The first banknotes in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 were issued in 1825 by the Caisse de Dépôt of the city of Bern.

During the 19th century the Cantons

Cantons of Switzerland

The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...

 had the right of printing notes. Following the law of 8 March 1881 the Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank

The Swiss National Bank is the central bank of Switzerland. It is responsible for Swiss monetary policy and for issuing Swiss franc banknotes.The names of the institution in the four official languages of the country are: ; ; ; ....

 had the exclusive right to issue banknotes in Switzerland. First notes were issued in 1907. Since then, eight series of Swiss franc

Swiss franc

The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...

 notes have been printed, six of which have been released for use by the general public, and a new series is in preparation as of 2011.

Overview

Overview of all series of Swiss banknotes
Series	Introduction	Date recalled	Valueless since/from	Designer	Remark
1st	1907	1 July 1925	1 July 1945	Josef Storck and Albert Walch	Changeover notes, similar to notes used by earlier banks
2nd	1911	1 October 1958	1 October 1978	Eugène Burnand Eugène Burnand Eugène Burnand was a Swiss painter. He was born in the municipality of Moudon in the Swiss canton Vaud. Before moving to Paris in 1872 he studied with Barthélemy Menn at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Geneva... , Ferdinand Hodler Ferdinand Hodler Ferdinand Hodler was one of the best-known Swiss painters of the 19th century.-Life:Hodler was born in Berne, the eldest of six children. His father, Jean Hodler, made a meager living as a carpenter; his mother, Marguerite , was from a peasant family... , S. Balzer
3rd	1918	1 July 1925	1 July 1945	Orell Füssli	War notes; only partially issued
4th	1938	—	—	Victor Surbeck and Hans Erni Hans Erni Hans Erni is a Swiss painter, designer and sculptor. Born in Lucerne, he is known in particular for illustrating postage stamps, activism, lithographs for the Swiss Red Cross, and participation on the Olympic Committee. The Hans Erni Museum, situated in the grounds of the Swiss Museum of...	Reserve series, never issued
5th	1956	1 May 1980	1 May 2000	Pierre Gauchat and Hermann Eidenbenz
6th	1976	1 May 2000	1 May 2020	Ernst and Ursula Hiestand
7th	—	—	—	Elisabeth and Roger Pfund Roger Pfund Roger Pfund is a graphic artist.At the age of 27, Roger won the currency design contest, hosted by the Swiss National Bank, for the design of a new series of bank notes...	Reserve series; never issued
8th	1995	—	—	Jörg Zintzmeyer	Current series
9th	2012 (planned)	—	—	Manuela Pfrunder Manuela Pfrunder Manuela Pfrunder is a Swiss graphic designer. She was chosen by the Swiss National Bank to design the ninth series of Swiss franc banknotes.Pfrunder studied graphic design in Lucerne and worked as a designer in New York, Bern and Bath...	planned

First series

1st series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	issue	withdrawal	lapse
		50 francs	166 × 103 mm	Green/Yellow	Helvetia Helvetia Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the "Helvetic Confederation".The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as...	Ornaments	20 June 1907	1 July 1925	1 July 1945
		100 francs	183 × 116 mm	Blue	Helvetia	Ornaments
		500 francs	199 × 126 mm	Green	Helvetia	Ornaments
		1000 francs	215 × 132 mm	Purple	Helvetia	Ornaments

Second series

The second series of Swiss banknotes was issued between 1911 and 1914.

