The short form of term Bayerische Ostmark, Ostmark, should not be confused with the common term for the former East German currency, which was also often referred to as the Ostmark.
The Bayerische Ostmark, or more precise Gau Bayerische Ostmark, was commonly simply referred to as Ostmark; it included the former Gau Oberfranken und Gau Niederbayern-Oberpfalz. The name Gau Bayerische Ostmark was re-used by the Nazis to describe the three regions of Lower Bavaria, the Upper Palatinate and Upper Franconia under their new administration scheme which, from 1933 onwards, slowly replaced the former administration; the city of Bayreuth was chosen as its main city.
The Nazis had begun to decentralise organisational structures long before the war, believing that the given structure of various sub-states was simply not flexible enough to ensure total control in both peace and war. Germany was therefore divided into numerous smaller areas of administration and control, each called a Gau. The idea behind this was a system based on multiple redundancy: even in the event of regional unrest or war-related losses, the remaining Gau areas would remain unaffected and fully operational.
In 1942 the name Gau Bayerische Ostmark was dropped and replaced by Gau Bayreuth. Marks including the term Bayerische Ostmark or simply Ostmark were still in common use until 1945, with a few rare cases showing its use until 1950.
It should be remembered that the idea of dividing Germany into smaller regional groups (which often ignored sub-state borders), as well as the name Gau itself, was not invented by the Nazis, but was an organisational method and description used by gymnastics and sports clubs since the early 19th century.
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