February 13, 1997. Copyright, 1997, Graphic News. All rights reserved

BRIDGES BLUNDER ON EURO BANKNOTES
By Julie Mullins

LONDON, February 13, Graphic News- An unfortunate blunder over the design of the new Euro banknotes has given the EU yet another headache on the rocky road to European Monetary Union.
Banknote designers from all 15 member states were asked to submit designs for the notes, with a firm instruction to steer clear at all costs of any image that might possibly arouse age-old national rivalries.
The winning designs, from Austria, featured bridges and windows which, according to the competition judges, symbolised Ôthe openness and cooperation of the unionÕ.
When the notes were unveiled in December last year, officials were keen to stress that the bridges were imaginary, but, as it turns out, five of the seven have been positively identified.
Russ Swan, editor of the British magazine ÔBridge Design and EngineeringÕ, recognised illustrations from a widely available book on bridge construction throughout history. One shows an ancient boat bridge from India: turbanned figures standing on the shore have been replaced on the five Euro note by the map of Europe.
The 10 Euro note features a Roman aqueduct from Segovia, in central Spain, while the 50 portrays one of the worldÕs most famous spans, the Rialto Bridge in Venice, minus its upper arcade but with distinctive brickwork clearly identifiable.
ParisÕs Pont de Neuilly, on the 100 Euro note, was the first to arouse Mr SwanÕs suspicions. Boats under the first and third spans, and horsedrawn traffic on top, were identical.
And the clincher came with the 500 note. The Pont de Normandie, near Le Havre, is just two years old and extremely well known in the bridge world. Mr Swan contacted the designer, a personal friend, who confirmed that yes, that was his design, compressed 25 per cent horizontally.
Russ Swan is uncertain as to the identity of the two remaining bridges but has thrown down a challenge to his readership Ð leading bridge designers and engineers worldwide Ð to come up with the answer. He doesnÕt expect it to take longÉ
All of which is more than a little embarrassing for the Eurocrats and might even threaten to delay the onset of EMU. If the notes have to be redesigned from scratch, there could be some very red faces all round.

Sources: BBC, Russ Swan, ÔBridges Ð 3,000 Years of Defying NatureÕ by David J Brown