2nd series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description		Date of			| Notes
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	issue	withdrawal	lapse
		5 francs	148 × 70 mm	Brown/Green	William Tell William Tell William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....	Ornaments	3 August 1914	1 May 1980	1 May 2000
		10 francs	135 × 82 mm	Brown/Yellow	Woman from Neuchâtel	Ornaments	—	—	—	Reserve note
		20 francs	163 × 95 mm	Blue/purple	Vreneli Vreneli Vreneli is the informal name for a range of legal tender gold coins produced in Switzerland. The formal name is: Tête d'Helvetia , Helvetiakopf or Helvetia Head . The coins were issued between 1897 and 1936, in 1947 and in 1949.-Description:These coins had face values of 10, 20 and 100 Swiss...	Ornaments	31 July 1914	31 December 1935	1 January 1956
		50 francs	165 × 106 mm	Green	Woman's head	Woodcutter	22 December 1911	1 October 1958	1 October 1978
		100 francs	181 × 115 mm	Dark blue	Woman's head	Reaper	16 September 1911	1 October 1958	1 October 1978
		500 francs	200 × 125 mm	Red/Brown	Woman's head	Embroideres	24 December 1912	1 October 1958	1 October 1978
		1000 francs	216 × 131 mm	Purple/Orange	Woman's head	Foundry	16 September 1911	1 October 1958	1 October 1978

Third series

The third series of Swiss banknotes was printed in 1918; some of the notes were issued as war notes, while others were kept as reserve.

Fourth series

The fourth series of Swiss banknotes was printed in 1938 as a reserve series and was never issued.

4th series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description		Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse
		50 francs	167 × 96 mm	Green	Woman's head	Bull	Never issued (reserve series)
		100 francs	190 × 106 mm	Blue	Woman from Haslital Haslital The Hasli region is a historical Landvogtei or Talschaft in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, bordering on the cantons of Obwalden, Uri and Wallis...	Ornaments
		500 francs	210 × 116 mm	Brown-red	Woman's head	Chemistry
		1000 francs	228 × 125 mm	Purple	Woman's head	Turbine

Fifth series

The fifth series of Swiss banknotes was issued starting in 1957.

5th series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description		Designer	Date of
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse		issue	withdrawal	lapse
		10 francs	137 × 75 mm	Red-brown	Gottfried Keller Gottfried Keller Gottfried Keller , a Swiss writer of German-language literature, was best known for his novel Green Henry .- Life and work :...	Bennet blossoms	Hermann Eidenbenz	1 October 1956	1 May 1980	1 May 2000
		20 francs	155 × 85 mm	Blue	Guillaume-Henri Dufour	Thistle Thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...		29 March 1956
		50 francs	173 × 95 mm	Green	Head of a girl	Apple harvest	Pierre Gauchat	14 June 1957
		100 francs	191 × 105 mm	Dark blue	Head of a boy	St Martin Martin of Tours Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...		14 June 1957
		500 francs	210 × 115 mm	Brown-red	Head of a woman	Fountain of Youth Fountain of Youth The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus, the Alexander romance, and the stories of Prester John...		14 June 1957
		1000 francs	228 × 125 mm	Purple	Head of woman	Danse Macabre Danse Macabre Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre , Danza de la Muerte , Dansa de la Mort , Danza Macabra , Dança da Morte , Totentanz , Dodendans , is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's...		14 June 1957

Sixth series

6th series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	issue	withdrawal	lapse
		10 francs	137 × 66 mm	Red	Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion...	Water turbine, the solar system and a scheme of propagation of rays of light passing through lenses	5 November 1979	1 May 2000	1 May 2020
		20 francs	148 × 70 mm	Blue	Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure 200px|thumb|Portrait of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a Genevan aristocrat, physicist and Alpine traveller, often considered the founder of alpinism, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.-Life and work:Saussure was born in Conches,...	Mountain range, a group of alpinists and the Ammonshorn	4 April 1979
		50 francs	159 × 74 mm	Green	Conrad Gessner Conrad Gessner Conrad Gessner was a Swiss naturalist and bibliographer. His five-volume Historiae animalium is considered the beginning of modern zoology, and the flowering plant genus Gesneria is named after him...	Eagle owl, primula, stars	4 October 1978
		100 francs	170 × 78 mm	Dark blue	Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini, byname of Francesco Castelli was an architect from Ticino who, with his contemporaries, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona, was a leading figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture.A keen student of the architecture of Michelangelo and the ruins of...	Upper part of the dome-tower as well as the floor plan of the church Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza The Church of Saint Yves at La Sapienza is a Roman Catholic church in Rome. The church is considered a masterpiece of Roman Baroque church architecture, built in 1642-1660 by the architect Francesco Borromini.- History :...	4 October 1976
		500 francs	181 × 82 mm	Brown	Albrecht von Haller Albrecht von Haller Albrecht von Haller was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, naturalist and poet.-Early life:He was born of an old Swiss family at Bern. Prevented by long-continued ill-health from taking part in boyish sports, he had the more opportunity for the development of his precocious mind...	Muscular figure of a human body, graph of respiration and the circulation of the blood, and a purple orchis	4 April 1977
		1000 francs	192 × 86 mm	Purple	Auguste Forel	Three ants and a cross-section of an anthill	4 April 1978

