of the bank's board of trustees. Prior to the Polish Defensive War of 1939 against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, all of the gold reserves (105,000 kg) were evacuated from Poland to the Banque de France in Paris, and then most of it to Canada and London. The Bank continued its functioning in exile, as the central bank of the Polish Government in Exile and financed most of its armed forces, while in occupied Poland the Third Reich created its puppet Bank Emisyjny w Polsce (Emissionsbank in Polen, Krakau). The German Reichsbank in 1940 issued its own currency, the so-called German "Krakow-Zloty". Until December 31, 1944 the Bank of Poland in exile had a formal monopoly for printing currency. Similar to other "Allied Military Currency"-bank notes, American "Liberation banknotes" for Poland were printed in 1944. On 15 January 1945 the new communist authorities of Poland founded the National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski NBP). In 1946 the remaining pre-war gold reserves weren't returned to Poland, but the Polish Government in Exile remained in force until 1990. On 7 January 1952 the Bank of Poland itself was liquidated and its role was taken by the Narodowy Bank Polski. The former Bank Polski should not be confused with PKO Bank Polski, which was integrated into the Narodowy Bank Polski in 1975. References External links Banks of Poland Economic history of Poland Establishments in Congress Poland 1924 establishments in Poland 1820s establishments in Poland Disestablishments in Congress Poland Companies set up in the Second Republic of Poland de:Narodowy Bank Polski#Bank Polski