Pfund#

Pfund (Pound), old European weight unit, which varied from region to region, between 0.4 and 0.6 kg in the German-speaking area. The Vienna pound, which was used until the introduction of the decimal system, weighed 0.56 kg. In Germany, the pound was integrated into the decimal system in 1857 when the Zollpfund (0.5 kg) was introduced. By the Middle Ages the pound had become the basis for the system of coin weights, later it was replaced by the Mark. The pound also became a numerical quantity (1 pound of Pfennige = 240 Pfennige), the name of a coin and hence the basis for numerous currencies. Some coin names derive only indirectly from the pound, e.g. the Pfundner in Tirol.