Norway on Thailand’s 100-Baht Banknote

The most recognized image in Thailand was taken in a small Norwegian town.

Millions of people in Thailand use the 100-baht banknote every day — to pay for noodles, grab a bus ride, or shop at a market. It’s one of the country’s most circulated bills, familiar to everyone. But almost no one outside Thailand knows where one of its central images was taken.

Look closely at the lower left corner on the back of the note. That scene — a king in a car, surrounded by officials — was photographed in Notodden, Norway, in 1907.

The king in the car is Chulalongkorn of Siam (now Thailand). The man driving? Sam Eyde, a Norwegian engineer and industrial pioneer, founder of Norsk Hydro.

"There!" says Laila, pointing to the image featured on Thailand’s most widely used banknote for years. Few realize it was taken in Norway.

A royal journey for knowledge
King Chulalongkorn wasn’t just a ceremonial figurehead. He was a visionary, determined to modernize Siam without falling under Western colonial control — unlike nearly every country in Southeast Asia at the time.

In 1907, he embarked on a private yet influential tour of Europe. Among his stops was Norway, a newly independent country with growing industrial power based on hydropower.

In Notodden, the king met Sam Eyde, who demonstrated how electricity could turn air and water into synthetic fertilizer — and fuel the growth of entire communities.

Chulalongkorn was so impressed that he ordered one ton of Norwegian fertilizer (Norgesalpeter) to be tested in Thai agriculture. This wasn’t symbolic diplomacy — it was the beginning of real technological exchange.

The image shows King Chulalongkorn with two princes in a car, driven by Sam Eyde. The photo was taken during the king’s 1907 visit to Notodden, and over 100 years later, became part of Thailand’s 100-baht banknote.

A photograph that became a national symbol
The photo — the king in an open Mercedes, two princes beside him, Sam Eyde at the wheel — was taken outside Norsk Hydro’s administration building in Notodden.

More than a century later, it was chosen as one of the main images on the reverse side of the 100-baht banknote, issued in 2018 as part of a series honoring Thailand’s Chakri dynasty kings.

Not because it’s beautiful, but because it tells a larger story: about modernization, technology, mutual respect, and a quiet encounter in a small Norwegian town that would help shape a nation’s future.

A friendship that endures
When Norway became independent in 1905, Thailand was among the first countries to recognize it. That laid the foundation for formal diplomatic ties — and for a royal visit that would become historic.

In 1960, Thailand opened its embassy in Oslo, and that same year, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit visited Norway. Since then, relations between the two countries have been peaceful and grounded in mutual respect rather than politics.

Today, about 28,000 Thai nationals live in Norway, and hundreds of thousands of Norwegians consider Thailand their second home. But few know the deeper history behind that connection — one that began not with tourism or trade, but with a king, a car, and a shared belief in progress.

More than just a banknote
Laila, who grew up in Thailand, holds a 100-baht bill and points to the image. She does so to highlight something many overlook — a moment frozen in ink, linking her homeland to a place few have heard of.

A photo from 1907. A king. A car. A meeting of minds between East and West.

Printed onto a currency note that circulates through every corner of Thailand, yet rooted in a brief moment on Norwegian soil.

In 2025, Thailand and Norway mark 120 years of diplomatic relations — a friendship built on trust, curiosity, and a quiet respect that has endured for generations.