Passau
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Country: Germany  State: Bayern  District (Kreis): Free urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt) |
| German | In Silber ein steigender roter Wolf. |
| English | Silver, a wolf rampant Gules. |
Origin/meaning
The arms show the wolf, taken from the arms of the Bishops and the State of Passau. The oldest known seals of the city date from the 14th century and show St. Stephanus sitting on a throne. In front of him there is a small shield with the wolf.
From 1460 onwards the wolf is used as a single symbol on seals and in the arms of the city. The first time the wolf is mentioned as the arms of the city is older, from 1402. In the Roll of Arms from Arlberg the arms are shown as they are today.
In the 16th century a helmet and crest were added. The crest shows an arm holding a stone, the symbol of St. Stephanus. These are not very often used.
Similarly, to distinguish the arms of city and diocese, in 1605 a blue bend was added to the city arms, but this addition was soon after removed again. Still, even in 1910 an image with the bend appeared.
Although the arms thus basically never changed, the shape of the wolf has varied considerably, as can be seen from the images below.
Image gallery
The oldest seal of the city
The city seal in 1425
The arms in the Armorial Jörg Rügen (1495)
The arms in the late 15th century
The arms in a manuscript +/- 1530
The arms in a manuscript 1550-1700
The arms in a manuscript from 1584
The arms in a manuscript from 1576
The arms in a 16th century manuscript
The arms in the Armorial Ribeaupierre (16th century)
The arms with the bend by Siebmacher (1605)
The arms by Tyroff (1835)
Seal from around 1900
The arms in an album from around 1910
City stamp as used in 1922
The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925
The arms in the Kurmark Wappenschau album from 1929
The arms in the Abadie albums, 1930s
The arms in an album from around 1950
The arms on a 1960s matchox label
The arms in an album from 1968
The arms on the city hall
Postal cancellation 1947
Postal cancellation 1979
Postal cancellation 1989
Postal cancellation 1994
Postal cancellation 2016
Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes.
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