The reign of long-serving Emperor Franz Joseph I was a time of great innovation and discovery. Tasked with finding the Northeast Passage and reaching the North Pole, the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition set sail on the Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff in summer 1872, but the ship became trapped in pack ice for several weeks during which it came across the archipelago. With characteristic detail, this scene forms the background. The world’s largest land predator, the fearsome polar bear, features in the foreground along with its cute and cuddly cub, whose acquaintance can now be made at the world’s oldest zoo.

Designer: Thomas Pesendorfer

Depicts the coats of arms of Austria's nine provinces encircling the number "5". The nine sides of the coin symbolize those nine provinces.

Designer: Helmut Andexlinger