Seventh series

A seventh series of Swiss banknotes was designed and printed in 1984, in parallel with the sixth series, but was never released. It formed the reserve series, to be released, for example, if the current series would suddenly become widely counterfeited. At first, almost no information was released on the series for security reasons, except for small fragments. However, after the eighth series was released, it was decided to improve the security features of the current series rather than develop a new reserve series. The details of the seventh series were later released, while the actual banknotes were destroyed. The designer were Roger Pfund

Roger Pfund

Roger Pfund is a graphic artist.At the age of 27, Roger won the currency design contest, hosted by the Swiss National Bank, for the design of a new series of bank notes...

 and Elisabeth Pfund. They had originally won the competition for the design of the sixth series, but since the Swiss National Bank decided to use the design by Ernst and Ursula Hiestand instead, the Pfunds were charged with the design of the reserve series.

7th series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description		Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse
		10 francs	137 × 66 mm	Red-brown	Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler Leonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion... ; development of the polyhedron Polyhedron In elementary geometry a polyhedron is a geometric solid in three dimensions with flat faces and straight edges... , the bridges of Königsberg Seven Bridges of Königsberg The Seven Bridges of Königsberg is a historically notable problem in mathematics. Its negative resolution by Leonhard Euler in 1735 laid the foundations of graph theory and prefigured the idea of topology....	Gamma function Gamma function In mathematics, the gamma function is an extension of the factorial function, with its argument shifted down by 1, to real and complex numbers... ; table for the calculation of numbers; diagram of the Solar System Solar System The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...	Never issued (reserve series)
		20 francs	148 × 70 mm	Blue	Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure 200px|thumb|Portrait of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure Horace-Bénédict de Saussure was a Genevan aristocrat, physicist and Alpine traveller, often considered the founder of alpinism, and considered to be the first person to build a successful solar oven.-Life and work:Saussure was born in Conches,... ; quartz crystals; Hornblende Hornblende Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of minerals .It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole....  beam	Hair hygrometer, view of the valley of Chamonix Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...  and the Mont Blanc Mont Blanc Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...  massif; expedition to the Tacul Mont Blanc du Tacul Mont Blanc du Tacul is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc....  glacier
		50 francs	159 × 74 mm	Green	Conrad Gessner Conrad Gessner Conrad Gessner was a Swiss naturalist and bibliographer. His five-volume Historiae animalium is considered the beginning of modern zoology, and the flowering plant genus Gesneria is named after him... ; branch of a dwarf cherry tree Cherry Tree Cherry Tree may refer to:* A tree that produces cherries* An ornamental cherry tree that produces cherry blossomsPlaces* Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania, a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States* Cherry Tree, Oklahoma... ; foliage of the bush	Golden Eagle Golden Eagle The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...  (based on a woodcut Woodcut Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...  from Gessner's Historiae animalium); "Metamorphosis of animals"; Latin text from the Historiae Animalium referring to the seven-headed hydra Lernaean Hydra In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast, with reptilian traits, that possessed many heads — the poets mention more heads than the vase-painters could paint, and for each head cut off it grew two more — and poisonous breath so virulent even...
		100 francs	170 × 78 mm	Dark blue	Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini Francesco Borromini, byname of Francesco Castelli was an architect from Ticino who, with his contemporaries, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona, was a leading figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture.A keen student of the architecture of Michelangelo and the ruins of... ; architectural motif from the Basilica of St. John Lateran Basilica of St. John Lateran The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...	Raising of the lantern and the spire of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza The Church of Saint Yves at La Sapienza is a Roman Catholic church in Rome. The church is considered a masterpiece of Roman Baroque church architecture, built in 1642-1660 by the architect Francesco Borromini.- History :... ; floor plan of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane The Church of Saint Charles at the Four Fountains is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, Italy. Designed by the architect Francesco Borromini, it was his first independent commission. It is an iconic masterpiece of Baroque architecture, built as part of a complex of monastic buildings on the Quirinal... ; dove Dove Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...  and olive Olive The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...  branch
		500 francs	181 × 82 mm	Brown	Albrecht von Haller Albrecht von Haller Albrecht von Haller was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, naturalist and poet.-Early life:He was born of an old Swiss family at Bern. Prevented by long-continued ill-health from taking part in boyish sports, he had the more opportunity for the development of his precocious mind... ;hexagonal structure of the cell Cell (biology) The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos.... ; cell tissue	18th century anatomy plate; x-ray X-ray X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...  of the human thorax Thorax The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:... ; mountains, referring to his poem "The Alps"
		1000 francs	192 × 86 mm	Purple	Louis Agassiz Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel... ; structure of the surface of a shellfish Shellfish Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...	Head, skeleton and fossil Fossil Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...  of a perch Perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the... ; structure of the scales Scale (zoology) In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...  of a perch; ammonite Ammonite Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct subclass within the Molluscan class Cephalopoda which are more closely related to living coleoids Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct...

