Federal Mint Swissmint

50 swiss francs

11,29

25

Gold 900°

4500

Proof

Fredy Trümpi

Federal Mint Swissmint

Two tunnel portals of irregular, hexagonal cross-section can be seen on the left of the obverse. A freight train dashes forward from the right tube. Right in the foreground is visible a part of the control centre. At the bottom left, in a rectangle shaped field, narrowed by the circular shape of the coin, is written in two lines «GOTTARDO» and «2016». On top, arranged one above the other, the signs «N˄S» are written. At the right, the picture shows the attached railway board and a ridge. Reverse: parallel to the edge the legend «CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA 2016» steplike displaced in two lines; above of the centre the Swiss cross and at the bottom in three lines: «50 / B / FR».

The Gotthard mountain range has always played a special role in the lives of people on both sides of the Alps. For centuries, muleteers transported all sorts of goods over the Gotthard Pass on their mules. Despite major risks, this was a very busy road as it was the shortest connection over the Alps. The advent of the railway and the building of the first Gotthard Tunnel brought about radical change. In 2016, a new chapter was written in the Gotthard's long transport history. After a construction period of 17 years, the 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world's longest tunnel, was opened on 1 June 2016.