The Making of the Euro

September 2001: The Bank of Greece stores euro banknotes and coins in a historical place.

September 2001: The Bank of Greece stores euro banknotes and coins in a historical place.

November 2001: Watching the end of the Irish Pound at the Central Bank of Ireland currency centre in Dublin.

November 2001: Watching the end of the Irish Pound at the Central Bank of Ireland currency centre in Dublin.

September 2001: Blanks for the production of Euro coins at the mint of Finland near Helsinki.

September 2001: Blanks for the production of Euro coins at the mint of Finland near Helsinki.

September 2001: Cash mashine manufacturers testing euro banknotes in a Deutsche Bundesbank test centre near Frankfurt.

September 2001: Cash mashine manufacturers testing euro banknotes in a Deutsche Bundesbank test centre near Frankfurt.

July 2001: Quality control of a printing plate at Österreichische Banknoten- und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH in Vienna.

July 2001: Quality control of a printing plate at Österreichische Banknoten- und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH in Vienna.

December 2001: Waste paper on the floor of the Banca d'Italia cash department near Rome after bundles of lire have been unpacked for counting before being destroyed.

December 2001: Waste paper on the floor of the Banca d'Italia cash department near Rome after bundles of lire have been unpacked for counting before being destroyed.

December 2001: Hologram foil patches, one of the security features incorporated into the euro banknotes, at the Banque de France in Chamalieres.

December 2001: Hologram foil patches, one of the security features incorporated into the euro banknotes, at the Banque de France in Chamalieres.

November 2001: Packaging of euro banknotes at Valora, the banknote printing works in Portugal.

November 2001: Packaging of euro banknotes at Valora, the banknote printing works in Portugal.

November 2001: Armoured cars departing from Valora, the banknote printing works in Portugal.

November 2001: Armoured cars departing from Valora, the banknote printing works in Portugal.

December 2001: Carabinieri helicopter waiting to escort a transport of banknotes and coins from the Banca d'Italia Cash Department to Rome.

December 2001: Carabinieri helicopter waiting to escort a transport of banknotes and coins from the Banca d'Italia Cash Department to Rome.

September 2001: Armoured van carrying euro leaving a vault of Suomen Pankki - finlands bank near Helsinki.

September 2001: Armoured van carrying euro leaving a vault of Suomen Pankki - finlands bank near Helsinki.

November 2001: Training for the blind in Frankfurt. Special features have been incorporated into the banknotes to help blind and partially sighted people to recognize the new currency.

November 2001: Training for the blind in Frankfurt. Special features have been incorporated into the banknotes to help blind and partially sighted people to recognize the new currency.

November 2001: Guards securing the street for a cash trsnsport from Valora, the banknote printing works in Portugal.

November 2001: Guards securing the street for a cash trsnsport from Valora, the banknote printing works in Portugal.

september 2001: Training of cashiers at Suomen Pankki - Finlands bank in Helsinki.

september 2001: Training of cashiers at Suomen Pankki - Finlands bank in Helsinki.

November 2001: Out of circulation - irish banknotes earmarked for destruction at the Central Bank of Ireland currency center in Dublin.

November 2001: Out of circulation - irish banknotes earmarked for destruction at the Central Bank of Ireland currency center in Dublin.

December 2001: Frontloading to a non-euro area country - an armoured van crossing the border between Austria and Slovenia.

December 2001: Frontloading to a non-euro area country - an armoured van crossing the border between Austria and Slovenia.

December 2001: Checking of banknote sheets at the Bank of Greece printing works in Athens.

December 2001: Checking of banknote sheets at the Bank of Greece printing works in Athens.

November 2001: Destruction of national coins at a Deutsche Bundesbank branch near Frankfurt.

November 2001: Destruction of national coins at a Deutsche Bundesbank branch near Frankfurt.

1 January 2002: The Banque Centrale du Luxembourg welcoming e-day.

1 January 2002: The Banque Centrale du Luxembourg welcoming e-day.

7 February 2002: Journalists interviewing Hans van den Broek, the former dutch minister for foreign affairs, in front of the "Stars of Europe" in Maastricht.

7 February 2002: Journalists interviewing Hans van den Broek, the former dutch minister for foreign affairs, in front of the "Stars of Europe" in Maastricht.

Since 1 January 2002 more than 300 million people from the twelve Monetary Union Member States have been using the common currency, the euro, every day. Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Spain have seen the new currency become a symbol of the unswerving integration process within one year. Claudio Hils, a renowned photographer, had been commissioned by the European Central Bank to document the birth of the european currency from june 2001 to february 2002. Claudio Hils' photographs bring this unprecedented process closer to the visitors of the exhibition. In a unique way, Hils presents the introduction of the Euro, showing both the significance and the sheer volume of the operation. He also illustrates people's reactions to the new currency. The introduction of the euro has made history. Showing the gigantic project in the making, Claudio Hils' mosaic makes the process easier to understand.