With its chemical and physical properties, gold occupies a prominent position among metals: it can be divided into the smallest units, it is practically imperishable, and its limited availability makes it additionally valuable. From the perspective of a central bank, it goes without saying that gold's special significance for monetary and currency history must be emphasised.

On this topic page, the Bundesbank provides a comprehensive overview of Germany's gold reserves with detailed texts and impressive pictures. The central bank's experts explain how gold first became increasingly important as a means of payment and later as an anchor of stability for the world monetary system. It provides detailed information on the origin, use and storage of gold in its own vaults. Interesting insights into the extraction and processing of gold as a raw material as well as well-founded knowledge about its properties are visually impressively complemented by an extensive illustration of selected gold bars from the Bundesbank's holdings.