EUROPEAN CULTURE

While commonly used and practical, banknotes are also cultural ambassadors that serve to promote the image of their issuing nation. When it came to designing euro banknotes – to be used by over 300 million inhabitants of 12 different countries – the answer to how to create a common identity that would transcend borders was found in the art and the architectural styles that have marked European history.

Windows and doors were chosen to symbolise the spirit of openness and cooperation within the European Union, while bridges represent the ties between the people of Europe, and between Europe and the rest of the world. Drawing on the architectural features of seven European cultural eras (Classical, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, 19th century “glass and steel” architecture, and modern 20th century architecture), the banknotes seek to portray the values underlying the construction of Europe.
The new orange-toned €50 banknote is designed to Illustrate the Renaissance period. On its front, it features an arched window closed off by a balustrade and topped with a triangular pediment, which stands before a second window, both of which present architectural features typical of the historical period. On the back of the note, Berlin-based graphic designer Reinhold Gerstetter, who was selected to refresh the design of the first series of euro banknotes, has recreated the barrel vaults of a bridge.
This banknote forms part of the “Europa” series – the second series of euro banknotes that has been gradually phased in since 2013 to replace the first, which was introduced in 2002. This second series takes its name from the portrait of the mythological figure, Europa, which features in two of the security features.