Coat of arms of the Mitte district
The coat of arms of the district center was redesigned and redesigned by the northern heraldist Theodor Lorenz (1929-2005) after the district merger of the three districts Mitte (old district) , Tiergarten and Wedding .
The coat of arms was awarded to the Mitte district on October 9, 2001 by the Berlin State Senate .
Blazon
“The shield, which is sixfold in red and silver, is covered with a golden central shield, inside a growing black, red-armored and tongued bear, which holds a blue shield with an upright golden lily scepter in its paws. A red three-tower wall crown rests on the shield, the central tower of which is covered with the Berlin coat of arms. "
History and meaning
The old Mitte district
The district center has been in the creation of Greater Berlin formed in 1920 from parts of the territory in 1861 created of Berlin and the Berlin-Gutsbezirk lock. There was no settlement, municipality or city with the name Mitte. The cities of Berlin , Kölln (with Neu-Kölln ), Dorotheenstadt , Friedrichswerder , parts of Friedrichstadt and the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stadt , which was incorporated in 1861 , Spandauer Vorstadt , Königsstadt , parts of the Stralauer were located in the area of the Mitte district Suburb , parts of the Cöpenicker Vorstadt, later renamed Luisenstadt , and parts of the Rosenthaler Vorstadt which was also called Äußere Spandauer Vorstadt.
For the description and history of the Berlin and Cologne coats of arms, see under coat of arms of Berlin . Besides Berlin and Kölln, the other cities mentioned above also had their own coats of arms .
The Mitte district not only symbolizes the center of Berlin, but also the old cradle of the city. Since the Mitte district was only a part of Berlin and the coat of arms of Berlin was used for all of Berlin, the district took over the coat of arms of the former sister city of Kölln. This coat of arms shows the red, gold-armored Brandenburg eagle in a silver shield. The oldest surviving seal of the city of Kölln from 1334 already showed the eagle. The red eagle was the symbol of the Ascanian (Brandenburg) margraves , the landlords of the time. The coat of arms created from the seal remained relatively unchanged over the centuries. The district has had the coat of arms since it was formed in 1920. The coat of arms was never officially awarded.
For the 750th anniversary of Berlin in 1987, the Mitte district was given a new coat of arms by the East Berlin magistrate. The coat of arms is divided by silver and red. In the upper silver field you can see the upright, red-tongued, black Berlin coat of arms bear looking to the right. In the lower red field there is a large silver tower on a silver floor with two silver side buildings sloping outwards. This building called the "high house" is accompanied by two smaller silver towers and was part of the city fortifications. The invisible city gate is covered with a broad, clover-leaf-like, silver round shield in which the red Brandenburg eagle is located. The lower part of the coat of arms is designed according to the oldest surviving seal in Berlin . The coat of arms was designed by the architect Günther Stahn .
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After the reunification of Berlin, the district was given a new coat of arms in mid-1994. The coat of arms shows in a golden shield two red-armored and red-tongued bears with shaggy fur, walking upright towards the center. In the middle they hold the Brandenburg eagle shield, which tapers at the bottom. This coat of arms was designed according to the second oldest Berlin seal . The coat of arms was provided with a red three-tower wall crown , the middle tower of which is covered with the Berlin coat of arms. The top of the wall connects all districts with Berlin and with each other.
Tiergarten district
The Tiergarten district was formed from parts of old Berlin when Greater Berlin was created in 1920 . Neither the zoo nor the Moabit had a coat of arms. And the cities of Friedrichstadt Vorstadt and Schöneberger Vorstadt, which were located in the Tiergarten district before they were incorporated into Berlin, did not have a coat of arms.
The district of Tiergarten introduced a district coat of arms in 1945 without official approval. In a silver shield sprinkled with green deciduous and coniferous trees, it showed a gold-armored red deer leaping to the right. This coat of arms was revised by the heraldist Ottfried Neubecker, who also designed today's Berlin state coat of arms . He replaced the deciduous and coniferous trees with green shamrocks. This coat of arms was approved by the District Assembly on February 17, 1954 and awarded to the district by the Berlin Senate on February 7, 1955. The coat of arms shows the gold-armored red stag leaping to the right in a silver shield sprinkled with clover leaves. The coat of arms was provided with a red three-tower wall crown , the middle tower of which is covered with the Berlin coat of arms. The top of the wall connects all districts with Berlin and with each other.
The district owes its name to the electoral hunting area and game reserve, which has been known as the zoo, which has existed since the 16th century. The jumping deer in the coat of arms symbolizes this hunting area. Due to the hunting area and the game reserve but also many other parks, the district is one of the greenest districts in Berlin, which is symbolized by the scattered clovers in the sign.
Wedding district
The Wedding district was also formed from parts of old Berlin when Greater Berlin was created in 1920 . Before it was incorporated into Berlin in 1861, the village of Wedding was in the area of the district and the Gesundbrunnen near it . Both did not have a coat of arms.
The district coat of arms was designed by the heraldist Ottfried Neubecker, who also designed today's Berlin state coat of arms. The coat of arms was approved by the district assembly on September 28, 1950 and awarded to the district on February 7, 1955 by the Berlin Senate. The coat of arms shows in a red shield a golden winged arrow slanting upwards to the right. The winged arrow was borrowed from the coat of arms of the extinct Altmark family von Weddinghe. The coat of arms, like the other district coats of arms, was provided with a red three-tower wall crown, the middle tower of which is covered with the Berlin coat of arms. The top of the wall connects all districts with Berlin and with each other.
In the 19th century, industrial companies, AEG , Schwartzkopff , Osram , Schering and others settled in what would later become the Wedding district . Wedding developed into a densely populated working-class district and thus a stronghold of the SPD and KPD . This was the reason why the SPD's request was met and the originally blue-tinged shield was replaced by a red one. The winged arrow was now seen as a sign of progress in “ red Wedding ”.
