Currencies/German ostruble
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Introduction
The Ostrubel (German: Ostrubel, “Eastern rouble”) was a currency introduced by the German Empire in 1916 for use in territories occupied during World War I. It circulated mainly in present-day Lithuania, Poland, and Belarus, alongside the Ostmark, under German military administration.
History
The Ostrubel was introduced on 17 April 1916 by the German Eastern Command (Ober Ost) to replace the Russian rouble in occupied eastern territories. It was issued by the Darlehnskasse Ost (Eastern Loan Bank) to stabilize trade and support German control of the regional economy. The Ostrubel circulated together with the Ostmark at a fixed rate of 2 Ostrubel = 1 Ostmark.
After Germany’s defeat in 1918, the Ostrubel remained in limited use under local administrations until national currencies replaced it—on 29 April 1920 in Poland and 1 October 1922 in Lithuania.
Coins
The Ostrubel system followed the same structure as the Russian rouble: 1 Ostrubel = 100 kopeks. While few coins were actually produced, the denominations were intended to mirror those of Russian currency for familiarity in trade. Circulation consisted mostly of smaller-value issues used within the Ober Ost territories for everyday transactions.
Currency
The Ostrubel functioned as part of a dual-currency system with the Ostmark. It was valued at half the Ostmark and backed by German wartime credit rather than precious metals. This currency structure reflected Germany’s wartime policy of economic control in occupied eastern Europe.
Legacy
The Ostrubel represents Germany’s short-lived effort to impose monetary stability in occupied regions during World War I. Its use ended with the collapse of the Ober Ost regime and the emergence of new national currencies in Eastern Europe. Remaining examples are now rare historical and numismatic artifacts.