According to preliminary calculations by the German Federal Statistical Office, German economic output fell by 2.2% in the first quarter of 2020. “This was the largest decline since the global financial and economic crisis in 2008/09 and the second-largest decline since German unification,” the experts in Berlin said.

“The budgets of the state governments and their local governments shaped up very well in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic,” the Bundesbank writes in its Monthly Report. According to the publication, they recorded an overall surplus of €5 billion in 2021. Despite the favourable state of their finances, state governments made use of emergency borrowing totalling €18 billion under their respective debt brakes. Based on the Bundesbank’s calculations, a large part of these funds was used to top up reserves. It appears that budgetary developments will be favourable this year, too. The Bundesbank sees no need for further emergency borrowing. The positive financial situation will allow state governments to play a part in tackling the energy crisis.

Die Bundesregierung hat beschlossen, eine neue Sammlermünze im Wert von fünf Euro prägen zu lassen und im ersten Halbjahr 2016 auszugeben. Das besondere: Die Münze mit dem Titel "Planet Erde" enthält in der Mitte einen blauen Polymerring als Sicherheitselement. Sie ist auch als Zahlungsmittel in Deutschland gültig.

The Deutsche Mark, the symbol of German unity, became official legal tender in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) on 1 July 1990. Supplying the public with Deutsche Mark on time represented a huge logistical undertaking by Bundesbank staff.

A new exhibition at the German Architecture Museum (DAM) is showcasing all the designs submitted for the Bundesbank’s new campus on the grounds of its Central Office in Frankfurt am Main. The opening ceremony saw Executive Board member Johannes Beermann award prizes for the best designs.

The various locations of the Deutsche Bundesbank have different artistic focuses which contribute to the depth and variety of its art collection.