Frankfurt exhibition traces global history through coins and finance objects

The Historisches Museum Frankfurt opens 'Die Welt im Geld' (The World in Money), a special exhibition running from April 30, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Using coins and financial objects from its collection, the show illustrates how local events trigger global consequences. A key exhibit is a 1817 inflation medal linked to an Indonesian volcanic eruption that caused the 'year without summer' in 1816, leading to crop failures, possibly accelerating bicycle adoption, and inspiring Mary Shelley to write 'Frankenstein' while confined indoors in Switzerland. The exhibition explores connections between colonial expansion, migration, climate disasters, technological innovation, and cultural change, emphasizing Frankfurt's role as a financial hub. The Kulturstiftung der Länder supports the exhibition with €36,400, with additional funding from Stiftung der Frankfurter Sparkasse, Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen, Georg und Franziska Speyer'sche Hochschulstiftung, Ernst Max von Grunelius-Stiftung, FAZIT-STIFTUNG, and Förderer & Freunde des Historischen Museums Frankfurt. Dr. Christine Regus, Secretary General of the Kulturstiftung der Länder, stated that the museum brings world history to life through its objects, making visible the interweaving of local and global developments.