The bridges on euro banknotes do not exist anywhere in Europe
Every euro note shows a window or gateway on one side and a bridge on the other, yet none of them is a real structure. They are stylised examples of historic European architectural styles, chosen so no country is favoured. The currency itself existed for three years before anyone could hold a note.
The euro was born on 1 January 1999, but at first it lived only in accounts and electronic payments. Notes and coins arrived in 2002 and quickly replaced national currencies. A single European money had been an ambition since the 1960s, and the Maastricht Treaty, in force from 1993, set a target of monetary union by 1999 for every member except the UK and Denmark, which nonetheless pegs its currency to the euro. The Lisbon Treaty of 2009 gave formal standing to the Eurogroup beside the European Central Bank. Since Slovenia joined in 2007, the zone has kept growing, most recently with Bulgaria in 2026.
There are seven denominations, from 5 to 500 euros, each with its own colour and size and a different architectural period. Unlike the coins, which carry a national face, the notes look identical everywhere, although national central banks issue and print them; the first character of the serial number reveals the country of issue instead. They are made of pure cotton fibre, giving a distinctive feel and extra durability, and are packed with security features such as watermarks, holograms, colour-shifting inks and microprinting.
In July 2023 the ECB estimated that about 29.624 billion notes were circulating, worth roughly 1.569 trillion euros. An average note lasts around three years, but the spread is enormous: 5-euro notes wear out in under a year, while 500s, rarely handled, survive over 30 years on average.
In November 2012 the ECB announced a second design, the Europa series, starting with the 5-euro note, whose low denominations carry an extra coating to last longer. The new series has no 500-euro note, because the bank decided to stop producing it permanently over fears that it could help illicit activity.
Source: Euro banknotes
