The euro replaced the German mark as Germany’s currency for cash transactions in 2002.
The euro was introduced for electronic and accounting purposes in 1999, but euro banknotes and coins entered circulation on 1 January 2002. Germany was one of the founding members of the euro area, so the new currency replaced the Deutsche Mark in daily cash use.
The European Central Bank manages monetary policy for the euro area, while national central banks such as Germany’s Bundesbank distribute notes and coins. The euro is divided into 100 cents and has the ISO 4217 code EUR.
The euro’s first major cash changeover involved 12 European Union countries. A frequent error is saying that the euro immediately replaced all national currencies in 1999; that year marked its launch as an accounting and electronic currency, while physical cash came later.