Groschen (; from la, grossus "thick", via
Old Czech
The Czech language developed at the close of the 1st millennium from common West Slavic. Until the early 20th century, it was known as ''Bohemian''.
Early West Slavic
Among the innovations in common West Slavic is the palatalization of ve ...
') a (sometimes colloquial) name for various
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
s, especially a
silver coin
Silver coins are considered the oldest mass-produced form of coinage. Silver has been used as a coinage metal since the times of the Greeks; their silver drachmas were popular trade coins. The ancient Persians used silver coins between 612–330 ...
used in various states of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
and other parts of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. The word is borrowed from the late Latin description of a
tornose, a ''grossus denarius Turnosus,'' in English the "thick
denarius
The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very ...
of
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
". Groschen was frequently abbreviated in old documents to ''gl'', whereby the second letter was not an ''
l'' (12th letter of the alphabet), but an abbreviation symbol; later it was written as ''Gr'' or ''g''.
Names and etymology
The name was introduced in 13th-century France as ', lit. "thick
penny
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
", whence Old French ', Italian ', Middle High German ', Low German and Dutch ' and English ''
groat''. In the 14th century, it appeared as
Old Czech
The Czech language developed at the close of the 1st millennium from common West Slavic. Until the early 20th century, it was known as ''Bohemian''.
Early West Slavic
Among the innovations in common West Slavic is the palatalization of ve ...
', whence Modern German '.
Names in other modern European languages include:
* sq, grosh
*
Church Slavonic
Church Slavonic (, , literally "Church-Slavonic language"), also known as Church Slavic, New Church Slavonic or New Church Slavic, is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzeg ...
-derived languages:
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
,
Macedonian,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...
('),
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
: (')
* nl, groot
* et, kross
* french: gros
* hu, garas
* lt, grašis
* pl, grosz
* ro, groș
* yi, גראָשן (')
* tr, kuruş
The ', ', ', (') and ' are the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Turkish, names respectively, for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
derived from the same Italian origin.
History
Middle Ages
Names like ''groschen'', ''grossus/grossi'', ''
grosso'', ''grossone'', ''grosz'', ''
gros
Gros may refer to:
People
*Gros (surname)
* Gross (surname), the German variant of Gros
* Le Gros, the Norman variant of Gros
Other uses
* Gros (coinage), a type of 13th-century silver coinage of France
* Gros (grape), another name for Elbling, ...
'', ''groš'', ''
groat'', ''Groten'', ''garas'' etc. were used in the Middle Ages for all ''thick''
silver coin
Silver coins are considered the oldest mass-produced form of coinage. Silver has been used as a coinage metal since the times of the Greeks; their silver drachmas were popular trade coins. The ancient Persians used silver coins between 612–330 ...
s, as opposed to ''thin'' silver coins such as ' or
pennies
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
. Historically it was equal to between several and a dozen '.
In the German-speaking world, the groschen was usually worth 12 pfennigs; many regional (small) groschen e.g. ''Neugroschen'', ''
Groten
The groat is the traditional name of a defunct English and Irish silver coin worth four pence, and also a Scottish coin which was originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and one shilling.
Name
The name has also ...
'' (plural: Grote) in northern Germany, English: groat, ''Mariengroschen'', ''Grösch(e)l'' were worth between 2½ and 10 pfennigs. The later ''
Kreuzer
The Kreuzer (), in English usually kreutzer ( ), was a coin and unit of currency in the southern German states prior to the introduction of the German gold mark in 1871/73, and in Austria and Switzerland. After 1760 it was made of copper. In s ...
'', a coin worth 4 pfennigs arose from the linguistic abbreviation of the small ''Kreuzgroschen''.
The groschen was first introduced into the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
in 1271 by Duke
Meinhard II of
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
in
Merano
Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...
. It was originally a solid coin of pure
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
, larger than the
denarius
The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very ...
which was no longer valid. In essence, it took the place of a variety of the older ''
pfennig
The 'pfennig' (; . 'pfennigs' or ; symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former German coin or note, which was the official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valuable coin during the Middle Ages, i ...
s'', whose silver purity had inflated their value over the centuries. According to one source, the city of
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
is said to have struck groschen-like, thick pfennigs as early as 1104, which were then followed in 1300 by the
Bohemian groschen
The Prague groschen ( cz, pražský groš, la, grossi pragenses, german: Prager Groschen, pl, grosz praski) was a groschen-type silver coin that was issued by Wenceslaus II of Bohemia since 1300 in the Kingdom of Bohemia and became very common ...
from
Kuttenberg. The new coin soon inspired other 'mint lords' (''Münzherren'') and was given, not least for reasons of economic necessity, a higher face value in the
Early Renaissance
Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...
period. Upper Italian coins of multiple pfennig value in the High Middle Ages were similarly called ''Grossini'' (cf. also ''
Schilling Schilling may refer to:
* Schilling (unit), an historical unit of measurement
* Schilling (coin), the historical European coin
* Austrian schilling, the former currency of Austria
* A. Schilling & Company, an historical West Coast spice firm acquir ...
