The Peace of Westphalia, concluded in 1648, ended the Thirty Years' War — a conflict that had reduced Nuremberg's population by roughly a third through plague, famine, and direct violence. Nuremberg itself had hosted the congress banquet in 1649, an elaborate celebratory feast attended by the principal negotiating parties, and struck a series of commemorative klippes specifically for that occasion and its aftermath.
The square klippe format was a deliberate prestige choice, not a production necessity — these were presentation pieces, not currency intended for the marketplace.
The Peace of Westphalia, concluded in 1648, ended the Thirty Years' War — a conflict that had reduced Nuremberg's population by roughly a third through plague, famine, and direct violence. Nuremberg itself had hosted the congress banquet in 1649, an elaborate celebratory feast attended by the principal negotiating parties, and struck a series of commemorative klippes specifically for that occasion and its aftermath.
The square klippe format was a deliberate prestige choice, not a production necessity — these were presentation pieces, not currency intended for the marketplace.