gulden

グルデン　—　Names of money

The currency used in the Low Countries and elsewhere.

Guldengroschen1486 Silver Carolus gulden1543– Netherlands Indies gulden (silver)1821

Originally an adjective meaning 'golden'. When Florentine florin-type gold coins spread to the Low Countries and German-speaking areas, they were called 'golden florins', and the adjective alone became the name of the gold coin.

The conversion of 1 gulden to 20 stuivers became established in the Low Countries and functioned as a unit of account in bookkeeping. In 1521, a gold Carolusgulden and in 1543, a silver one were both set at 20 stuivers, detaching the name from the metal. The first physical one-gulden silver coin was struck by the province of Holland in 1680.

⚠ In 1816, one gulden became one hundred cents, and the final conversion rate was one euro = 2.20371 gulden.