Who was Helvetia, the woman who is the national personification of Switzerland?

A long time ago, before your grandparents’ grandparents were alive, the Helvetians, or Helvetic Celts, were the first known people to settle what we now call Switzerland. Eventually, the Romans—being the Romans—conquered the area under Julius Caesar in 58 BC, and it became part of a Roman province.

After 5 centuries of rule by the Romans—ruling anything for 10 years is impressive, let alone 5 centuries—the province eventually broke away from Rome and attacked it. Bite the hand that feeds you, so the saying goes.

That was one stone that led to the eventual division and rule of Switzerland by various groups. Western Switzerland was ruled by the Burgundians, eventually becoming the French-speaking Romandie, while people in the larger eastern half speak variants of Alemannic German, and Raetia maintained its Roman traditions where a Latin dialect, Romansh, is spoken to this day. However, the original Celtic roots remain a strong part of present-day Swiss heritage.

There were various female figures represented in art created by Swiss artists, and from that company, Helvetia was formed. She is a symbol of ideals represented in a fictional woman that the country could align behind.

Her image is displayed even today on the ½, 1, and 2 franc coins.