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| Issuer | Vereinigung zur Erhaltung der Burg e.V. (Jugendburg Ludwigstein, Witzenhausen) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
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| Currency | Mark (1914-1924) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Wechselschein der Jugendburg Ludwigstein bei Witzenhausen an der Merra 1 Mk Kein öffentliches Zahlungsmittel. Nur gültig auf der Burg Ludwigstein. für die Einlösung bürgt die Vereinigung. Nachahmung dieser Scheine wird strafrechtlich verfolgt. Dieser Schein verliert seine Gültigkeit am 4. April 1922 Burg Ludwigstein, den 4. April 1921. Die Vereinigung zur Erhaltung der Burg e.V. |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in the same dark brown and red palette and divided into three vertical panels. The central panel contains a woodcut-style vignette of Burg Ludwigstein perched on a rocky promontory, captioned 'Der Ludwigstein nach Merian'. The left panel bears the numeral '1' at the top and a four-line Gothic aphorism in large script, while the right panel carries a stylised interlocked 'M' monogram at the top and the concluding phrase of the aphorism. A broad footer band across the full width reads 'Jugendburg Ludwigstein' in bold Gothic letters, centred by a small heraldic device. |
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| Comments |
The Jugendburg Ludwigstein, perched above the Werra valley near Witzenhausen, was purchased in 1920 by the German Youth Movement — the Wandervogel and its successor organizations — making it the first castle in Germany owned collectively by a youth movement. This note was issued by the preservation society almost immediately after acquisition, almost certainly to raise operating funds during a period when hyperinflationary pressure was already beginning to bite and institutional financing for a ruined medieval castle was simply unavailable.
Notgeld issued by non-municipal bodies — private associations, youth organizations, cultural societies — occupies a legally ambiguous category within the broader Notgeld corpus, and the Ludwigstein pieces are among the more historically pointed examples of that type.