Vows, contracts and registrationEurope
Kranzgeld
The obsolete German legal compensation paid to a woman if her fiancé broke the engagement after sex.
Kranzgeld was a legal concept in Germany where a man had to pay damages to his former fiancée for breaking an engagement after they had sexual intercourse. The payment assumed that the act damaged the woman's marriage prospects and social honour. It was abolished in 1998 as unconstitutional.
When is Kranzgeld kept?
Kranzgeld is kept on upon breaking an engagement after sexual relations.
Kranzgeld was a specific legal remedy in Germany that required a man to pay financial compensation to a woman if he ended their engagement after they had become sexually intimate. This practice treated the broken promise as a financial loss tied to the woman's perceived social standing and future marriageability.
Legal origins and history
This rule appeared in paragraph §1300 of the German Civil Code, known as the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, which came into force in 1900. The law remained active in West Germany after World War Two. East Germany removed it earlier in 1952. After the country reunified in 1990, the provision applied across the whole nation until its final repeal in May 1998.
Meaning of reputation
The term Kranzgeld literally translates to wreath money. It referred to the floral wreath a bride traditionally wore on her wedding day. A virgin bride would wear a wreath made of myrtle flowers. A woman who was not a virgin had to wear a wreath made of straw instead. The law protected a woman with an immaculate reputation or intact sexual honour. This status could include widows but was lost through consensual extramarital sex.
Abolition and ruling
A 1993 trial led to the end of this custom. A woman sued for 1,000 Deutsche Marks after her ex-fiancé left her following sexual intimacy. The judge ruled that social norms had shifted significantly. Engaged couples having sex was no longer considered scandalous. The court found that the woman suffered no reputational loss from the act. The law was declared unconstitutional because it violated the principle of gender equality.
When and where
It applied during the betrothal stage when an engagement was broken after sexual relations occurred.
This legal concept existed exclusively within Germany under its civil code.
What Kranzgeld means
The name references the bridal wreath. Myrtle symbolized virginity and purity. Straw represented a lack of that specific status. The money compensated for the loss of this symbolic standing.
Who takes part
- The man: Pays financial damages to the woman
- The woman: Receives compensation for broken engagement
- The judge: Determines if the law applies and sets the amount
Then and now
The law is fully repealed and no longer enforced by any courts in Germany.
On the wedding table
Symbols: The ring Money and envelopes
Questions people ask about Kranzgeld
When is Kranzgeld kept?
Kranzgeld is kept on upon breaking an engagement after sexual relations.
What does Kranzgeld mean?
It translates to wreath money. It was a legal payment from a man to a woman if he broke their engagement after they had sex.
Who could claim this money?
Any woman with an intact sexual honour could claim it. This included widows but excluded those with consensual extramarital sex.
See also
Proxy marriageA union where one or both partners are absent and represented by another person.
Morganatic marriageA union between people of unequal rank that bars the spouse and children from inheriting titles or throne rights.
WimpelA linen sash made from a baby boy's circumcision cloth that binds the Torah scroll.Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Kranzgeld", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryShaadi rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Wedding customs differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-06.
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