Cham (Zug)

CHAM

Canton : Zug

Origin/meaning

The origin of the bear in the arms of Cham is not clear. The most logical option is that the bear is taken from the arms of the Lords of Sellenbüren, who had quite some possessions in the area in the 12th and 13th century.
Another explanation is a local legend, in which a person from (now) the Netherlands passed through the area and was attacked by a bear. He survived the attack and ever since the bear is the symbol of the village.

A third explanation tells that the arms are based on the arms of a governor/sheriff of King Charles the Great, as in the area there was a Royal farm/estate. However, the use of arms only started 300 years after the death of Charles the Great.

In any case, the oldest use of a bear dates from a seal from 1384 on a land deed charter.

Variations of the arms in the Kaffee Hag albums 1914-1960

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Literature: Iten and Zumbach, 1974; Faessler, 2017