Coat of arms of the Republic of Austria

Coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (federal coat of arms)
Versions
Version of the federal coat of arms that does not correspond to the coat of arms law, based on the heraldic description of Art. 8a para. 3 B-VG with detailed plumage according to the coat of arms law and in the colors black and yellow for heraldic gold
Version of the federal coat of arms that does not correspond to the coat of arms law, as it is often used, based on the heraldic description of Art. 8a Para. 3 Federal Constitutional Law with a simplified version of the plumage of the coat of arms eagle and in the colors black and yellow for heraldic gold
Details
Alternative names	colloquial: "Federal Eagle"
Authorized to use the coat of arms	"The federal coat of arms carries within the meaning of this federal law, who uses it in the exercise of state functions." (§ 4 Abs. 1 WappenG)
Introduced	1981 (with BGBl. 350/1981) i. V. m. 1984 (with coat of arms law, Federal Law Gazette 159/1984)
Heraldic shield	Binding shield
Sign holder	Eagle
Other elements	Wall crown on the eagle's head, hammer (left) and sickle (right muzzle), the muzzle blasted with a broken chain
Previous versions	State coat of arms of the 1st Republic (1919–1934)

Artistically stylized, completely gold-colored figure of the heraldic eagle on a flagpole in front of the parliament

The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (federal coat of arms) is the national emblem of the Republic of Austria . The design of the coat of arms is regulated in Art. 8a, Paragraph 2 of the Federal Constitutional Law and in the Coat of Arms Law 1984 passed for its implementation. A graphic representation of the coat of arms is attached to the Coat of Arms Act 1984 as Annex 1 .

Colloquially referred to as “ federal eagle ”, this synonymous term is also used occasionally in recent judicature. The original version of the coat of arms, then known as the national coat of arms, was introduced after the proclamation of the Republic of German Austria (later the first Republic of Austria ) with the law of May 8, 1919 on the national coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German Austria (StGBl. 257/1919) the old Austrian coat of arms eagle with the red-white-red shield on its chest . In the Austro-Fascist corporate state between 1934 and 1938, the national coat of arms was replaced by a double-headed eagle as the federal coat of arms.

After the Second World War , with the resurrection of the (now) Second Republic of Austria in 1945, the state coat of arms from 1919 was slightly modified - the broken chains were added - reintroduced with a coat of arms law. With a Federal Constitutional Law of July 1, 1981 ( Federal Law Gazette No. 350/1981 ), the two coat of arms laws of 1919 and 1945 were expressly suspended and with Art. 8a B-VG a constitutional provision on the colors as red-white-red and the flag with the three stripes (para. 1) and the heraldic description of the coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (para. 2) added. In Art. 8a para. 3 B-VG it was finally stipulated that “more detailed provisions, in particular about the protection of colors and the coat of arms as well as about the seal of the republic” will be made by (simple) federal law. Thus, until such a law was passed, there was “no legal regulation on the external form of the coat of arms and the seal of the Republic of Austria”, as the government at the time stated in its government bill (page 5) for the federal law of March 28, 1984 on the coat of arms and other national emblems of the Republic of Austria (Wappengesetz) . Only when it came into force ( Federal Law Gazette No. 159/1984 ) did the republic, after almost three years of vacuum, have a federal coat of arms - also graphically announced.

description

Blazon

Blazon of the Austrian national coat of arms:

“The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (federal coat of arms) consists of a free-floating, single-headed, black, gold-armed and red-tongued eagle, the chest of which is covered with a red shield with a silver crossbar. The eagle wears a golden wall crown with three visible battlements on its head . The two fangs are surrounded by a broken iron chain. In the right muzzle he carries a golden sickle with an inwardly turned edge, in the left muzzle a golden hammer . "

- Art. 8a para. 2 B-VG (1981; in the textually unchanged version 2004)

Implemented versions

There are several variants of the coat of arms in circulation, which are essentially based on two contradicting basic assumptions, and which can be found in particular on the federal official flags (federal flags) :

1. The legally artistically designed federal coat of arms according to the Coat of Arms Act ( Federal Law Gazette No. 159/1984 ), which is graphically implemented in Annexes 1 and 2. The plumage of the eagle is detailed and in gray color, the fangs and the three symbols sickle, hammer and wall crown are shown in gold as well as the shield in red with the band in silver and the broken chain in blue-gray.
2. According to Peter Diem, this is the only correctly defined version based on the heraldic description of Art. 8a, Paragraph 2 of the Federal Constitutional Act, in which the coat of arms eagle is monochrome black and the symbols are yellow as heraldic gold, as well as the shield in red with the band in white, as the heraldic silver. The broken chain, the color of which does not appear in the heraldic description, is found in this variant mostly in gray.

