5 Francs Anniversary of the Confederation

The oath depicted on the obverse of the coin ("Rütlischwur" in German), is the legendary oath taken by the representatives of the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. It is named for the location where it took place, Rütli, a meadow above Lake Uri, near Seelisberg. The three oath-takers were Wilhelm Tell from Uri, Stouffacher from Schwytz, and Erni from Underwalden. The scene on the obverse was first depicted on a thaler issued around 1546 and designed by medallist Jacob Stampfer, which dates the event to 1296. In Ernst Suter's interpretation, the figure on the left is holding a rifle representing the modern date, while the figure on the right is holding a crossbow, representing the date of the event.

The Latin inscription on the reverse is a quote from the founding document of the Swiss Confederation.

The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance ("Bundesbrief" in German) is one of the earliest constitutional documents of Switzerland. A treaty of alliance from 1291 between the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, the Charter is one of a series of alliances from which the Old Swiss Confederacy emerged. The Charter is considered the founding document of Switzerland. The Charter confirms the Eternal Alliance or League of the Three Forest Cantons ("Ewiger Bund der Drei Waldstätten" in German), three cantons in modern-day central Switzerland. It is dated to early August 1291. The date of the Swiss National Day, 1 August, commemorates this event. Written in Latin, the Charter makes reference to a previous (lost or unwritten) pact.