'').
The 1286 Tyrolean example (above right) weighs , it is marked with ''ME IN AR DVS'' and a
Double Cross (
obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...
), and with ''DUX TIROL'' and the
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
of Tyrol (reverse).
In 1328 Emperor
Louis IV, the Bavarian, authorised Count
Adolf VI of Berg
Count Adolf VI of Berg (born before 1176 – died 7 August 1218 at Damiette during the Hungarian crusade against Egypt) ruled the County of Berg from 1197 until 1218.
Life
He was the son of Engelbert I of Berg and Margaret of Geldern, and the ...
to mint
tornese
The tornesel, tornesol, or was a silver coin of Europe in the Late Middle Ages and the early modern era. It took its name from the ', the of Tours. Marco Polo referred to the tornesel in recounts of his travels to East Asia when describing th ...
s in
Wipperfürth
310px, Map of the city
250px, Town hall
Wipperfürth () is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, about 40 km north-east of Cologne, and the oldest town in the Bergischen Land.
History
The eldest d ...
. The oldest groschen in the area that is now modern
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
were minted there until 1346.
Following the example of the Tours ''Grossus'', the
Prague groschen
The Prague groschen ( cz, pražský groš, la, grossi pragenses, german: Prager Groschen, pl, grosz praski) was a groschen-type silver coin that was issued by Wenceslaus II of Bohemia since 1300 in the Kingdom of Bohemia and became very common ...
or groš was minted in
Kuttenberg and, around 1338/1339, the
Meissen groschen in Freiburg's National Mint in the
Margraviate of Meissen
The Margravate of Meissen (german: Markgrafschaft Meißen) was a medieval principality in the area of the modern German state of Saxony. It originally was a frontier march
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of bor ...
. Both coins gained national importance and had a strong influence on German coinage. ''Groschen'' valued at 12 pfennigs were common. The
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
groschen or ''grosz'' was worth only half as much – 6 pfennigs – and was commonly used in
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
as a ''grosch(e)l'' or ''gresch(e)l'' worth just to 3 pfennigs.
The 'prince's groschen' (''Fürstengroschen'') set a record in terms of the devaluation of the Meissen groschen. When this groschen was introduced in March 1393, its value was 23 of a
Rhenish guilder
The Rhenish ''gulden'' or Rhenish ''guilder'' (german: Rheinischer Gulden; la, florenus Rheni) was a gold, standard currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries. They weighed between 3.4 and 3.8 grams ().
History
The Rhenish ...
. In 1406, the devaluation of these coins reached its peak: 53 groschen were now equal to 1 Rhenish guilder.
The groschen was minted during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
in the following areas:
*
Tirol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
(from 1271)
*
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
(from 1279, the
groat)
*
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
(from 1300, the
Prague groschen
The Prague groschen ( cz, pražský groš, la, grossi pragenses, german: Prager Groschen, pl, grosz praski) was a groschen-type silver coin that was issued by Wenceslaus II of Bohemia since 1300 in the Kingdom of Bohemia and became very common ...
, later adopted by most of the
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an countries)
*
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
(from 1367, the
Cracow , of silver, an equivalent of 12
denarii
The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very sm ...
)
*
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
(from the reign of
Petru I, 1375–1391)
*The type was also minted during various times in the
Duchy of Luxembourg
The Duchy of Luxemburg ( nl, Luxemburg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg; lb, Lëtzebuerg) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg, now Duke of Limburg, becam ...
, such as the 22 millimetre gros produced from 1418 to 1425 under
John III the Pitiless, Duke of Bavaria, bearing slightly varying inscriptions of "IOAH DVX BAVAR Z FILIVS" on the obverse, and "MONE NOVA LUCE BURS" on the reverse.
Early Modern period
Later the tradition of was dropped in most states while others continued to mint only coins smaller than the original coin. In Poland for example, from 1526 these included coins of , 1 , , 2 , 3 , 4 and 6 . Their weight steadily dropped to of silver and since 1752 they were replaced by copper coins of the same name.