Another version is derived from the "Diem variant", in which the heraldic black plumage of the eagle is shown in greatly simplified form.

symbolism

The symbols and emblems in the coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (federal coat of arms) mean:

• Coat of arms eagle: sovereignty of Austria (introduced 1919);
• Bindenschild : Emblem of Austria (high medieval, reintroduced in 1915);
• City wall crown: symbol of the bourgeoisie (introduced in 1919);
• Sickle: symbol of the peasant class (introduced in 1919);
• Hammer: symbol of the working class (introduced in 1919);
• Broken iron chain: In memory of the liberation from the National Socialist dictatorship (addition from 1945).

interpretation

Origin 1918/1919

The explanatory Appendix 202 of the Constituent National Assembly under the Renner II state government led by Social Democrats to the law of May 8, 1919 on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German-Austria can be seen that the "new" Austrian one-headed eagle is by no means "a monarchical symbol", which one could only refer to the Habsburg, previously Holy Roman coat of arms; it is “a prejudice”. Rather, as Aquila , the eagle was already "the symbol of the legions of the Roman Republic" and functions in modern times in the coats of arms of the United States of America, Mexico and Poland.

In the final sentence, however, the following is again noted as a fallback: "A certain echo of the previous state coats of arms is therefore desirable." It is expressly emphasized several times that the heraldry experts demanded that the symbols of the three estates (wall crown, Sickle and hammer) "so discreetly attached" that "they do not appear intrusive at all":

“A resolution of the State Council had envisaged an emblem that symbolically represents the three main classes of society, citizens, peasants and workers, and at the same time symbolizes the national composition of the Republic of German-Austria in the choice of the colors black, red and gold. Based on this suggestion, the former State Seal Office organized a competition from which a long series of designs emerged. The heraldry experts criticized most of these designs for being too reminiscent of the modern company logos, the protected trademarks and designs of commercial law, and they called for a coat of arms which, precisely because of its heraldic character, differs effectively from private emblems as a state emblem. The symbolism of the stands must be applied in a more discreet way than in most designs. On the basis of these professional considerations, the state government has decided to recommend this simple coat of arms, which is entirely in accordance with heraldic principles, to the Constituent National Assembly for adoption.

The eagle functions as a sign of statehood in general. The United States of North America, Mexico, and Poland use the eagle. The assumption that the eagle is a monarchical sign is a prejudice. The eagle was the symbol of the legions of the Roman Republic. It symbolizes the sovereignty of the state. The one-headed eagle has a coat of arms on its chest, the red-white-red shield is not the shield of the ruling house, nor that of the Babenbergs, but the symbol of Austria in the time of the Babenbergs and was customary even before this princely family . The three symbols sickle, hammer and wall crown are carried by the eagle. These three symbols are also familiar to heraldry and are so discreetly attached that they do not appear intrusive.

Since the coat of arms has the task of designating offices and institutions as state, it is very important that the population immediately understands and respects this badge, which is different from all other badges, as a state symbol.

A certain echo of the previous state coats of arms is therefore desirable. "

- Constituent National Assembly : Justification for the draft law on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German-Austria.

Contemporary interpretations

Politically different interpretations of the federal coat of arms have triggered discussions about the coat of arms in the past. Surveys confirm, however, that the actual symbolism of the coat of arms is widely known. On the one hand the coat of arms of the republic is interpreted as a new republican symbol, on the other hand as a modified version of the old Habsburg coat of arms. This execution is often seen as a reminiscence of the double-headed eagle of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy of the Habsburgs . According to this assumption, the one-headed eagle in the sense of the omission of the heraldic left , "Hungarian" head, indicates the omission of the eastern parts of the empire.

A head looking “westward” also finds no historical support - the issue of the East-West conflict in Europe should not have played a role in 1919. The Austrian federal states have retained the pre-republican coat of arms tradition (the coat of arms images mostly dating to the High Middle Ages, but also various symbols such as archduke and ducal hats , knightly helmets ). The black of the eagle was never up for discussion either.

