Ratingen

RATINGEN

State : Nordrhein-Westfalen
District (Kreis) : Mettmann
Additions : 1975 Breitscheid, Eggerscheidt, Hasselbeck-Schwarzbach (partly), Homberg-Meiersberg, Hösel, Lintorf

Official blazon

German	blazon wanted
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on December 30, 1909.

Ratingen became a city in 1276 and the oldest seal dates from the same time. It shows a church with the lion of the counts, later dukes, of Berg. Later seals show the same image. In 1430 the present arms appear on the seal above the church. The wheel may be a canting element (Rad = wheel), the lion is still the lion of Berg. The arms never changed afterwards, even though the number of spokes in the wheel has differed (see also below).

In the late 19th century the seal of the city, however, showed the wheel being held by the lion, see image below.

Seal from around 1900	Seal from around 1910
The arms in the Abadie albums	The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925

Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes.

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