Coat of arms of Bremen

November 17, 1891: Notice of the Senate

October 21, 1947: Verfassungsbeschluss1

April 16, 1948: Erlass2

The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen today leads the Bremer key as a small, a medium and a large coat of arms.

Description

The coat of arms of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen shows on a red background a diagonally heraldic right upright, with the beard facing left silver key Gothic shape with four passiger Ride ( "Bremer key "). The escutcheon is placed a golden crown, showing above the bejeweled hoop five tines in sheet form. ( "Medium coat of arms "). When small arms of the key is only displayed without crown. The large coat of arms has, however, beyond even a console or a band-like pedestal on which the shield rests. The shield is supported by two upright backward -looking lion with his front paws.

History

The emergence of the Bremen coat of arms as a key emblem can be traced through the development of the city seal. The earliest tradition of a seal of the city of Bremen dates from the 13th century, first mentioned it in 1229, but with high probability there existed some time earlier. It was formed when the Bremer Council ( it is the first time in 1225 is in a document ) independently wanted to enter into contracts, so with the Rüstringer Friesen 1220. Fact that the Council itself grew a seal, a sign of his status as a legal body and proves the increasing independence of the citizenry against the bishop.

You can see on this first Bremen Town Seal left a bishop with miter and in his right a crook (since 780, the city was seat of the bishop), and on the right an emperor with crown and orb in his left hand, holding on to the Bremen Cathedral. Between the two crenellated city wall can be seen with the Tordurchlass in the middle. These are the two undoubtedly Willehad and Charlemagne, as the medieval tradition ascribes to them the origin of the town and the cathedral. The inscription of the seal is SIGILLVM BREMENSIS CIVITATIS (Latin seal of the city of Bremen '). As a result of conflicts between the Council and guilds within the city, but also with Albert II of Brunswick -Lüneburg, the then Archbishop of Bremen, which was sold on June 28, 1366 by the citizenry and Count Konrad von Oldenburg out of town, the hallmarks of this well the first seal was destroyed in 1366. The Council held on the August 9, 1366 stated: " Unde dat inghezegel lete wy ok enttwey slan, do it only in our wolt wedder quam " ( the seal we could also hew, as it came back into our power ).

Immediately after the destruction of the old, a new seal was introduced in 1366. Then sat on the left of the emperor with a crown, scepter and orb and right of St. Peter with the tiara, the Papsthut, in his right hand a sword and in the left a key. The form of presentation is based on the commonly used at this time seal the Bremen cathedral chapter with the Madonna and Child with St. Peter, sitting together on a bench. The desire for freedom of Bremer comes through the turn away from Bishop clearly expressed: The Emperor left takes the important place and the bishop, who stood for the old archiepiscopal city gentlemen, is replaced by the patron saint of Peter as an apostle of Christ and predecessor of the Popes. This seal was used over 460 years, in modern times primarily was the sealing of real estate transactions until the December 19, 1833 its job quite lost by the adoption of a new heritage and hand fixed order and delivered by the High Court to the State Archives. It is now in the archive.

During the Great Seal always showed bishop and ruler, could be seen on the small St. Peter with the keys. Already on the small secretion seal used since 1366 Peter enthroned to see on a first time appearing blazon with the key. Since 1369, when the archbishop of the city pledged to mint money, the key appears to Bremer coins, and later to city views.

So the key Bremer comes as an attribute of Peter, the patron saint of the Bremen Cathedral. It is the " primrose ", derived from the biblical quotation "I will give you the keys of the kingdom ". The coat of arms of Bremen variants on coins: Even the Archbishop of Bremen led a key coat of arms, but mostly in the variant with double crossed keys; only on his coins he had largely set the single key, but with the since 1369 to urban and episcopal coins common characteristic deviating beard shape (mirrored double -S). Exactly this was further used long, had also taken over since 1541 the city finally to mint money from the archdiocese. It was not until 1634, when the operational management of Bremen coinage passed from the master of the mint on the Council also took the coin images key to permanently his " official" form (Bart at four times the curl ).

The colors of the coat of arms were those of the Hanseatic League and the Old Kingdom: red and white. Shield-bearers are usually found only from the 16th century, but angels as shield-bearers were already shown in the 1405 Peter cheek of the Council stalls. After the Reformation, in the second half of the 16th century, the angel used until then were gradually replaced by lions consistently apply after 1650 their heads outward. 1617 also a helmet has been added, which should be omitted after the Senate's resolution of 1651, yet unofficial representations remained very popular in 1891 officially sanctioned again and still adorns the flag coat of arms. The crown on the coat of arms dates from the 17th century.

