Danish krone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danish krone
500 kroner banknote 1 krone coin
ISO 4217 Code	DKK
User(s)	Denmark  Greenland 1
Inflation	0.6% (Denmark only)
Source	August 2013
ERM
Since	13 March 1979
€ =	7.46038 kr.
Band	2.25%
Subunit
1⁄100	øre
Symbol	kr.
Plural	kroner
øre	øre (singular and plural)
Coins	50-øre, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 kroner
Banknotes
Freq. used	50, 100, 200, 500 kroner
Rarely used	1000 kroner (to be phased out on May 31st 2025)
Special banknotes are issued for use on the Faroe Islands–see Faroese króna

The krone (pronounced "kroh-nuh") is the official money of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. It was first used on January 1, 1875. The word krone actually means "crown" in Danish. That's why it's sometimes called the Danish crown in English.

One krone is split into 100 smaller parts called øre (pronounced "ooh-ruh"). The name øre might come from the Latin word for gold. Today, there are eleven different types of krone coins and banknotes. The smallest coin is the 50 øre coin, which is half of a krone. Older øre coins were stopped because their value became too small.

The Danish krone is connected to the euro through a system called ERM II. This means its value stays very close to the euro. Some big political groups in Denmark want to use the euro. However, in a vote in 2000, 53.2% of people decided to keep the krone instead of joining the Eurozone.

History of the Danish Krone

A Danish silver two-rigsdaler coin from 1868, showing King Christian IX.

Two golden 20-kroner coins from the Scandinavian Monetary Union. The Swedish coin is on the left, and the Danish coin is on the right.

The very first known Danish coin was a penny, made around 825–840 AD. More organized coin making began in the 1020s by Canute the Great. Many coins were made in Lund, which is now in Sweden. For almost 1,000 years, Danish kings have put their names or pictures on coins.

Over time, the amount of precious metal in coins was sometimes lowered. This was an easy way for rulers to make more money. But it also made people lose trust in the coins. Because of this, Danish money was changed several times to make people trust it again. Later, paper money became more common.

The modern krone was introduced in Denmark in January 1875. It replaced the old money, called the rigsdaler. Two kroner were worth one rigsdaler. At this time, the krone was linked to gold. This meant that 2,480 kroner were equal to one kilogram of pure gold.

The Scandinavian Monetary Union

The new krone was created because of the Scandinavian Monetary Union. This union started in 1873 and included Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. In all three countries, the money was called "krone" or "krona," both meaning "crown." All three currencies were linked to gold.

The union ended in 1914 when World War I started. The gold standard was stopped. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway all decided to keep their own separate currencies, but they kept the name "krone" or "krona."

Denmark went back to linking its money to gold in 1924 but stopped for good in 1931. During World War II (1940-1945), the krone was linked to the German Reichsmark. After the war, it was linked to the British pound and then the US dollar.

The Royal Mint of Denmark used to make the coins. The Danish National Bank printed the banknotes. In 2014, Denmark decided to stop making its own coins and printing its own banknotes. This work is now done by other companies. The last banknotes were printed by the National Bank on December 20, 2016.

Current Status of the Krone

How the Krone Relates to the Euro

Denmark has not adopted the euro. People voted against it in a referendum in 2000. However, the Danish krone is closely linked to the euro. It stays within a small range of 7.46038 kroner per euro in the ERM II system. Denmark shares a border with Germany, which uses the euro. It also borders Sweden, another EU country.

Faroe Islands and Greenland

The Faroe Islands use a special version of the Danish krone called the Faroese króna. It has the same value as the Danish krone. They use Danish coins but have their own unique banknotes. These banknotes were first made in the 1950s and updated later.

Greenland also uses Danish kroner as its official money. In 2006, Greenland planned to make its own banknotes. But in 2010, the Greenlandic government decided not to. So, the Danish National Bank stopped the project. Greenland used to have its own banknotes and coins between 1803 and 1968.

Even though they use the same money, transfers between Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland are considered international. They might have extra fees.

Danish Coins

Coin Design and Materials

A copper-colored 50-øre coin.

A silver-colored 1-krone coin.

A golden 10-kroner coin (2011 series).

Danish coins are designed to be easy to tell apart. They are divided into three groups, each with its own metal color. This idea comes from history. Long ago, the most valuable coins were made of gold, then silver, and the lowest values were copper.

Today, the 50 øre coins are copper-colored. The 1, 2, and 5 krone coins are silver-colored. The 10 and 20 krone coins are golden.

