Zoutleeuw

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of Belgium - Belgische Gemeentewapens / Armorial de Belgique

ZOUTLEEUW

Province : Vlaams Brabant
Additions : 1971 Helen-Bos; 1977 Budingen, Halle-Booienhoven (1971 Dormaal)

Official blazon

(1841) Een zwart veld, met eenen gulden leeuw met roode klauwen en tong, het bovenste bezet ook met rood.
(1988) In sabel een leeuw van goud, geklauwd en getongd van keel met een opgenaaid schildhoofd van hetzelfde.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on July 31, 1841 and again on October 5, 1988.

The lion in the arms is the lion of Brabant, as the village historically belonged to Brabant, and the in 1213 the Dukes of Brabant granted several privileges to Zoutleeuw. The lion thus appeared on the oldest seal of the town, dating from 1248. In 1424 it was mentioned in a document that the arms showed a lion and a plain red chief. Whether the chief was added simply to distinguish the arms form those of Brabant, or that it was added as a symbol for the courage and the blood spilled by the inhabitants to defend Brabant is not known. The chief also appeared on the seal from 1640 and the arms thus have not changed since.

Some seals of Zoutleeuw :

The seal from 1248	The seal from 1355	The seal from 1405
The seal from 1518		The seal from 1624

In the 16th century some other variations of the arms are used; in a roll of arms from 1560-1570 the rms are shown as divided from red and black, with a demi-lion in the upper half. And in anothe rbook the chief was shown in silver with a blue lion again in the chief.