The new Mitte district
After the district merger of the three districts of Mitte, Tiergarten and Wedding on January 1, 2001 into one large district of Mitte , a new district coat of arms had to be created. The new district received the new coat of arms on October 9, 2001. The main shield is framed six times by red and silver. The gold-tinged heart shield shows a growing red-armored and red-tongued black bear. The bear holds a blue shield with an upright golden lily scepter in its paws. The main sign symbolizes the merging of the three districts. The colors red and silver (white) are available for each district. The colors correspond to the historical city colors of Berlin. The heart shield with the Berlin heraldic bear is a reminder of the district coat of arms in the middle of 1994. It symbolizes the central location of the district and that the cradle of Berlin is here. The small shield with the scepter was already the heart shield in the coat of arms of the Dorotheenstadt. It is a sign of the ruling power and refers to the historical role of Berlin as the residential city and capital of several German states. As with the other district coats of arms, the newly redesigned red three-tower wall crown rests on the shield, the middle tower of which is covered with the Berlin coat of arms. The top of the wall connects all districts with Berlin and with each other.
Coats of arms of the former suburbs
Neu-Kölln
Neu-Kölln, later also called Neu-Kölln am Wasser, was the first urban expansion of the twin cities of Berlin-Kölln . It was south of Kölln on the opposite bank of the left Spreearm (Köllner Stadtgraben). This relatively small (19 hectare ) urban expansion also had its own coat of arms.
The coat of arms of Neu-Kölln is divided by silver and blue. It shows a growing gold-armored red Brandenburg eagle in the upper silver field. The lower blue field shows a golden tinged city wall rising in perspective to the right with an open city gate. The city wall is windowed and symbolizes the Berlin city wall.
Friedrichswerder
The city of Friedrichswerder was the first new town west of Kölln on the opposite bank of the left Spreearm (Köllner Stadtgraben). On September 19, 1662, Friedrich Wilhelm , the Great Elector , granted Friedrichswerder city rights.
The coat of arms of the city of Friedrichswerder shows in a silver shield the gold-armored red Brandenburg eagle looking to the right. The eagle's chest is covered with the golden capital letters "CFW". The letters stand for the C hurfürst F riedrich W ilhelm, founder of the city.
Dorotheenstadt
The Dorotheenstadt was founded in 1674 as a second Neustadt northwest of Friedrichswerder and the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm paid to his second wife, Dorothea Electress. On January 1, 1710, the Dorotheenstadt became part of the "Royal Capital and Residence" Berlin.
The coat of arms of Dorotheenstadt shows in a silver shield the gold-armored red Brandenburg eagle looking to the right. On his head he wears the elector's crown, the churhut. The eagle's breast is covered with a blue shield in which a golden lily scepter hovers.
Friedrichstadt
The Friedrichstadt was in 1692 as the third Neustadt west of Friedrichswerder of Frederick I founded. However, it did not receive its name until 1706. After not even another four years, on January 1, 1710, it became part of the “Royal Capital and Residence”.
The coat of arms of Friedrichstadt shows in a silver shield a gold-armored eagle split by black and red. On the left the red Brandenburg eagle and on the right the black Prussian eagle.
Royal city
The royal city was founded around 1690 as the Georgenstadt. In 1701 it was renamed the royal city. The royal city was northeast of Berlin's old town on the opposite bank of the right arm of the Spree.
The coat of arms of the royal city is divided by silver and blue. In the upper silver field it shows a growing gold-armored and red-tongued Prussian eagle. He wears a golden royal crown on his head. Its wings are covered with golden clover stems. The eagle's chest is covered with the golden capital letters "FR". They are the initials of King Friedrich I , F ridericus R ex. The lower blue field shows a golden tinged city wall rising to the right with an open city gate. The city wall is windowed and symbolizes the Berlin city wall.
Luisenstadt
On April 4, 1802, King Friedrich Wilhelm III. to assign the name Luisenstadt to the suburb of Cöpenick , after his wife, Queen Luise . From then on Luisenstadt also had a coat of arms.
The coat of arms of Luisenstadt is divided by silver and blue. It shows a growing gold-armored red Brandenburg eagle in the upper silver field. The eagle's chest is covered with a blue shield containing the golden capital letter "L". The "L" stands for the name of the district. The lower blue field shows a golden tinged city wall rising in perspective to the right with an open city gate. The city wall is windowed and symbolizes the Berlin city wall.
Spandau suburb
The Spandauer Vorstadt was the largest and most important Berlin suburb in the 18th century. It was north of Berlin's old town.
The coat of arms of the Spandauer Vorstadt is divided by silver and blue. In the upper silver field it shows a growing gold-armored and red-tongued Prussian eagle. He wears a golden royal crown on his head. Its wings are covered with golden clover stems. The lower blue field shows a three-tower, windowed, golden city wall with an open city gate. The middle tower is covered with the Berlin coat of arms, a red-armored and red-tongued black bear fighting upright to the right in a silver shield. The city gate is covered with the Brandenburg coat of arms, a gold-armored red eagle in a silver shield. The city wall symbolizes the Berlin city wall.
literature
- Heinz Machatscheck: When the heraldic bear was born. Berlin-Information, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-7442-0005-1 .
- Werner Vogel : Berlin and its coat of arms. Ullstein, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-550-07818-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Our Mitte district: coat of arms. SPD Berlin-Mitte, accessed on March 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Uwe Aulich: Mitte has a new coat of arms: Black bear and yellow scepter. In: Berliner Zeitung . March 21, 2001, accessed March 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Source: National emblem of Berlin - district coat of arms