Supposedly communist symbol

It has often been criticized that the symbols hammer and sickle in the claws of the heraldic eagle could be understood as the communist or Marxist-Leninist symbol hammer and sickle : while hammer and sickle are crossed in the communist symbol, in the Austrian coat of arms the symbols are wall crown, sickle and hammer (symbolizing the main classes of society, citizens, peasants and workers) arranged as a group of three.

Legal protection

The Austrian coat of arms law

Basic data
Title:	Coat of Arms Act
Long title:	Federal law of March 28, 1984 on the coat of arms and other emblems of the Republic of Austria (Wappengesetz)
Type:	Federal law
Scope:	Republic of Austria
Reference:	Federal Law Gazette No. 159/1984
Date of law:	March 28, 1984
Effective date:	April 27, 1984
Last change:	Federal Law Gazette I No. 161/2013 (effective date: January 1, 2014)
Legal text:	ris.bka
Please note the note on the applicable legal version !

The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (Bundeswappen) is, together with the colors of the Republic of Austria, the flag of the Republic of Austria, the official flag of the federal government (Bundesdienstflagge) and the seal of the Republic of Austria, in the simple federal law of March 28, 1984 on the coat of arms and other emblems of the Republic of Austria (Wappengesetz) , which also regulates the use and use of the federal coat of arms.

The design of the federal coat of arms (the blazon ) is precisely defined in Article 8a, Paragraph 2 of the Federal Constitutional Act and, as such, cannot be changed. Various authorities and organizations that are authorized to use the coat of arms nevertheless use either simplified, often heraldically “correct”, or otherwise modified forms as pictograms , usually referred to as official symbols.

The degradation of the state and its symbols in accordance with Section 248 of the Criminal Code , which also includes the federal coat of arms, are subject to special threats of punishment through criminal law provisions .

Use and use of the federal coat of arms

In the case of coats of arms , a distinction must generally be made between carrying in the sense of coat of arms law , i.e. use as personal insignia, and pure representation. § 7 Wappengesetz states:

"The use of images of the federal coat of arms, images of the flag of the Republic of Austria and the flag itself is permitted, provided that it is not suitable to simulate public authorization or to impair the reputation of the Republic of Austria."

With regard to the latter, the provisions of § 248 StGB, the degradation of the state and its symbols, apply in particular .

Section 4 of the Coat of Arms Act, on the other hand, explicitly lists who has “the right to use the federal coat of arms”, whereby the coat of arms - within the meaning of this law - “carries whoever uses it in the exercise of state functions” (Paragraph 1). They are:

1. the highest organs of the republic with the Federal President , the Presidents of the National Council and the Chairman of the Federal Council , the President and Vice-President of the Court of Auditors , the members of the Federal Government and the State Secretaries , as well as the members of the Ombudsman Board (para. 2);
2. the governors as organs of indirect federal , the authorities , offices, institutions and other departments of the federal , the Austrian Federal Forests and the Federal Army ; Also included are the universities and colleges including their Institute, the faculties, the departments and the particular university facilities, in so far as it has at least limited legal entity who, as well as the authorities of the government Monopole (para. 3);
3. corporations under public law, legal entities and physical persons who are entitled to do so by federal law or who have been granted this right by an administrative act on the basis of federal law provisions (para. 4).

“The draft law is based on the opinion that the federal coat of arms as a state symbol should only be used by state organs, state authorities and offices as well as certain state institutions. A granting of this authorization to other natural or legal persons is therefore not intended. The authorizations to carry the coat of arms of the Republic of Austria, standardized in other legal provisions or issued on the basis thereof, should not be affected by this. "

- Federal Government : Government draft on the Coat of Arms Act: Explanations, general part, page 4

Accordingly, in addition to the above-mentioned persons authorized to carry the national coat of arms, individual other organizations such as the Austrian Red Cross or the Vienna Boys' Choir as well as individual companies are authorized to carry the national coat of arms. Pursuant to Section 68 of the Trade Regulations , the Minister of Economic Affairs grants companies that have distinguished themselves through special services to the Austrian economy or an outstanding position in their branch of industry, the permission to use the coat of arms together with a reference to the character of the award ( state award , commonly known as the bearer of the national coat of arms).

Furthermore, every Austrian (state) school does not have the permission to use the coat of arms in the school logo, according to Section 7, Paragraph 2 of the Law on Conservation of Compulsory Schools 1955 (2012), “at least” one federal coat of arms must be affixed in every classroom of a compulsory school.

