East Germany GDR DDR—Speisentalon—Hotel voucher Zinnowitz Set 0.50+1 Mark

These Zinnowitz hotel-money meal vouchers from 1985 tell the story of an East German tourism system built to welcome Western visitors while keeping their spending separate from that of the local population. From the end of the 1960s, the GDR sought to provide Western tourists with accommodations of an international standard in selected four-star hotels and holiday homes, where exclusive goods were also available.

To prevent those goods from being bought up by local residents, special means of payment were created: value vouchers (Wertbons) and meal vouchers (Speisetalons). Issuing this hotel money (Hotelgeld) also made it possible to secure Western hard currency quickly and easily. A modest meal coupon was therefore part of a much larger economic strategy: attracting foreign visitors, controlling access to exclusive goods, and obtaining hard currency through tourism.

Issued by the Reisebüro der DDR (GDR Travel Agency), these vouchers were valid at food-service establishments and hotels in the city of Zinnowitz. Each coupon served as a Speisetalon, or food stamp / meal voucher, redeemable for hotel dining services. Its reverse listed specific cafés, a restaurant, and a milk bar where it was accepted as payment. The fronts feature the Reisebüro der DDR symbol, with a seahorse on the 0.50 Mark voucher and a fish on the 1 Mark voucher.

This listing brings together the 0.50 Mark and 1 Mark vouchers, cataloged as Huschka HG 89.1a and HG 89.2a. Such vouchers are heavily sought after today by collectors of Cold War history, East German memorabilia, and regional scrip (notgeld): small survivors of a system in which even a hotel meal reflected the division between East and West.

Front

• 0.50 Mark decoration: A seahorse and the symbol of the Reisebüro der DDR.
• 1 Mark decoration: A fish in an underwater scene and the symbol of the Reisebüro der DDR.

Back

• Acceptance locations: Specific cafés, a restaurant, and a milk bar where the vouchers were accepted as payment, with opening hours and descriptions of their offerings.

Complete Voucher Text in English

The venue names are retained as proper names. The serial numbers below belong to the photographed examples.

0.50 Mark — Front

GDR Travel Agency
Zinnowitz Hotels
Meal voucher
0.50 MARK
This voucher is accepted as payment for food and beverages at our establishments.
No. 187701
1985

1 Mark — Front

GDR Travel Agency
Zinnowitz Hotels
Meal voucher
1
ONE MARK
This voucher is accepted as payment for food and beverages at our establishments.
1985
No. 063918

Reverse — Same Text on Both Vouchers

We invite you to visit the following food-service establishments:

Restaurant “Otto Schmirgal,” from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Wine bar, rustic dining room, and specialty corner.

Milk bar and Café “Otto Schmirgal,” from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Café “Philipp Müller” in the hotel
Coffee and ice cream specialties, snacks
2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Café “Dimitroff” in the hotel
Coffee and ice cream specialties, snacks, and hunting-themed room
2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Printer’s footer: The small print appears to read “II 1 3 Mintal-Druck Zinnowitz CmG 061 85.” “Druck” means printing; the remaining production codes are retained rather than translated.

Other Characteristics

• Set: Two denominations, 0.50 Mark and 1 Mark.
• Type: Hotel money (Hotelgeld), serving as a Speisetalon, or food stamp / meal voucher, redeemable for hotel dining services.
• Issuer: Reisebüro der DDR (GDR Travel Agency).
• Validity: Food-service establishments and hotels in Zinnowitz.
• Year issued: Described as in or around 1985; both photographed vouchers bear the printed year 1985.
• Catalog references: Huschka HG 89.1a and HG 89.2a.
• Size of the 0.50 Mark note: 10.5 × 6 cm (105 × 60 mm).

Catalog and Source Reference

• Authoritative catalog: Ersatzgeld und Geldähnliche Belege in der DDR (Substitute Money and Money-like Documents in the GDR), authored by Rudolf Huschka, the authoritative catalog for GDR Hotelgeld.
• Source: Papierania, Auction 5 catalog, lots 650–699 (PDF).

Own this two-voucher piece of Cold War history: a seahorse, a fish, hotel dining, and the pursuit of Western hard currency, all captured in the everyday paper of East German tourism.