The coat of arms in 1811 was changed fundamentally by Napoleon. This is the only coat of arms of Bremen, in which distinguished the colors of the past. It was in a red shield main three golden bees, including gold in a black key. Napoleon I had in 1804 made the bee to its heraldic animal in order to represent his Frankish tradition. Representations of bees had been found in 1653 in Tournal at the grave of Childeric I, the Merovingian dynasty founded the 457. They are therefore the oldest symbol of France and are available for immortality and rebirth. Bremen had to deal with 50 other cities in this " award," which cost a lot of money, add. In addition, red and gold colors of the coat of arms of the Buonaparte family.

The coat of arms Regulation of 1891, the Bremen coat of arms is described as " by an obliquely erect to the right with the beard linkshin facing silver key Gothic form in a red shields ".

Bremen since then has both a small, medium, and large coat of arms. The latter is found for example on the sleeves of the Bremen Police Department officials. In addition, a flag coat of arms exists. In this form it was the Great Coat of Arms of Bremen in the German Reich. Today it can be seen only on flags and the Seal of the President of the Senate.

The Bremen districts not result than non-urban units not own coat of arms, at least in the official, administrative matter, so are more local symbols.

Medium coat of arms

Large coat of arms

Flag Coat of Arms

Brand

Offenders was often branded with a hot iron, the Bremen coat of arms key. 1820 branding in Bremen was banned.

Use protection

Coats of arms are generally protected for the free use, ie their use requires a special permit. Thus, published in Hamburg weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT, the emblem of Hamburg in the header of the first edition (February 1946) to issue No. 13 (May 1946) used after the founding of the newspaper. However, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg refused to subsequent approval. THE TIME turned to Bremen's mayor Wilhelm Kaisen, which allowed the use of the Bremen coat of arms on June 10, 1946. TIME uses the Bremer key and the golden crown today.

Today customize many cities and countries so-called coat of arms, which are not subject to this special protection, but may be used freely. This is also one exists for the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. However, these coats of arms do not have the status of a coat of arms.

Key and coat of arms as a symbol of identity

Company: The Bremer key being or has been used by various businesses logo or as part of the logo: Kaiser brewery Beck & Co: From 1876, the then Emperor Brauerei Beck & Co ( Beck's ) used the Bremer key from the crest as a trademark. Later, the company changed its logo and today uses a trademark which is not in the blazon of the Bremen coat of arms. The key has it no more and Gothic form is from the perspective of the observer is tilted to the right ( heraldic terms so tilted diagonally to the left with the beard to the right).
North German Lloyd: tilted to the left as on the original coat of arms is found the key in the logos of the North German Lloyd
Beilken: The sailmaker Beilken used since the foundation in 1919 the Bremer key as a corporate symbol.
Louis Delius & Co.: The trading house, established in 1832, also used the Bremer key as logos.
Public Insurance Bremen: The ÖVB uses the Bremer key in the coat of arms.
Schünemann Publisher: Signet In the Schünemann publishing the key is surrounded by a fracture S.
The time: the Hamburg weekly Die Zeit used since 1946, with permission from the mayor Wilhelm Kaisen the Bremer key on its front page.

Other

Since Bremen previously disposed over a long time over a fairly large territory, other communities possess Bremen coat of arms elements, such as the municipality of Hagen in Bremen in the district of Cuxhaven, whose key symbol is derived from the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Bremen.

Historical coat of arms of the Bishopric of Bremen

Historical coat of arms of the kingdom territory of Bremen - Verden

Coat of arms of Bremen command of the Bundeswehr. On it, the small coat of arms, the flag of Bremen and the Federal service flag are united.

Use in flags

Since variants of the Bremen coat of arms whatsoever ( with the exception of pure bacon flag ) were part of the Bremen flag and, the coat of arms was also always use in federally or officially used flag variants.

Seedienstflagge (1893-1921)

Service flag of the pilot administration (1895-1918)

Service flag of the customs administration (1895-1918)

Seedienstflagge (1921-1933)

Service flag of the customs administration (1921-1933)

Seedienstflagge (1933-1935)

State service flag of Bremen shipping ( 1952)

Seedienstflagge (1891-1892)

National Flag of the German Empire

Current state flag (bacon Flag without Coat of Arms)

Current service flag with a medium coat of arms

Current state flag with a large coat of arms (Senate flag )