Special coin
Lake Geneva
On 19 March 2026, Swissmint issued the third coin in the “Swiss lakes” series, the “Lake Geneva” special coin.
About Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva, known in French as “Lac Léman”, is both France’s and Switzerland’s largest lake. It lies on the border between French-speaking Switzerland and the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The south-western tip of the lake belongs to the Swiss canton of Geneva, the northern shore to the Swiss canton of Vaud, and the southern shore largely to the French department of Haute-Savoie. In addition, a small section of the eastern southern shore belongs to the canton of Valais. The lake is divided into the Haut Lac, Grand Lac and Petit Lac.
Lake Geneva is not only France’s and Switzerland’s largest lake, it is also the second-largest and most water-rich lake in Central Europe as well as the deepest lake in France.
It covers an area of 580.03 km², of which 345.29 km² (59.53 %) lies within Swiss territory and 234.74 km² (40.47 %) within French territory. The main tributary of Lake Geneva is the Rhône, which flows into the lake via a delta near Le Bouveret. The second most important tributary is the Dranse, followed by the Venoge and the Aubonne. The Rhône flows out of Lake Geneva near Geneva, with the
water from all tributaries taking an average of 10.4 years to pass through.
Image source: © Switzerland Tourism
Obverse
Lake Geneva glistens motionless, fitting naturally into the coin’s design. The landscapes are outlined with contour lines running towards the edge of the coin. Concentrated in a small area are Geneva (Switzerland’s second-largest city), Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, Nyon, Thonon-les-Bains and Évian-les-Bains, as well as landmarks such as Chillon Castle and the Jet d’eau in Geneva.
Reverse
The reverse of all the special coins in the “Swiss lakes” series features a striking graphic symbolising Switzerland’s role as Europe’s water reservoir. Around the edge of the coin is the face value of 20 francs, the inscription “CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA”, the minting year 2026 and the mint mark B for Swissmint.