According to Sections 53 and 54 of the Motor Vehicle Act, it is stipulated that the coat of arms may only be used for vehicles that are intended to be used for journeys on official and solemn occasions and only for management bodies at the federal level (Federal President, members of the Federal Council and National Council, etc.).

Definition of the "use of the federal coat of arms"

In the explanations of the government bill on the Coat of Arms Act of 1984, the special section on § 4 on the term "leadership" contains:

“The legal definition of the term 'carrying the federal coat of arms' appears necessary for the sake of legal clarity. It is based on the opinion of the VwGH in its decision of March 25, 1966, Zl. 1368/1965 . It is only to be understood as a specific type of use or use of the coat of arms, namely one that indicates public authorization (cf. also Holzinger , Kompetenzfragen des Wappenschutzes, ÖJZ 6/1977, p. 143). "

- Federal Government : Government bill on the Coat of Arms Act: Explanations, special section, page 6.

history

The binding shield of the Babenbergs

The binding shield, Babenberg's house coat of arms , then New Austria ( depiction in the Privilegium maius from 1512 )

Austria under the Pfauenstoss ( Scheibler's book of arms , older part, around 1450–1480 )

The binding shield , the red-white-red coat of arms of the Babenbergs , can be reliably identified from 1230. There is no clarity about its origin, there are some legends about its origin.

The binding shield was originally the house coat of arms and soon became the common coat of arms for the possessions of the Babenbergs in the Marcha orientalis , the march in eastern Bavaria, in what is now Upper and Lower Austria. Later there was an exchange with the lark coat of arms with the five eagles ("larks"). For unknown reasons, this coat of arms was called Old Austria from the 15th century , while the red-white-red shield was called New Austria . The lark coat of arms was replaced by the binding shield, which thus became the first "overall coat of arms" for the Habsburg hereditary lands .

The house coat of arms of the Habsburgs

When the Habsburgs became dukes of Austria in 1282, they also adopted the red-white-red state coat of arms, which in the following years increasingly became the actual coat of arms of the dynasty. King Friedrich (III.) The Beautiful already placed the shield on the chest of the imperial eagle in 1325. The old coat of arms of the county of Habsburg - a red, blue crowned lion on a golden background (in this form since 1359) - faded into the background more and more. As a result, Habsburg also called itself House of Austria. This was particularly evident in the Spanish Habsburg line. The ruling Habsburgs in Spain did not use the name Habsburg, but Casa de Austria. Philip of Habsburg was the Spanish King Felipe de Austria.

After the establishment of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen in 1740, the house coat of arms was redesigned; however, the binding shield remained a central component. Habsburg was now represented by the Habsburg lion, with the shield in the middle and the Lorraine eagles on the right. The house coat of arms can be read like this: House of Austria (Bindenschild-center) Habsburg (lion-right) Lorraine (eagle-left).

Babenbergs and Habsburgs had red-white-red as the colors of the ruling house - as far as possible - incorporated into all state symbols. Red-white-red as a symbol of the ruling suzerainty was decisive for the individual countries under Habsburg rule. The regional coats of arms were still binding; because they represented the Habsburgs as their respective sovereigns.

The Eagle

Basically, all eagles as heraldic animals come from the (one-headed) standard of the Roman legions .

In 1237, the double-headed eagle in gold on black was awarded by Friedrich II of the city of Vienna on the occasion of the election of his son Conrad IV in Vienna to the German king.

The double-headed eagle became the heraldic animal of the Roman-German king and emperor under Emperor Sigismund in 1433 and thus became the heraldic animal of the Holy Roman Empire , whose emperor and royal dignity was soon held by the House of Austria. On the wing feathers of the quaternion eagle derived from it , the coats of arms of the members of the empire are allegorically depicted in groups of four ( quaternions of the imperial constitution ). It is a selection of imperial estates .

The Habsburg double-headed eagle

The last Roman-German Emperor Franz II finally borrowed the quaternion eagle as a symbol for his hereditary lands. He used a modified version of the quaternion eagle for the newly founded Austrian Empire in 1804 . This k.-k. Austrian double-headed eagle , the coat of arms of the House of Habsburg-Lothringen is placed on the chest, which is surrounded by the order of the Golden Fleece , the house order of the Habsburgs. The wings adorn ten important countries. The Rudolf crown hovers over the coat of arms .

