Thomas Weibel18.08.2021What do you do when counterfeiters or a hostile power flood the country with counterfeit money? The contingency plan formulated by the Swiss National Bank: reserve notes.
Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum10.05.2017In May 2019, the Swiss National Bank launched the new CHF 20 note. Anyone expecting to see William Tell or the Rütli Oath on it will be disappointed. The main element of the new note is light. Actually, the Rütli Oath has already featured on a banknote – albeit an American one.
Eric Häusler und Jürgen Häusler16.06.2026Switzerland’s banknotes were given a makeover in the 1990s. The eighth series (1995–2016) not only met strict security requirements, it was also innovative in its design. A voyage of discovery through the archives and a look behind the scenes reveal how these banknotes were planned, designed and introduced to the public.
Peter Egloff18.04.2024In the last-but-one series of Swiss banknotes, the thousand-franc note depicted Auguste Forel as a wise researcher turning his alert gaze on the world, as an icon of science and Helvetic national symbol. But this stylised heroic image failed to stand up to closer investigation. A story illustrating the pitfalls of the culture of commemoration.
Katrin Brunner04.04.2022If you’re on the Riederfurka, you can’t miss the Villa Cassel. Visible from far and wide, the distinctive structure dates from 1902 and was once the holiday home of an ill and overworked Englishman.
Bundesamt für Polizei fedpol25.07.2017For centuries, counterfeiters worked painstakingly with skill and craft to copy coins. These days, they just tend to use a colour printer. The Federal Office of Police (fedpol) reports on the less glamorous world of money counterfeiting today.
Andrej Abplanalp23.02.2022After arriving in America in 1868, Swiss emigrant Rudolf Heer was unable to find work in the east of the country. So he and his family moved further west.
Thomas Weibel26.01.2022In 1924, the Principality of Liechtenstein turned its back on the Austrian krone and adopted Switzerland’s national currency, somewhat clandestinely at first and then officially.
Katrin Brunner15.05.2020It’s one of nine quarry sites in the Canton of Zurich, and certainly the most eccentric. The silica sand quarry at Buchs in Zurich was created by chance in 1898, and hit the headlines in April 1910.
