Celebrate the 200th birthday of Karl Marx in Trier

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Europe

Trier in southwest Germany is where Karl Marx was born and lived for 17 years. To celebrate his 200th birthday on May 5, 2018, the European Central Bank (ECB) authorized the local tourism bureau to issue a “zero euro” banknote.

The "zero euro" banknote. /VCG Photo

The front of the “zero euro” is printed with Marx’s portrait, the back a European scenic spot. The “zero euro” can't be used, it's just a commemorative banknote.

This purple commemorative banknote’s denomination is zero, but the price is three euro (3.7 US dollars). The Trier tourism authorities said the first batch of 5,000 “zero euro” banknotes has already sold out, and that a second batch of 20,000 banknotes is being printed.

According to the Trier tourism representative Hans-Albert Becker, “This year marks the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth, a very important day for Trier. Because a lot of Karl Marx's ideological basis is originated from the city. When Marx's studied monetary theory, he said it was best to comprehensively abolish money, so to launch such a 'zero euro' banknote is meaningful.”

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier in what is now Rhineland-Palatinate. Many cities in the surrounding area are using the upcoming anniversary to gain big capital from multiple Marx-themed memorabilia.

One citizen in Trier told a CCTV reporter that, “Now we will hold about 300 different lectures and other activities about Marx in Trier, we know how Karl Marx was born and raised here. We are happy that he is still affecting us today.”

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