Balen

The arms from 1819/1839 The arms from 1987	Country : Belgium Province : Antwerpen Additions : 1977 Olmen Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":51.17049999999999698729880037717521190643310546875,"lon":5.1730999999999998095745468162931501865386962890625,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
Dutch	(1819) Van lazuur beladen met een St. Andreas kruis van goud. Het schild ter regterzijde vastgehouden door een klimmenden leeuw en ter linker door een klimmende griffioen en van achteren rustende tegen den Heiligen Andreas, alles van goud. (1839) Een blauw schild, met een gulden Sint Andries kruys, gedekt met een borstbeeld van Sint Andries, rustende ter regter zyde op eenen leeuw en ter linker zyde op eenen griffioen, alles van goud. (1987) In lazuur een schuinkruis van goud. Het schild geplaatst voor een Sint-Pieter met in de rechterhand een sleutel en in de linkerhand een gesloten boek, en gehouden rechts door een leeuw en links door een griffioen, alles van goud.
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on October 6, 1819, confirmed on May 6, 1839 and again on December 17, 1987.

The Estate of Mol, to which the village of Balen belonged, has had a complicated history with many different owners. The arms show a St. Andrew's cross, which is derived from the arms of the Roelants family, Lords of Mol, Balen and Dessel for some decades in the 17^th century. The colours however, should be a golden shield with a black cross. The saint probably originally was the patron saint of Mol-Balen-Dessel, Saint Peter. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of the village of Balen. The blazon describes him as St. Andrew, but as the saint is holding a key, it most likely is St. Peter.

The colours are the Dutch national colours, as in 1813 the mayor applied without indicating the colours. The arms were thus granted in the national colours. When the arms were confirmed after the Belgian independence, the colours were not changed.

In 1987 the arms were changed. The proposal from the Flemish Heraldic Cuncil was to change both the colours of the shield and the supporter. The municipality wanted to continue the cross in the blue and golden colours, but the supporter was changed to St. Peter.