Schwyz

---

Swiss heraldry portal

This page is part of the Swiss heraldry portal	Heraldry of the World
Swiss civic heraldry: National Arms Arms of cantons Arms of cities and towns Swiss heraldic literature Total pages in the Swiss section : 13,282 of which images : 6,865	Other heraldry: Ecclesiastical heraldry Military heraldry Heraldic postcards Heraldic stamps Collector's items Institutional heraldry Educational heraldry Corporate heraldry Personal arms

SCHWYZ (Canton and City)

Boroughs/villages in the city: Rickenbach

Official blazon

In Rot ein silbernes Kreuzchen im linken Obereck.

Origin/meaning

The arms of Schwyz canton and city are identical and are based on the oldest arms, and banner, of the inner part of the present canton. The oldest known description of the arms dates from 1481, when it is described as a red shield. The cross first appears on the seal of the district in 1729, and later on coins issued in 1730. Until the beginning of the 19^th century the cross was placed in the upper right corner, ever since in the left corner.

The cross is a simplified version of the scene of the crucifixion of Jesus, which was often placed in the upper left corner of the banner. The arms were formally described and adopted in 1815, but the size of the cross was not described. This has resulted in images with very small to very large crosses, until, in 1963, the size of the cross was finally determined.

The arms on a 16th century coin	The arms on a 1629 coin
The arms on a 1730 coin	The arms on a 1810 coin
The arms on a 1844 coin	The arms in the Wapen- en Vlaggenboek van Gerrit Hesman (1708)

Variations of the arms in the Kaffee Hag albums 1914-1960

The seals of Schyz did not show the arms, but the patron saint, St. Martin of Tours, see below.

The first seal (used from 1281)	The second seal (used from 1351)
The third seal (used from the 16th century)

Template:Ch1 Template:Media1

Literature : Mühlmann, L. : Wappen und Fahnen der Schweiz, Bühler Verlag, Lengnau, 1977 and 1997.