Europe before the Euro Trivia Quiz

Answer: Guilder

The Netherlands first started using the Dutch Guilder in the 17th century. The name was derived from the Dutch word gulden which translated to 'golden'. The early coins were made of gold leading to this nomenclature.

Answer: Lira

Italy started using the lira as its currency in 1861. Prior to that, the lira was also used as the currency of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in the early 19th century. The name lira is taken from the term for the unit of weight called pound.

Answer: Peseta

From 1869 until the adoption of the Euro, Spain used the peseta as its official currency. One peseta could be further subdivided into 100 centimos. Along with the French franc, the Spanish peseta was accepted as legal tender in the country of Andorra.

Answer: Schilling

Austria used the schilling from 1925 to 1938 and then again from 1945 to 1999. One schilling was further divided into 100 groschen. The schilling notes featured accomplished Austrians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sigmund Freud and Erwin Schrödinger.

Answer: Franc

The Kingdom of Belgium adopted the Belgian franc as its official currency following its independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1832. In 1860, Belgium became the first country to introduce coins made of cupronickel - an alloy of copper which contains nickel, iron and manganese. From 1944 until both countries adopted the euro, the Luxembourgish franc was also accepted as legal tender in Belgium and was pegged equivalent to the Belgian franc.

Answer: Escudo

The earliest evidence of the escudo dates back to the early 18th century. Apart from Portugal, the escudo was also used in the various Portuguese colonies in Africa as well as the Portugal occupied parts of India.

Answer: Deutschmark

Also called the Deutsche Mark, it was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 to 1990 when the country was divided into two. Post unification, Germany adopted it as its official currency. The mark is an old Germanic measure for weight equivalent to half a pound. The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany used the Reichsmark as the official currency.

Answer: Markka

Finland introduced the markka in 1860 to replace the Russian ruble which was used as currency prior to that. The name markka means a medieval unit of length and was chosen from the entries received as part of a competition. The markka is divided into 100 pennies.

Answer: Franc

The Monégasque franc was the official currency of the Principality of Monaco until the introduction of the euro. The Monégasque franc had the same value as the French franc and it was accepted as legal tender in France and Andorra as well.

Answer: Lira

The Republic of San Marino is a small country located in the Apennine Mountains that is completely surrounded by Italy. The lira was first adopted as its currency in the 1860s. The lira used in Italy and Vatican City were also accepted as legal tender in the country.