June 23, 2025, 4:31 am | Read time: 4 minutes
We handle them daily, and they’re an indispensable part of our everyday lives: the various euro banknotes currently in circulation. But have you ever wondered where the bridges depicted on the back of these notes are located? TRAVELBOOK consulted experts and received a surprising answer.
Everyone knows them, everyone has seen them at some point: the bridges depicted on the seven different euro banknotes currently in circulation. And surely, many have wondered where these iconic structures, shown on the reverse side of each note of our Europe-wide currency, are actually located. TRAVELBOOK author Robin Hartmann consulted experts and stumbled upon a surprising answer.
Surprising Answer
To put it briefly: the legendary bridges on the euro banknotes do not exist. They are fictional, simply made up. This can be quickly verified on the websites of both the Bundesbank and the European Central Bank. They are part of the second, current Europa banknote series. A press officer from the Bundesbank explained to TRAVELBOOK: “The design of the current Europa series is based on the theme ‘Ages and Styles of Europe’ by Robert Kalina (an Austrian—editor’s note) from the first euro banknote series. It was slightly modified by banknote designer Reinhold Gerstetter from Berlin to give the new banknotes a fresh look and to integrate a range of new and improved security features. This second euro banknote series has been issued since 2013.”
Openness and Understanding
“The structures are not only expressions of shared cultural roots but also of shared values. The windows, doors, and portals symbolize the spirit of openness and cooperation. The bridges on the reverse side represent the understanding between the peoples of Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world.” But why not use actual existing bridges for the notes? “No country should feel disadvantaged.” The 5-euro note represents the Classical era. The tenner symbolizes the Romanesque, the twenty the Gothic. The 50-euro note represents the Renaissance, the hundred the Baroque and Rococo. The 200-euro note reflects the iron and glass architecture of the 19th century. Finally, the 500-euro note depicts the architecture of the 20th century.
Also interesting: The reverse side of the euro notes also features a schematic map of Europe. If you look closely, you can even spot various islands or island groups such as Madeira, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Malta, Cyprus, and even the overseas department of French Guiana on the South American continent. All banknotes also bear the signature of a former or current president of the European Central Bank.
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And They Do Exist
Currently, there are twelve printing houses across Europe authorized to produce the coveted euro banknotes. In Germany, two locations handle the supply: Bundesdruckerei GmbH in Berlin and Giesecke & Devrient with its production site in Leipzig. And even though the bridges on the euro notes originally did not exist, they do now. In the Dutch city of Spijkenisse, you can actually find replicas of all seven structures.
In 2011, the city commissioned an artist to recreate the euro bridges faithfully according to the designs on the paper money. Each bridge has a sign indicating the best angle for photographing it, so it looks just like it does on the banknotes. The euro notes have been in circulation since 2002, currently in the second series, which has been circulating since 2013. And there are already ideas for the future, as the Bundesbank reveals: “It is the task of the ECB and the national central banks of the euro area to ensure that euro banknotes remain an innovative, secure, and efficient means of payment in the future. Therefore, based on the ECB Council’s decision from December 2021, work is currently underway on designing a new banknote series.”
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“The future euro banknotes are to receive a new, appealing design with which all people in Europe can better identify. In January 2025, the ECB Council decided to have two themes developed in a design competition: ‘European Culture: Shared Cultural Sites’ and ‘Rivers and Birds: Strong Through Diversity.’ The next step will be a design competition for the third euro banknote series as an EU-wide open procedure, which is set to begin in mid-2025. The design competition will be conducted in two rounds and accompanied by an expert jury with German participation. European citizens will then again have the opportunity to express their preferences. Presumably, by the end of 2026, the ECB Council will decide on the final design based on this preliminary work.”