Notgeld of the Week #41! (4/21/2026)
50 Pf. from the city of Calbe!
The images on the reverse of this notgeld series tell the tale of Calbe Roland statute, a statue of the knight Roland symbolizing a medieval town's independence. Roland was a knight who fought under Charlemagne in the 8th century who became a folk tale hero across Europe. Calbe's Roland statue dates back to the 1380's and was originally made out of wood, but it has since been rebuilt out of stone. In 1656, the original Calbe Roland was in need of replacement and a sculptor, Gottfried Gigas, was contracted. However, as the legends go, the statue had poor proportions, leading to the story depicted on this notgeld.
The poem on the reverse side of this notgeld reads:
"With knife, awl, pencil, and mallet, Head, body, and foot came forth to light—yet for the arms—pray, forgive me, gentlemen!—this frame is all too small."
