The experience of Scandinavian central banks is noteworthy for a number of reasons. Sveriges Riksbank was the first issuing bank in Europe; Sweden is also considered to be the cradle of paper money. The experience of Denmark and Norway is almost equally remarkable. The Finnish case is of particular interest to Poles, as in the 19th century Finland, like Poland, was part of the Russian Empire. However, while the Polish Kingdom's independence in currency matters was gradually abolished, the Grand Duchy of Finland enjoyed an increasing degree of freedom in these matters. Nordic countries have experienced a successful Scandinavian Monetary Union (unlike the ailing Latin Monetary Union). Another interesting aspect of the Scandinavian central banking experience is the post-war inflation in Finland and Iceland, much more persistent than in the rest of Europe.