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20 Kronen
| Issuer | Stadtgemeinde Wien (City of Vienna) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 130 × 85 mm |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in purple and blue-green on cream paper, with an ornate letterpress border of scrollwork and dot patterns framing the entire note. Two large oval guilloche vignettes bearing the numeral '20' flank a central guilloche underprint, above which the Arms of Vienna (the city coat of arms) is printed in blue and white. The title 'Kassenschein der Stadtgemeinde Wien über Zwanzig Kronen' appears in Gothic blackletter script across the upper portion, with a liability clause in smaller type below the central vignette and three manuscript signature lines for the Vice-Mayor, Mayor, and City Councillor at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse carries the full text of the liability declaration in Gothic script, repeating the note's title and the municipality's pledge that the City of Vienna guarantees this obligation with the entirety of its movable and immovable assets, printed in a plain letterpress layout without additional vignettes or ornamental elements. |
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| Comments |
Vienna's municipal government issued emergency Kleingeld in 1918 as the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire created a practical crisis: coin metal had been systematically redirected to war production for years, and by late 1918 small change had effectively vanished from daily commerce. The Stadtgemeinde Wien — the city administration itself, not a bank — stepped in as issuer, which was legally irregular but tolerated by a central authority that had ceased to function coherently.
The 20 Kronen denomination was unusually high for municipal notgeld, most of which stayed below 5 Kronen. By November 1918 the old currency framework was already dissolving anyway, and many of these notes were rendered redundant within months by the Austrian Republic's own monetary reorganization.