The 'first' central or national bank of Germany was the Reichsbank, created under the Prussian government in 1875. Now, one has to be careful in how they tell this story, because it's not really the 'first'.
At this key junction in 1870.....because of city-states, kingdoms and states joining under the Prussian system of government over a period of six decades....there were roughly 30 different central banks existing. The Prussians reached a point where they realized that you could not continue with that many 'hands' in the pot.
So an act was written up in 1870 to say 'no more central banks to be added'. In 1874, a draft bill came through and it was agreed upon....there would just be one central bank for all of Prussia, and that occurred in 1875.
History will basically lay out a fairly successful period for the Reichsbank all the way up to 1914 and WW I. After the war? It's a serious period of inflation, and the Reichsbank is pretty much screwed....no matter what they do.
As we get into the mid-to-late 1930s....two events occur. In 1937, there's a bill drafted by the Reichstag (the Bundestag) and it lays out more authority by the government over the Reichsbank. Two years later, another bill puts the Reichsbank directly under Hitler.
After the war (II), the split of East and West Germany led to West Germany having the replacement central bank system....the Bank deutscher Lander....being created. And roughly a decade later, the Bundesbank would be created (which still exists today).
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