Geldmuseum der Deutschen Bundesbank

This guide to the Geldmuseum der Deutschen Bundesbank in Frankfurt opens in 1945, when postwar Germany owned not a single bar of gold and the Reichsmark had become worthless. It follows the secret 1948 currency reform, code-named Operation Bird Dog, drawn up by a young American economist and smuggled into Frankfurt as the new Deutsche Mark. Inside, a real gold bar from the Bundesbank's own reserves sits within arm's reach, free for visitors to lift.