Eckernförde

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ECKERNFÖRDE

State : Schleswig-Holstein
District (Kreis) : Rendsburg-Eckernförde (until 1970 Eckernförde)

Official blazon

In Gold über drei blauen Wellenleisten ein breiter, gemauerter blauer Zinnenturm mit geschlossenem Tor, auf dessen Zinnen ein rotes Eichhörnchen läuft.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted in 1936.

Eckernförde received city rights in around 1288. The first seal dates from the early 14^th century and shows the castle at the coast (waves). The squirrel is a canting symbol (Eichhorn, or Ekern in the local dialect), which first appears on the seal in the 15^th century. At first the squirrel was shown somewhere on the seal, later it became part of the arms itself. It was said that the area was covered with a forest, so dense that a squirrel could travel to Kiel without touching the ground.