In
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the name ' (both singular and plural) replaced ' as the common name for a 12 coin. In the 18th century it was used predominantly in the northern states as a coin worth of a (equal to of a ). In the 19th century, a new currency system was introduced in which the , often under a new name to distinguish it from the old, was worth of a or . This began in 1821 in
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, where the coin was called the (Sgr) and was worth 12 pfennigs.
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
followed in 1840 with the (ngr), also of a thaler, but subdivided in 10 (new) pfennigs. Silesia and Bohemia introduced the white groschen (''Weissgroschen'') in 1821 at the same time as Prussia. Frederick William III of Prussia could not yet decide on the consistent introduction of the decimal system. In order to be able to distinguish his new pfennig' from the old ones, they were called ''Pfenninge''.
The last German ''Kurantgroschen'' (regarding the simple face value) were issued in the Kingdom of Saxony in 1827 and 1828, and in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1837 based on a
monetary standard
A monetary system is a system by which a government provides money in a country's economy. Modern monetary systems usually consist of the national treasury, the mint (facility), mint, central bank, the central banks and commercial banks.
Commodit ...
, the ''
Konventionsfuß
A ''Konventionsfuß'' ("convention standard", lit.: "convention foot") was a coinage standard established by state treaty, the convention. The first one was between Austria and a number of German states of the Holy Roman Empire in the mid-18th ce ...
'', of the state, according to which the
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
contained in 320 groschen was equal to the weight of a
Cologne Mark (233.856 grammes).
An exception in relation to the value of
thaler
A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...
coins is the series of 'butterfly coins' (''Schmetterlingsmünzen'') in the
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz.
In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...
. All these coins only show their value in groschen; the usual abbreviation for groschen used in the everyday correspondence being used for the denomination on the coins. Likewise, the abbreviation for groschen used in the written word was stamped on the Electoral Saxon golden ''Reichsgulden zu 21 Groschen'' of 1584. In this case, it was probably intended to express the fact that it is a
coin of account
A coin of account is a unit of money that does not exist as an actual coin (that is, a metal disk) but is used in figuring prices or other amounts of money.
Examples Mill
The ''mill'' (or sometimes, ''mil'') is a coin of account in the United Sta ...
(''Rechnungsmünze''). Another special case is the ''Kipperthaler'', on which the value in groschen (or ''Kreuzer'') is also stamped to circumvent the
Imperial Minting Ordinance
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, T ...
(''Reichsmünzordnung''). Also interesting are thalers, which were minted in denominations of 28 and 24 groschen without differences in design and size. For example, the 24 groschen ''Hosenbandtaler'' were also coins of account, which is sometimes not recognized.
Following
German unification
The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with adoption of t ...
and
decimalisation
Decimalisation or decimalization (see spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by powers of 10.
Most countries have decimalised their currencies, converting them from non-decimal ...
, with 100 pfennigs to the
mark
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
, the groschen was replaced by the 10 coin and remained a nickname for the 10 coin until the introduction of the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
. For the same reason, the name ' (sixer) remained in use regionally for the half- coin, 5 s.
There is a
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
rondo
The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period.
Etymology
The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round".
Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
for piano, opus 129 (1795) entitled "" (literally "The Rage Over the Lost Groschen", but known as "
Rage Over a Lost Penny
The "" in G major, Op. 129 (Italian for "Rondo in the Hungarian .e. gypsystyle, almost a caprice"), is a piano rondo by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is better known by the title ''Rage Over a Lost Penny, Vented in a Caprice'' (from ). This title ap ...
").
Modern currencies
In recent times, the name was used by three currencies in circulation:
* In
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, a (plural: ' or ', depending on the number) is a part of a
* In
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, a (plural: ') was a part of a ' (1924–38 and 1945–2001)
*In Turkey, a ''kuruş'' is a 1/100 part of ''lira.''
Likewise, in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
groschen remained a slang term for the 10 pfennig coin, thus a part both of the (West German)
Deutsche Mark
The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...
and the
East German mark
The East German mark (german: Mark der DDR ), commonly called the eastern mark (german: Ostmark, links=no ) in West Germany and after reunification), in East Germany only ''Mark'', was the currency of the German Democratic Republic (East Germa ...
. The word has lost popularity with the introduction of the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
, although it can still be heard on occasion, especially from older people.
The Ukrainian and Belarusian common word for money, ', derives from the word "grosh."
In
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, the ' (
Cyrillic
, bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця
, fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs
, fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic
, fam3 = Phoenician
, fam4 = G ...
: ) was used as a currency until the
lev
Lev may refer to:
Common uses
*Bulgarian lev, the currency of Bulgaria
*an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the Torah
People and fictional characters
*Lev (given name)
*Lev (surname)
Places
*Lev, Azerbaijan, a ...
was introduced in the 19th century.
