Conventionsthaler, valuing the Gulden at half a Conventionsthaler. This was used in
Austria-Hungary. However, the states of southern Germany adopted a smaller Kreuzer Landmünze worth of a Conventionsthaler, thus valuing the Gulden at of a Conventionsthaler. In fact, the southern German states issued coins denominated in Kreuzer Landmünze up to 6 Kreuzer Landmünze (equal to 5 Conventionskreuzer), but in Conventionskreuzer for higher denominations.
South Germany 1837–1873
The South German Currency Union of 1837 used a system of 60 Kreuzer = 1 Gulden and Gulden = 1 Thaler, with the Kreuzer equal to the old
Kreuzer Landmünze. These Kreuzer continued in circulation until decimalization following the unification of Germany in 1871.
Austria-Hungary 1857–1892
Austria-Hungary decimalized in 1857, adopting a system of 100 Kreuzer = 1 Austro-Hungarian Florin. florins = 1
Vereinsthaler. The kreuzer was known as
krajczár in Hungarian (
krajcár in modern orthography),
krejcar in
Czech language,
grajciar in
Slovak language,
krajcar in
Slovene language and Serbocroatian,
creițar or
crăițar in Romanian,
grajcar in
Polish language.
See also
External links