The Austrian double-headed eagle also became the national coat of arms of the Real Union of Austria-Hungary. From 1867 to 1915 it was the emblem for joint ( kuk ) institutions. The symbolism of the Austro-Hungarian double-headed eagle (similar to the symbolism of the Byzantine imperial coat of arms): One eagle head, facing the west, symbolized Cisleithanien (Austrian part of the empire) and the other head facing the east, Transleithanien (Hungarian part of the empire).

In 1915 a new common coat of arms was introduced. This national coat of arms was replaced on October 10, 1915 by a new common medium and a common small coat of arms, which was a combination of the coats of arms of the two halves of the empire and that of the ruling house. The golden shield with the double-headed eagle only symbolized Austria, while the second shield represented the Hungarian coat of arms . The two halves of the empire are under their crowns, Cisleithanien under the Rudolfs, Transleithanien under the Stephanskrone . Both coats of arms were connected by the family coat of arms of Habsburg-Lothringen. The motto INDIVISIBILITER AC INSEPARABILITER (“indivisible and inseparable”) is intended to represent the bond between the two states united in the monarchy.

The Habsburg-Lorraine shield on the eagle's chest was simplified with the red-white-red binding shield of the Babenbergs.

• 

  Quaternion eagle of the Holy Roman Empire (based on an illustration by Hans Burgkmair the Elder from 1510)

• 

  Coat of arms of the Austrian Empire 1815–1867, then a small joint coat of arms until 1915

• 

  Central joint coat of arms of Austria-Hungary 1867–1915

• 

  Small coat of arms of the states in the Reichsrat (Austrian states, Cisleithanien ) 1915–1918

The national coat of arms of the 1st Republic

Basic data
Title:	Law of May 8, 1919 on the State Coat of Arms and the State Seal of the Republic of German-Austria
Type:	State law
Scope:	Republic of German Austria
Reference:	StGBl. 257/1919
Date of law:	May 8, 1919
Effective date:	May 9, 1919
Expiration date:	1934
Please note the note on the applicable legal version !

First draft of the republican coat of arms of German Austria

On October 31, 1918, at a meeting of the State Council, both the colors of the new republic (red-white-red) and the new state coat of arms, personally drawn up by State Chancellor Renner, were decided. The coat of arms, which was created under time pressure for the seal for the peace negotiations of the First World War , consisted of a city ​​tower (bourgeoisie) with black cuboids, red crossed hammers (workers) and a golden wreath of ears (peasants). The colors black-red-gold were deliberately chosen based on the German colors, the symbols represented the three stands.

This design of the coat of arms was withdrawn because it was exposed to massive criticism and large protests such as by Adolf Loos or by heraldists ; so "this construction [...] was more like a company logo than a state emblem." The weekly satirical magazine Kikeriki! In its edition 45/1918 dedicated a mocking poem with four stanzas under the title Deutschösterreichs Wappen .

With the decision of the Council of Ministers of May 8, 1919, the tower coat of arms was replaced by the coat of arms with the one-headed eagle, and introduced with the law on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German Austria (StGBl. 257/1919). With the annex to Article 1., Paragraph 2, of the law of May 8, 1919 on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German Austria (StGBl. 264/1919), the national coat of arms designed by the coat of arms painter Ernst Krahl was subsequently submitted and announced in accordance with the law.

The national coat of arms of the federal state of Austria (Ständestaat)

State coat of arms of Austria (Ständestaat) from 1934 to 1938

"State Secretary Karwinsky, who was responsible for the design of the state symbols in the Federal Chancellery, commissioned the coat of arms painter Carl Ernst Krahl on March 24, 1934, whose father Ernst Krahl had already designed the state coat of arms in 1918/19."

After the elimination of parliament and the constitutional court by the Dollfuss government , the republic was replaced in 1934 by the austrofascist " federal state of Austria ".

After the prohibition of oppositional activities outside the Patriotic Front (including all party symbols, flags, pennants), everything was wanted to be removed from the coat of arms that was reminiscent of communism and socialism . It is already in Article 3 of the corporate constitution , announced in the ordinance of the federal government of April 24, 1934 on the constitution of the federal state of Austria ( BGBl. 239/1934 ) and determined by the announcement of the federal government of July 2, 1934, regarding the figurative Representation of the national coat of arms of Austria ( Federal Law Gazette II 108/1934 ), the pictorial representation of the national coat of arms of Austria was published.

