---
title: "What is on Eurozone's banknotes?"
description: "The Euro: who is on each denomination, what was withdrawn and why, what the notes are printed on, and whether the sizes differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/banknote/eurozone/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is on the money in Eurozone?

**The money in Eurozone: Euro (EUR, €)**

6 denominations in issue · Cotton and linen, not wood pulp

Every building on a euro note is invented. Real bridges and arches were rejected because using any would have favoured the country they stand in, so the designer produced generic examples of each architectural period instead. In 2013 a Dutch designer, Robin Stam, built all seven bridges as real structures in Spijkenisse, so the fictional architecture now physically exists in the Netherlands. The Europa series, introduced from 2013, added a portrait of the mythological Europa in the watermark and hologram.

## Who and what is on each note

| Note | Who or what is on it | Colour |
| --- | --- | --- |
| €5 | Classical architecture — fictional | Grey |
| €10 | Romanesque architecture — fictional | Red |
| €20 | Gothic architecture — fictional | Blue |
| €50 | Renaissance architecture — fictional | Orange |
| €100 | Baroque and rococo architecture — fictional | Green |
| €200 | Iron and glass architecture — fictional | Yellow-brown |

## The unusual part

The only major currency whose designs are deliberately of nothing real, for political reasons.

## Notes that were withdrawn

| Note | When | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| €500 | 2019 | Issuance stopped on the grounds that it facilitated crime — it was worth enough that a briefcase could hold millions. Existing notes remain legal tender indefinitely. |

## The practical facts

- **Currency:** Euro — ISO code EUR, symbol €
- **Printed on:** Cotton and linen, not wood pulp
- **Survives a wash?:** Usually. Cotton and linen notes tear rather than dissolve, and generally survive a wash.
- **Can a blind person tell them apart?:** Yes — the denominations differ in size, which is the simplest and most reliable tactile cue there is.
- **Highest note in issue:** €200 — Iron and glass architecture — fictional

> This page describes the notes rather than showing them. Reproducing a banknote image is restricted in most jurisdictions, and the restrictions differ between them.

## Common questions

### Who is on the money in Eurozone?

€5: Classical architecture — fictional. €10: Romanesque architecture — fictional. €20: Gothic architecture — fictional. €50: Renaissance architecture — fictional. €100: Baroque and rococo architecture — fictional. €200: Iron and glass architecture — fictional.

### Are Eurozone's banknotes polymer or paper?

Cotton and linen, not wood pulp.

### Why was the €500 withdrawn?

Issuance stopped on the grounds that it facilitated crime — it was worth enough that a briefcase could hold millions. Existing notes remain legal tender indefinitely. (2019.)

## Related pages

- [The money in United States](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/united-states/)
- [The money in United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/united-kingdom/)
- [The money in India](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/india/)
- [The money in Japan](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/japan/)
- [The money in Zimbabwe](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/zimbabwe/)
- [The money in Australia](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/australia/)
- [The money in Canada](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/canada/)
- [The money in China](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/china/)
- [The money in Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/switzerland/)
- [The money in South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/south-africa/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)