Coat of arms of Berlin
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms
of Berlin
is used by the German
city state as well as the city itself, while Berlin's various boroughs use their own emblems. The bear was not the original symbol of the city, but instead had to 'struggle' to establish its place as such. For many centuries, the bear shared the spotlight with the eagles of Brandenburg and Prussia on Berlin's coats of arms and seals.
and later their personal coat of arms to seal official documents such as covenants or orders. A seal or coat of arms was usually awarded by the sovereign. Berlin
and Cölln
(not to be confused with Cologne
) as well as the surrounding cities of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
were governed by the Brandenburg Margrave
s, whose symbol was the red eagle.
The oldest preserved and known seal of Berlin is from 1253. It depicts the Brandenburg Eagle
spreading its wings in a clover
-shaped arch
way. The text on the seal is SIGILLVM DE BERLIN BVRGENSIVM (seal of Berlin's citizens). It supposedly was the seal of Berlin's first mayor
Marsilius.
The usual coat of arms, in use in different styles until the year 1920, showed the Prussian eagle in the first field, the eagle of Brandenburg in the second field and the bear in the third field.
Berlin’s citizens, however, wanted their own symbol and coat of arms. How or why they chose the bear
remains unknown. Most likely they were thinking of Albrecht I, nicknamed "the bear", who is considered to have been the conqueror and founder of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Another possibility is that Berliners decided on "speaking" arms since the first syllable of Berlin sounds like "Bär" (bear), although the two are not etymologically related. In medieval times "speaking" or canting arms
were a favorite; people tried to depict names by use of phonetically similar symbols or rebus
es. The name "Berlin" was created when slavic
tribes settled in the area and means "place at the swamp
" or "in a swampy area". Actually, a pearl
may have been a more likely choice for canting arms given that the Middle High German
word for pearl is "berle". Middle High German was the language spoken at the time and, indeed, pearls were often used in coats of arms.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
is used by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
city state as well as the city itself, while Berlin's various boroughs use their own emblems. The bear was not the original symbol of the city, but instead had to 'struggle' to establish its place as such. For many centuries, the bear shared the spotlight with the eagles of Brandenburg and Prussia on Berlin's coats of arms and seals.
State Coats of Arms
After the formation of the constitution of Berlin, the bear became the animal of coats of arms and seals. The state coat of arms depicted, in a silver (white) shield, a red armed and red tongued, upright, grunting bear.History
When more and more cities were being founded in the 12th and 13th centuries, cities wanted official sealsSeal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
and later their personal coat of arms to seal official documents such as covenants or orders. A seal or coat of arms was usually awarded by the sovereign. Berlin
Alt-Berlin
Alt-Berlin , also named Altberlin, is a neighbourhood , situated in the Berliner locality of Mitte, part of the homonymous borough. In the 13th century it was the sister town of the old Cölln, located on the northern Spree Island in the Margraviate of Brandenburg...
and Cölln
Cölln
In the 13th century Cölln was the sister town of Old Berlin , located on the southern Spree Island in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Today the island is located in the historic core of the central Mitte locality of modern Berlin...
(not to be confused with Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
) as well as the surrounding cities of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
were governed by the Brandenburg Margrave
Margrave
A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...
s, whose symbol was the red eagle.
The oldest preserved and known seal of Berlin is from 1253. It depicts the Brandenburg Eagle
Coat of arms of Brandenburg
This article is about the coat of arms of the German state of Brandenburg.- History :According to tradition, the Märkischer Adler , or red eagle of the March of Brandenburg, was adopted by Margrave Gero in the 10th century. Gustav A. Seyler states that the Ascanian Albert the Bear was the originator...
spreading its wings in a clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
-shaped arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
way. The text on the seal is SIGILLVM DE BERLIN BVRGENSIVM (seal of Berlin's citizens). It supposedly was the seal of Berlin's first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Marsilius.
Berlin’s citizens, however, wanted their own symbol and coat of arms. How or why they chose the bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
remains unknown. Most likely they were thinking of Albrecht I, nicknamed "the bear", who is considered to have been the conqueror and founder of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Another possibility is that Berliners decided on "speaking" arms since the first syllable of Berlin sounds like "Bär" (bear), although the two are not etymologically related. In medieval times "speaking" or canting arms
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
were a favorite; people tried to depict names by use of phonetically similar symbols or rebus
Rebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
es. The name "Berlin" was created when slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
tribes settled in the area and means "place at the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
" or "in a swampy area". Actually, a pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
may have been a more likely choice for canting arms given that the Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
word for pearl is "berle". Middle High German was the language spoken at the time and, indeed, pearls were often used in coats of arms.