Alsfeld

	ALSFELD Country: Germany State: Hessen District (Kreis): Vogelsbergkreis (until 1975 Alsfeld) Additions:(to see click on expand) 1972 Altenburg 1972 Angenrod 1972 Berfa 1972 Billertshausen 1972 Eifa 1972 Elbenrod 1972 Eudorf 1972 Fischbach 1972 Hattendorf 1972 Heidelbach 1972 Leusel 1972 Liederbach 1972 Lingelbach 1972 Münch-Leusel 1972 Reibertenrod 1972 Schwabenrod Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":50.750799999999998135535861365497112274169921875,"lon":9.266600000000000392219590139575302600860595703125,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
German	Auf blauem Feld einen aufgerichteten, rechtsgewendeten, golden gekrönten und golden bewehrten, roten Löwen; rechts ein Schwert mit silberner Schneide und goldenem Griff.
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms show the lion of Hessen with the sword as a symbol of justice. The oldest seal of the city dates from around 1234 and shows the Count of Hessen as judge, with the sword in one hand and a shield with the arms of Hessen in the other.

The present combination of lion and sword appears in the late 14^th century on a smaller seal of the city. This seal showed the arms of Hessen/Thüringen with above the shield the crest with two horns and besides the shield a sword. This seal has been used from 1379-1707. In a fries in the city dating from 1565 the arms with the lion and crest appear, but the sword is placed just beside the shield, not as part of the arms itself.

From the 17^th century the colours are known, as three different 17^th century sources all mention a red lion on blue.From 1720 onwards the sword is also placed on the shield; both versions co-exist beside each other for a long time.

In the late 19^th century Hupp placed the sword on the shield (as was more common practice by the city at the time), but showed the lion as the barred/striped lion of Hessen, not the red lion. Only in 1972 the arms were officially described after the municipal mergers.

The municipality still sometimes uses the large arms, with helmet and crest.

Image gallery

The seal from 1234
The seal from 1379-1707
The seal from ??
The arms in a manuscript from +/- 1730
The arms in 1867
The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925
The arms in the city (image Klaas Padberg Everboer)
The large arms

Heraldic Bibliography:Brockhausen, 1972

This page is part of the German heraldry portal Deutsche Wappensammlung	Heraldry of the World
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