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Deutsche Bundesbank

central bank of Germany (1957-)

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 27, 2026
Entity authorityQ162222 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Deutsche Bundesbank (pronounced [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈbʊndəsˌbaŋk], lit. 'German Federal Bank', colloquially Buba, sometimes alternatively abbreviated as BBk or DBB) is the national central bank for Germany within the Eurosystem. It was the German central bank from 1957 to 1998, issuing the Deutsche Mark (DM). It succeeded the Bank deutscher Länder, which had introduced the DM on 20 June 1948.

The Bundesbank was the first central bank to be given full independence, leading this form of central bank to be referred to as the "Bundesbank model", as opposed, for instance, to the "New Zealand model", which has a goal (i.e. inflation target) set by the government. The Bundesbank was greatly respected for its control of inflation through the second half of the 20th century. This made the German Mark one of the most respected currencies, and the Bundesbank gained substantial indirect influence in many European countries. As of 2023, its balance sheet total was €2.516 trillion, making it the 4th largest central bank in the world.

The Bundesbank is not itself a financial supervisory authority, but participates in European banking supervision as a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank, alongside the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. It is also a member of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Deutsche Bundesbank” is central bank of Germany (1957-). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Deutsche, Bundesbank and central, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1957, 1998, 1948, 2023—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—1957-08-01, 1957—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. For this dossier, Deutsche, Bundesbank and central is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “central bank of Germany (1957-)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q162222. VIAF identifies the subject as 156744453. The Library of Congress control number is n50005101. Authority coordinates are 50.134, 8.660. 3 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1957, 1998, 1948 and 2023.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Deutsche Bundesbank”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Deutsche Bundesbank primary sources, Deutsche Bundesbank archive and Deutsche research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Deutsche Bundesbank”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Deutsche Bundesbank” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.