On July 3, 1934, this coat of arms was printed in the Wiener Zeitung in the article “Das neue Staatswappen.” Including the description according to Article 3 Paragraph 1 of the new constitution: “The national coat of arms consists of a free-floating, double-headed, black, gold nimbated and similar armed, red-tongued eagle, the chest of which is covered with a red shield with a silver crossbar. ”In the symbolism, a“ recollection ”of the time of the Holy Roman Empire was undertaken; therefore the double-headed eagle was introduced from the time of the empire and modified for this purpose. In an official civic education, the meaning of the new coat of arms was explained as follows: “This double-headed eagle is the old imperial eagle, which has been Austria's heraldic animal for centuries. The Babenbergs' sign "red-white-red" on the breast of the double-headed eagle marks our Ostmark mission. "This declaration, like the description in the Wiener Zeitung, also clarifies the regime's ideology of presenting itself as the" better Germany " were also reflected in the coat of arms through the return to the Reich coat of arms.

The nimbly double-headed eagle of the corporate state also shows certain parallels to the coat of arms of the federal capital. Vienna had modified its coat of arms in 1925. The imperial symbols had been removed and the double-headed eagle made into a simple west-facing eagle. Otherwise the new Viennese coat of arms was the same as the old one. The old red-white-red crusader shield had also been left in place. Today this shield is the main coat of arms of Vienna (the eagle is only rarely used).

With this change of coat of arms, the Austro-Fascist corporate state also removed those elements of the state coat of arms that were supposed to symbolize the corporate interaction of workers ( hammer ), peasants ( sickle ) and citizens ( wall crown ).

In addition, as a kind of "supplementary coat of arms", the cross , which had been a semi-state symbol since the 1920s - for example on groschen coins - was retained and its use expanded. It was treated as an official symbol, but was never part of the national coat of arms.

After the " Anschluss of Austria ", the use of all national insignia was banned.

The coat of arms of the 2nd republic

Basic data
Title:	Coat of Arms Act
Long title:	Law of 1 May 1945 on the coat of arms, colors, seals and emblems of the Republic (Wappengesetz)
Type:	law
Scope:	Austria
Reference:	StGBl. No. 7/1945
Date of law:	May 1, 1945
Effective date:	May 1, 1945
Expiration date:	1984
Please note the note on the applicable legal version !

The provisional state government of Austria, again under Karl Renner, decided immediately after the liberation, before the end of the 3rd Reich, to reintroduce the coat of arms of the 1st republic.

With the law of May 1, 1945 on coats of arms, colors, seals and emblems of the Republic (Wappengesetz), StGBl. No. 7/1945 , which came into force on May 1, 1945, was also added to commemorate Austria's regaining of independence and the rebuilding of the state in 1945 by adding a broken iron chain to enclose the eagle's two fangs (Section 1 of the Coat of Arms Act 1945). The fact that the three emblems of hammer, sickle and wall crown symbolize the "cooperation of the most important working classes" workers, peasants and bourgeoisie is a legal interpretation (also according to Section 1 of the Wappengesetz 1945). It was overlooked that the coat of arms of the First Republic was constitutional. Since the constitution of 1920 was restored in 1945 and the new, modified coat of arms was only adopted with a simple law, Austria had a coat of arms in the following decades, which, according to Peter Diem, was formally unconstitutional.

The drawing of the coat of arms itself became on June 20, 1945 with the annex to Article 1, Paragraph (2), of the law of May 1, 1945, St. G. Bl. No. 7, on coats of arms, colors, seals and emblems of the republic Austria (Wappengesetz), StGBl. No. 22/1945 , submitted later. The coat of arms appears in December 1946, as one of the first "official" publications of the constitutional Austrian post-war order, on the cover of the Red-White-Red Book , a kind of position paper on the view of the time of the Anschluss (subtitles: representations, documents and Evidence of the prehistory and history of the occupation of Austria (according to official sources) .)

With the constitutional reform of July 1, 1981, the national coat of arms was formally included in the text of the Federal Constitutional Law ( Art. 8a, Paragraph 2, B-VG). On March 28, 1984, the federal law on the coat of arms and other emblems of the Republic of Austria (coat of arms law) was finally passed , which includes an elaborate color illustration of the coat of arms. In contrast to the law of 1945, which contained a simple black and white depiction of the federal eagle, the now very detailed coat of arms is only partially reproducible (screen printing). This led to the worldwide unique case that two coats of arms or two federal service flags are now in use in Austria : one "artistic gray" and one "heraldic black".

