Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig

Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig is a village in the center of Germany inhabited by 1,717 people nowadays. It belongs to the region Thuringia, in the south of the region.

A bit about Schmiedefeld


The Rennsteig river near Schmiedefeld marks a section of the watershed of the Elbe and Weser.
The village was first mentioned in 1406, founded on the extraction and further processing of iron ore. In the Middle Age,  the town was one of the counts of the Henneber counts (visible in the town's coat of arms). Between 1611 and 1663 Schmiedefeld was affected by witchcraft (twenty women and two men were involved in witch trials). In 1692 there was a great fire, which destroyed the majority of the place, including the church and the forestry. During XVIII and XIX century, organs and piano production was important like glass and chemestry industry . The village has no old buildings but the church, because in 1871 another fire destroyed the center. When Schmiedefeld was connected to the rail network, Rennsteig tourism gained importance (hiking and cross-country skiing).


Notgeld
The town of Schmiedefeld coined banknotes of 10 Pfennig, 25 Pfennig and 50 Pfennig.

25 Pfennig (fünfundfünzig Pfennig)

This banknotes worth 25 Pfennig was first circulated in 1921. On the main side it can be seen a cock, symbol of Henneber counts. It is on a stone and the picture is surrounded by a rope. In the upper part there are images of laboratory instruments like a thermometer or a volumetric flask. The lower part text  says it can just be exchanged during a month after being asked to changed.There are two 25's in the lower corners.
On the other side of the banknote appears a picture of the local train station. In the lower part, there is a text that says: "Wo Urgerman' und Kriegersmann zu Jagd und Kampft einst ritten, den Rennsteig kreuzt die Zahnradbahn jetzt  in Gebirges Mitten" and means the whole thing is not without one hopes but strong that it is not worth loosing me - then it can be well. In the right there is a knight and in the left, a peasant. As for the digital watermark, it has no watermark. The size of this banknote is 8.6 cm x 6.1 cm.