SWITZERLAND. Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (Swiss Confederation). 1848-present. Medal 1871 (Bronze, 71 mm, 172.00 g, 12 h), on the hospitality of Switzerland for the Armée de l'Est. By A. Borell. HELVETIÆ - HOSPITI France, personified by a standing Gaul, shaking hands with Helvetica, shields on either side, a column between them inscribed HELVETIÆ / FINES. Rev. 1er. FÉVRIER / 1871 within wreath. Collignon 612. Stroehlin III, 5670 var. (in silver). Tiny spots and minor marks, otherwise, extremely fine.



The internment of the Bourbaki Army in 1871 was a dramatic episode during the closing stages of the Franco-Prussian War. In early 1871, during the final phase of this war, General Bourbaki’s Eastern Army faced defeat and encirclement near the Swiss border. After a failed attempt to break the German lines and relieve Belfort, the exhausted, starving, and demoralized army left with no option but to flee into neutral Switzerland.

On 1 February 1871, around 87,000 French soldiers crossed the border and were interned by the Swiss. In an extraordinary display of neutrality and compassion, Switzerland disarmed and cared for the troops, distributing them across various cantons. This large-scale internment marked a significant moment in humanitarian history and reinforced Switzerland’s role as a neutral state.