Owner Comments:
Purchased on 10/7/2012.
Mintage 60,000 pieces.
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From the middle of the 19th Century, National Exhibitions were held in Switzerland every few years, as trade and industrial fairs, to showcase Swiss arts, architecture, and the latest commercial products. The 1939 National Exhibition, was different though.
With the rise of the Nazi government in Germany in the 1930's, Switzerland had already taken measures to demonstrate its national independence to its German and Italian neighbors. From 1934 to 1936, a museum to house the 1291 Federal Charter was built. In 1937, monuments to the exploits of the legendary hero of Swiss nationalism and independence, William Tell, were restored. These actions were designed to demonstrate the resolve of Switzerland to defend its freedom and independence.
By 1939, with the annexations of Czechoslovakia and Austria by the Third Reich, Switzerland was the only independent, predominately German speaking country remaining in Europe. The Swiss knew that the trans-Alpine transportation routes through their country would be a prime target, in the event of a large scale war in Europe. They had faced much larger foes in their long history, but they were unsure of how they would fare in a struggle utilizing modern weapons of war. In fact, there is evidence that Germany was developing secret plans for the invasion of Switzerland at that time.
The threat of Nazism added a new dimension to the 1939 National Exhibition. The "Landi 1939", held from May 6 through October 29, is now remembered as an expression of "spiritual national defense". The themes of the exhibition, "homeland and people", "our raw materials", "processing and sales", "distribution", and "culture of the spirit and the body" showed the balance between an economic industrial fair and a national self-statement. There was also a pavilion featuring the Swiss Army, and the Swiss Army was actually mobilized, a month before the end of the exhibition, when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
The exhibition was an overwhelming success. 10.5 million visitors paid admission and attended the exhibition. Considering Switzerland only had a population of 4.2 million at the time, the public support was truly incredible. The exhibition became more of a pilgrimage for patriotic-minded Swiss, rather than a commercial event.