Twenty Francs 2020 Susten Pass, Coin from Switzerland - detailed information

The Twenty Francs coin is a denomination of the Swiss Franc. Given that Switzerland has four official languages, the Franc has three different names: Franken in German, franc in French and Romansh, and franco in Italian.

In regular circulation, the denomination is served by a banknote. These coins are non-circulating legal tender made for collectors. They are issued in topical series, celebrating various aspects of Swiss heritage or nature.

The edge is usually inscribed with the motto DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT (The Lord will provide - a quote from the Bible, Genesis 22, 8), and thirteen stars representing the original thirteen cantons of the Swiss Federation.

This coin features the Susten Pass in Switzerland and is one of a series of coins dedicated to the mountain passes of the country.

As far back as the Middle Ages, there has been a trade route over the Susten Pass. However, apart from periods when neighbouring passes were closed, it was always less important as a north-south trade route than the Brünig-Grimsel-Gries/Albrun to the west and the Gotthard to the east. But during the religious conflict between the protestant and catholic parts of Switzerland, the Susten Pass acquired a degree of military importance.

The old bridle path was first converted into a navigable road in 1811. Before the Second World War, the army demanded the construction of a modern route between the cantons of Bern and Uri for strategic reasons. But there were other reasons too, such as encouraging tourism and promoting economic development in this mountainous region. The current pass road is 45 km long and connects Wassen in Uri's Meiental with Meiringen in the Haslital of the canton of Bern. Construction took place between 1938 and 1946. The aim was to involve as much manual labour as possible and to blend the construction into the landscape, which is why all the retaining walls were clad in natural stone. Unlike the old Susten Pass road, the new road passes underneath the top of the pass (2,259 metres above sea level) in a summit tunnel 2,224 metres above sea level. The Susten Pass is open from around mid-June to mid-October each year and whoever travels along its numerous bridges and tunnels will be able to enjoy a superb mountain landscape.