Background

The Kerbhölzer XXL project refers to the practice used until the 19th century of carving debts owed by business partners, private individuals, or the public sector into a split piece of wood, thereby providing a record for both sides. Kerbhölzer were thus used like money. The debtor received one part of the wood and the creditor the other. The carvings ran across both pieces, so that when they were put back together, the accuracy of the fit and the grain provided information about their authenticity. It was forgery-proof.

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Debt & Faith

Another aspect that is rarely considered today, which links debt and credit, is that the shared burden of guilt highlights the bond between debtor and creditor. Even today, the debtor guarantees the creditor's assets, and both sides are therefore essentially on an equal footing. Today, however, debt is considered morally inferior to wealth, which is reinforced linguistically and in reference to religious guilt. 

It is striking that today, for example, the level of debt of a city, a municipality, or a state is known, but their creditors are not usually named. Negative assets are generally attributed, while high assets remain anonymous. The 14 categories of creditors are named on the wooden tablets, but it is not possible to tell from them who owes how much. 

 

14 categories

The Kerbhölzer XXL project has taken up this debt relationship and applied the Kerbhölzer to the current debt relationship between Berlin and its 14 creditors. These categories do not reveal much about the specific creditors, as they typically do not identify themselves.