The coins also differ in size, weight, and their edges. Bigger coins have higher values. The 50 øre and 10 krone coins have smooth edges. The 1 and 5 krone coins have ridged edges. The 2 and 20 krone coins have edges with broken ridges. The 1, 2, and 5 krone coins also have a hole in the middle. These features help people who are blind or have low vision to identify the coins.

Special Commemorative Coins

Denmark also makes special 20-krone and 10-krone coins. These coins have the same size and metal as regular coins. But they feature unique designs.

One series of 20-krone coins, made from 2002 to 2007, showed famous towers in Denmark. Another series, started in 2007, features Danish, Faroese, and Greenlandic ships. This shows Denmark's history as a seafaring nation.

In 2005, a series of 10-krone coins was released. These coins had pictures from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. After this, another series of 10-krone coins celebrated the International Polar Year. These coins showed a polar bear, the Sirius Sledge Patrol, and the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Danish Banknotes

Most Danish banknotes made after 1945 are still valid to use. Banknotes have been issued in values of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 kroner.

Important news: All banknotes made before 2009 will stop being valid money on May 31, 2025. The 1000-kroner banknote will also be stopped on the same date. You can still exchange these old banknotes at the Danish National Bank until May 31, 2026.

Older Banknote Series

• 1944 Series: These banknotes were designed secretly during World War II. They featured figures, rosettes, and the Danish coat of arms.
• 1952 Series: This series showed famous Danes on the front and Danish landscapes on the back. For example, the 5 kroner note had a sculptor, and the 10 kroner note featured Hans Christian Andersen.
• 1972 Series: These banknotes featured portraits by artist Jens Juel on the front. The back showed different animals. For instance, the 10 kroner note had a common eider bird.
• 1997 Series: This series showed Danish artists and scientists on the front. The back had pictures of cultural and religious art, like a centaur or a lion from a church.

2009 Series: Bridges and Ancient Objects

The Danish National Bank started designing the "Bridge" banknotes in 2006. The theme for these new banknotes is Danish bridges and the landscapes around them. They also show important prehistoric objects found near these bridges. The bridges represent links between different parts of Denmark and between the past and present.

These banknotes have new security features. One is a "Motion" thread with a moving wave pattern. Another is a special hologram that changes colors in the light. They also have traditional features like a watermark and a hidden security thread.

Banknotes of Denmark, 2009 series

Image		Value	Size	Main Color		Description			Dates
Front Side	Back Side					Front Side	Back Side	Watermark	First Printed	Issued	Stopped Use	Last Day to Exchange
		50 kr.	125 × 72 mm		Violet	Sallingsund Bridge	Skarpsalling vessel	Denomination and Skuldelev Viking ship	2009	11 August 2009	Current	Current
		100 kr.	135 × 72 mm		Orange-yellow	Little Belt Bridge	Hindsgavl Dagger		2010	4 May 2010
		200 kr.	145 × 72 mm		Green	Knippelsbro (bridge)	Langstrup belt plate		2010	19 October 2010
		500 kr.	155 × 72 mm		Blue	Queen Alexandrine Bridge	Keldby bronze pail		2011	15 February 2011
		1000 kr.	165 × 72 mm		Red	Great Belt Bridge	Trundholm sun chariot		2011	24 May 2011	31 May 2025	31 May 2026
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

In 2020, a new version of the 500-kroner banknote was released with updated security features. New versions of the 50-, 100-, and 200-kroner banknotes are planned for 2024–2025.

Future Banknotes

The next series of banknotes is expected in 2028–2029. This new series will not include a 1000-krone banknote. The new banknotes will be used alongside the 2009 series for a while. Eventually, only the new series will be valid.

Nicknames for Banknotes

Sometimes, Danish banknotes have fun nicknames:

• The 100-krone note is sometimes called a hund (dog). This is a short way of saying hundrede (hundred).
• The 500-krone note can be called a plovmand (ploughman). This is because older versions of the note had a picture of a man with a plough.
• The 1000-krone note can be called a tudse (toad). This is a wordplay on tusinde (thousand). It can also be called an egern (squirrel) because the 1972 version of the note had a squirrel on it.

Exchange Rates

The cost of one Euro in Danish krone (from 1999).

Current DKK exchange rates

See also

• Denmark and the euro
• Economy of Denmark
• Economy of the Faroe Islands
• Economy of Greenland