How did Germany's gold reserves come into being and what role did gold play as a means of payment through the ages? What was the significance of gold reserves then and now? With this book, the Bundesbank's gold reserves are presented to readers for the first time in an informative and illustrative way, as if they were holding them in their own hands. The transfer of significant gold holdings from the depositories in New York and Paris to Frankfurt has attracted a great deal of public attention in recent years.