See also

• List of coats of arms in Austria
• Flag of Austria
• Flagging public buildings in Austria
• Austria (national allegory)

literature

• Federal Ministry of the Interior: The symbols of the republic. In: Public Safety 11–12 / 06, pp. 69–75.
• Peter Diem: The symbols of Austria. Time and history in signs. K&S Vienna 1995, ISBN 3-218-00594-9 (full text in the Austria Forum: The symbols of Austria , overview of the federal coats of arms )
• Austrian coat of arms calendar 1960. Heraldic-Genealogical Society Adler, Vienna 1959.
• Franz Gall: Austrian heraldry. Handbook of coat of arms science. Böhlau, Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-205-98646-6 .
• FH. Hye: The Austrian national coat of arms and its history. Studies Verlag, Innsbruck 1995, ISBN 3-7065-1108-8 .
• Ottfried Neubecker: Heraldry: Coats of arms - their origin, meaning and value. Krüger, Frankfurt a. M. 1977, ISBN 3-8105-1306-7 .
• Peter Diem: The Development of the Symbols of the Republic of Austria. In Stefan Karner , Lorenz Mikoletzky (Ed.): Austria. 90 years of the republic . Innsbruck 2008, ISBN 978-3-7065-4664-5 .

Web links

• Federal law of March 28, 1984 on the coat of arms and other emblems of the Republic of Austria (Wappengesetz) as amended inthe Federal Legal Information System(RIS).
• The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria. Collective book for Kaffee-Hag coat of arms brands. Kaffee-Hag AG (Ed.), Publishing house of the Deutsche Vereins-Druckerei AG, Graz 1933; as full text in WebBooks in the Austria forum .
• Entry on In search of a symbol: Austria's national coat of arms 1934–1938 in the Austria Forum , author / editor: Michael Göbl.
  • Originally published in: Michael Göbl: Das Staatswappen Österreichs 1934–1938. In: Austrian magazine for genealogy and heraldry. Adler, Volume 24, Issue 6, pp. 284-300, full text online (PDF).
• Entry on The symbols of the Austrian federal states in the Austria Forum .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ See search term Bundesadler * in the legal information system of the federal government (RIS), which can be found here in the judicature beginning from September 2009 in 23 references at the time of the query on May 5, 2019. On the one hand, it is not always differentiated whether with "Bundesadler" the coat of arms eagle itself Example: "... use of the federal coat of arms in a way that affects the reputation of the republic by exchanging the head of the federal eagle ...") or the federal coat of arms in its entirety is meant; and, on the other hand, often in reproductions of statements or pleadings from individuals. Within the legal system, the “federal eagle” can be found in federal laws in the current version in Section 5 of the Red Cross Act (2008), in Section 28 of the Personal Status Act Implementing Ordinance 2013 and in Section 2 and Annex. 1 Police Character Protection Ordinance (2013).
2. ↑ State Law Gazette 1918-1920 . alex.onb.ac.at. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} 166 of the supplements to the stenographic minutes of the National Council XVI. GP - Government bill: Federal law of xxxxxx on the coat of arms and other emblems of the Republic of Austria (coat of arms law). Scanned original (PDF; 11 pages) on the website of the Austrian Parliament .
4. ↑ § 1 Wappengesetz (1984): "The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria (federal coat of arms) [...] corresponds to the drawing of the federal coat of arms in Annex 1, which is part of this law ." ( Direct link to Annex 1 as PDF.),
5. ↑ Section 3, Paragraph 3 of the Coat of Arms Act (1984): “The federal official flag corresponds to the flag of the Republic of Austria, but also has the federal coat of arms in its center, […]. The drawing of the federal official flag is from Annex 2, which is part of this Act . "( Direct link to Annex 2 as PDF.)
6. ^ Lit. Diem: The development of the Austrian national coat of arms.
7. ↑ Law of May 8, 1919 on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German Austria. StGBl. 257/1919, 91st issue, issued on May 9, 1919. In ALEX - Historical legal and legal texts online .
8. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Justification for the draft law on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German Austria. 202 of the enclosures of the Constituent National Assembly , p. 2 (as image (JPG)) in: Austria-Forum, accessed on September 9, 2018.
9. ^ Peter Diem : The symbols of Austria. In: Austria-Forum, accessed on September 9, 2018.
10. ^ Wilhelm J. Wagner: Picture Atlas on Contemporary History of Austria 1918–1938. Böhlau, Vienna – Cologne – Weimar 2007, p. 27.