Eighth series

8th (current) series of Swiss banknotes
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Obverse	Date of issue	Remarks
Obverse	Reverse
		10 francs	126 × 74 mm	Yellow	Le Corbusier Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...	8 April 1997
		20 francs	137 × 74 mm	Red	Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...	1 October 1996
		50 francs	148 × 74 mm	Green	Sophie Taeuber-Arp Sophie Taeuber-Arp Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a Swiss artist, painter and sculptor. Born in Davos, Switzerland, Sophie Täuber began her art studies in her homeland, at the School of Applied Arts in St. Gallen...	3 October 1995
		100 francs	159 × 74 mm	Blue	Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and printmaker.Alberto Giacometti was born in the canton Graubünden's southerly alpine valley Val Bregaglia and came from an artistic background; his father, Giovanni, was a well-known post-Impressionist painter...	1 October 1998
		200 francs	170 × 74 mm	Brown	Charles Ferdinand Ramuz Charles Ferdinand Ramuz Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz was a French-speaking Swiss writer.He was born in Lausanne in the canton of Vaud and educated at the University of Lausanne. He taught briefly in nearby Aubonne, and then in Weimar, Germany. In 1903, he left for Paris and remained there until World War I, with frequent...	1 October 1997	Replaces the 500 francs banknote in the previous series
		1000 francs	181 × 74 mm	Purple	Jacob Burckhardt Jacob Burckhardt Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt was a historian of art and culture, and an influential figure in the historiography of each field. He is known as one of the major progenitors of cultural history, albeit in a form very different from how cultural history is conceived and studied in academia today...	1 April 1998

Ninth series

In 2005, the Swiss National Bank held a competition to determine the design of the next series of banknotes. The competition was won by Manuel Krebs, but his designs, which include depictions of blood cells and embryos, were met with sufficient opposition from the general public as to discourage the bank from going forward with them. As a result, the ninth series of Swiss franc banknotes will be based on designs by second place finalist Manuela Pfrunder

Manuela Pfrunder

Manuela Pfrunder is a Swiss graphic designer. She was chosen by the Swiss National Bank to design the ninth series of Swiss franc banknotes.Pfrunder studied graphic design in Lucerne and worked as a designer in New York, Bern and Bath...

. The series is scheduled to be issued in 2012.

Sources

• Michel de Rivaz, The Swiss banknote: 1907–1997. Genoud, 1997. ISBN 2-88100-080-0
• Albert Meier: Monnaies - Billets de Banque. Suisse - Liechtenstein 1798-1995. Hünibach 1996

External links