In
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
during the British Mandate, a ''grush'' was a coin with a hole in it, valued at part of
a pound (ten
mils). It was named after an Ottoman coin. When the pound was replaced by the ''lira'' after
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i statehood in 1948, the name was transferred to a coin (no longer with a hole) worth of a lira (ten perutot, later one agora). The name persisted for a while after the lira was replaced by the ''shekel'' in 1980 (one new agora, worth ten old agorot), but it gradually lost its standing as the name of a certain coin. Now it is slang for a very small value.
[Philologos (pseudonym),]
Money Hole
, ''The Forward'', November 28, 2003.
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
introduced the groschen in 1924 as the subdivision of the . It was restored, along with the , in 1945 and continued in use until the introduction of the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
in 2002.
Legacy
In the Russian language there exists a sarcastic expression "a grosh is the price" (russian: грош цена) that is used as a label for things that are not worth anything.
See also
General
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Coinage of Saxony
The history of Saxon coinage or Meissen-Saxon coinage comprises three major periods: the high medieval regional pfennig period (bracteate period), the late medieval pfennig period and the thaler period, which ended with the introduction of the ...
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Groat (coin)
The groat is the traditional name of a defunct English and Irish silver coin worth four pence, and also a Scottish coin which was originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and one shilling.
Name
The name has also ...
* ',
The Threepenny Opera
''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...
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*
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Venetian grosso The Venetian grosso (plural grossi) is a silver coin first introduced in Republic of Venice, Venice in 1193 under Doge of Venice, doge Enrico Dandolo. It originally weighed 2.18 grams, was composed of 98.5% pure silver, and was valued at 26 . ...
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Kraków
Types of ''groschen''
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Apfelgroschen
The Apfelgroschen is an historical German coin that was a type of ''Guter Groschen'' ("good ''groschen''"). It was minted from about 1570 and was so called because it depicted the imperial orb (''Reichsapfel'', literally "imperial apple") with the ...
'' (orb groschen)
* ''
Bartgroschen
The history of Saxon coinage or Meissen-Saxon coinage comprises three major periods: the High Middle Ages, high medieval regional pfennig, regional pfennig period (bracteate period), the late Middle Ages, late medieval pfennig period and the thale ...
'' (beard groschen)
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Fürstengroschen'' (prince's groschen)
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Guldengroschen
The ''Guldengroschen'' or ''Guldiner'' was a large silver coin originally minted in Tirol in 1486, but which was introduced into the Duchy of Saxony in 1500.
The name "''Guldengroschen''" came from the fact that it has an equivalent denominati ...
'' (guilder groschen)
* ''
Helmgroschen'' (helmet groschen)
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Horngroschen'' (horn groschen)
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Judenkopfgroschen'' (Jew's head groschen)
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Margarethengroschen'' (Margaret's groschen)
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Neugroschen
The ''Neugroschen'' ("new ''groschen''", abbreviation ''Ngr.'') was a Saxon '' Scheidemünze'' coin minted from 1841 to 1873 which had the inscription ''Neugroschen''.
This ''groschen'', made of billon, was equivalent to the Prussian ''grosche ...
'' (new groschen)
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Prague ''groschen''
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Schildgroschen
The history of Saxon coinage or Meissen-Saxon coinage comprises three major periods: the High Middle Ages, high medieval regional pfennig, regional pfennig period (bracteate period), the late Middle Ages, late medieval pfennig period and the thale ...
'' (shield groschen)
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Hessian ''Schildgroschen'' (Hessian shield groschen)
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Schwertgroschen
The history of Saxon coinage or Meissen-Saxon coinage comprises three major periods: the high medieval regional pfennig period (bracteate period), the late medieval pfennig period and the thaler period, which ended with the introduction of the ...
'' (sword groschen)
* ''
Silbergroschen
The ''Silbergroschen'' was a coin used in Prussia and several other German Confederation states in northern Germany during the 19th century, worth one thirtieth of a Thaler.Friedrich von Schrötter: ''Wörterbuch der Münzkunde.'' 2nd edn. 1970, p ...
'' (silver groschen)
* ''
Zinsgroschen
The history of Saxon coinage or Meissen-Saxon coinage comprises three major periods: the high medieval regional pfennig period (bracteate period), the late medieval pfennig period and the thaler period, which ended with the introduction of the ...
'' (interest groschen)
References
{{Groschen
Currencies of Germany
Currencies of Poland
Medieval currencies
Early Modern currencies
Modern obsolete currencies
Coins of the Holy Roman Empire