11. ^ Peter Diem: The symbols of Austria. Time and history in signs. Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 1995, ISBN 3-218-00594-9 , chapter eagle and binding shield. The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria, p. 120ff. ( Full text online. In: Austria-Forum, accessed on September 9, 2018); here in particular pp. 120 f., 126 f.
12. ↑ Federal Act of March 28, 1984 on the coat of arms and other emblems of the Republic of Austria (Coat of Arms Act) in the current version in the Federal Legal Information System (RIS); in the original version of Federal Law Gazette No. 159/1984 .
13. ↑ The coat of arms (from 1919) - genesis on the website of Peter Diem, undated, accessed on September 9, 2018.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Michael Göbl: In Search of a Symbol: The Austrian State Coat of Arms 1934–1938. In: ADLER - Zeitschrift für Genealogie und Heraldik, Heraldisch Genealogische Gesellschaft "Adler" (Ed.), Issue 6/2008. ( Version online in: Austria-Forum , accessed on September 9, 2018.)
15. ↑ German Austria's coat of arms. In:  Kikeriki , volume 38, issue 45/1918, November 10, 1918, p. 8 (online at ANNO ).
16. ↑ See colored illustration of the national coat of arms by Ernst Krahl, undated, signed with Kaffee Hag - E. Krahl. As an online image on Peter Diem's ​​website, accessed September 9, 2018.
17. ↑ StGBl. 257/1919 . alex.onb.ac.a. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
18. ↑ Annex to Article 1., Paragraph 2, of the law of May 8, 1919 on the state coat of arms and the state seal of the Republic of German-Austria. StGBl. 264/1919 , 96th issue , issued May 15, 1919, pp. 631f. Here in particular the attachment with the depiction of the national coat of arms, p. 632 , designed by or signed by E. Krahl. In ALEX - Historical Legal and Legal Texts Online .
19. ↑ http://austria-forum.org/af/Wissenssammlungen/Symbole/Bundeswappen_1919-1934
20. ^ Constitution of the Federal State of Austria , verfassungen.at (commented)
21. ^ Lit .: Diem: The development of the Austrian federal coat of arms , section The coat of arms of the federal state of Austria (1934–1938).
22. ^ The new national coat of arms. In:  Wiener Zeitung , July 3, 1934, p. 3 (online at ANNO ). The eagle as the Austrian coat of arms. The elements of the coat of arms of the federal state of Austria go back directly to the shape of the imperial double-headed eagle from before 1918. The eagle has not only retained the two heads, but also the symmetrical spatial arrangement, to a certain extent also the type of stylization and the number of seven wings in each wing. The double-headed eagle drawn by Albrecht Dürer on the famous portrait of Emperor Maximilian is to be regarded as the artistic model . The eagle as a coat of arms is derived from the Roman legions. The multi-headed eagle appeared for the first time under the Hohenstaufen Frederick II, but entered history as an imperial eagle temporarily in the 14th century and as a permanent symbol of the empire from the second third of the 15th century. At the same time, however, the double-headed eagle formed the coat of arms of Austria and appeared as such in the coats of arms of many crown lands , for example in the frame of the Viennese city arms and in the arms of the city of Trieste. The new state symbol has not adopted everything from the imperial coat of arms of recent times. It is much more closely related to an earlier form, as it was in use around the middle of the 18th century, when the shield within the eagle was not the state, but the house coat of arms, the red-white-red shield. The two auras that are placed around the double heads also refer to the shape of that time , and the arrangement of the fangs is also linked to this. which are spread sideways and turned downwards, without themselves bearing symbols. The coronation, too, which was threefold in the last century of the Austrian Empire, only dates from that later period and is avoided in the new form of the state symbol.
    
    
    
    
    
23. ^ Lit .: Diem: The development of the Austrian national coat of arms , section 1945 .
24. ^ Peter Diem: The development of the symbols of the Republic of Austria. In: Stefan Karner, Lorenz Mikoletzky (Ed.): Austria. 90 years of the republic. Innsbruck 2008, ISBN 978-3-7065-4664-5 , p. 592.
25. ^ Peter Diem: The development of the symbols of the Republic of Austria. In: Stefan Karner, Lorenz Mikoletzky (Ed.): Austria. 90 years of the republic. Innsbruck 2008, ISBN 978-3-7065-4664-5 , p. 593.