The beat rhythm has its origin in the fact that we have to deal with money every single day – something that emerged in the 16th century Europe for the first time in all of human history.

This video is also prepared for a workshop, the video being separated into five sequences with texts and questions. Press here. 

The financial crisis that erupted throughout the world in autumn 2008 and since then has developed into a global economic crisis with an uncertain outcome did not come out of thin air and it is not the first of its kind. However the magnitude of it is utterly unique.

This film tells the chronicle of how it happened. It is the story of a house of cards, based on the real housing market in the USA, that was built higher and higher until it finally collapsed, wiping out money, security and confidence on an unprecedented scale.

"Kingdoms wax and wane. States come and go," Luo Guanzhong wrote in his novel The Three Kingdoms. The same can be said of China's money: in the course of its long development from a small cultural island on the Yellow River to the People's Republic, the Land of the Dragon has witnessed many forms of money come and go. And yet the history of its money has been characterised by its unique stability – cowry currency and the cash coin, for example, were in circulation for many centuries. This and other kinds of money from the Middle Kingdom are presented here in their historical context. The commentaries by Dagmar Lorenz, sinologist and author of the DVD, complete the small tour d'horizon.

Whether you worship money as if it were the golden calf or regard it as filthy lucre – it affects everyone in some way or other. So it is hardly surprising that questions revolving around money also occupy those who are concerned about the salvation of people's souls: the religions.

This DVD deals with the Christian religion and examines the question of what the New Testament has to say about money and the right way to handle it. And lo and behold, in the scriptures there are more answers than you might think. Here you will find out in pictures and text not only which coins were in circulation in Judaea when Jesus was alive ...

Local as well as international events have left their mark on the monetary history of Zurich. On the domestic level, for example, it was closely interwoven with the Fraumünsterstift (a former convent and one of Zurich's famous churches) over several centuries. But the Reformation, the rise of manufacturing, the Thirty Years' War, the French Revolution and other historical events have also left their traces on the town's monetary history. This DVD investigates them.

Money moves people and even those for whom money is of secondary importance. This is shown, last but not least, in the statements of the six personalities who are portrayed in this film. They range from the seminar leader and the aircraft restorer, the lady pastor and the artist to the silk manufacturer and the sociologist, people with quite different backgrounds. And the role money plays in their lives is as different as they are.

Bali's Dual Currency System: Nowadays there is nothing unusual about resolutions to save money – the financial resources of states, but also of many medium-sized and small businesses are in short supply. For a long time it has not been possible to satisfy all the needs of a society by means of official currencies. Complementary monetary systems – i.e. currencies that supplement a national one – can resolve this problem. How positive the coexistence of a national with a complementary currency can be is shown by the example of Bali.

A journey in time through six mints from the 16th century to the present time

A piece of metal pressed with great force between two stamps – and the coin is complete. Is the production of coins really that easy? And how was it done in earlier times? This video looks into questions of this kind on a journey into the various centuries and towns in the Western world. As a result you are given an opportunity to visit five mints and the MoneyMuseum, where you will learn about not only details of diverse minting techniques, but also informative facts about the respective political and economic background of minting coins.

The MoneyMuseum is backed by the Sunflower Foundation, the name of which did not come about by chance. It expresses the philosophy on which the MoneyMuseum as well as the activities of Jürg Conzett generally, who initiated the foundation, are based. The sunflower stands for generosity, balance, harmony and abundance in a positive sense, but also for coincidence and individuality.

An exhibition about the development of money in the West and in the East

No matter whether you are presented with a bill in Switzerland, in the USA or in China, the system is the same: coins and banknotes of no material value are accepted that are only worth anything in the respective country. This has led to a monetary system prevailing in which the state lays claim to a currency monopoly. And yet the way in this direction in West and East was a completely different one, as this journey through history shows.

Every story gives rise to characters who actively intervened in contemporary history and whose activities radiated far into the future, quite regardless of whether they were already successful during their lifetime – and whether they were sympathetic or not. Thus people who "reinvented" the future. They have also left their mark on Zurich's history (of money): for example, such personalities as Pastor Huldrych Zwingli, Mayor Waser or the entrepreneurs Escher and Duttweiler. And last but not least, "unimportant" people also play a part in it. The exhibition Zurich People and Their Money has related this in 20 stages. This DVD takes up some of them in a booklet and video.

All films programmed for smart phones:

sunflowerfilms

Inspiring stories of individuals who ditched their safe, old lives and took risky journeys of self-discovery that ultimately led to financial independence. Daring to change was only the first challenge.

What are money secrets?
A secret is something that cannot be expressed in words - but contains a lot of truth. Once it's pronounced, it's no secret anymore. The same applies to the parables in the Bible. There is always an uncertainty as to how they are to be interpreted. Did Jesus already spoke of financial investment opportunities in the "parable of investing"?

Markus 14: A parable of price versus value

Markus 12: The parable of Offering

Matthew 20: The parable of the laborers in the vineyard

Matthew 25: The parable of the Talents

Markus 10: The parable of the rich man

Lukas 12: The parable of the rich fool

Markus 14: Parabel über Wert und Preis

how big is a billion?

These 5-minute podcasts entertainingly explore the topic of money. Learn about the very first coins in the ancient world, the first dollar bill, the land where feathers were currency, or just what Bitcoin really is, and much more.

Exploring the World of Money

On-line presentation:

Money Stories presented by Ursula Kampmann