Gräfrath

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Germany - Deutsche Wappen (Gemeindewappen/Kreiswappen)

GRÄFRATH

State : Nordrhein-Westfalen
District (Kreis) : Solingen
Incorporated inito : 1929 Solingen

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on October 30, 1907.

The arms show a monastery with in the gate a broken wheel. The base of the arms shows a green hill.

The local council applied in 1906 to adopt arms, based on the oldest known seal of the city, dating from 1483. The seal shows St. John Baptist. The first attempts were based on this seal. As the arms were supposed for a town, the use of a saint was considered not appropriate. Hence the use of a wheel, symbol for industry. The wheel was often used on old houses in the city. However, this is historically the symbol of St. Catherine and not a symbol for industry. By the change the local council still adopted a religious symbol ! The monastery is the historically important local abbey. In one of the original designs there was also the lion of the Counts of Berg on the tower, but this was removed in the final design.

Seal from around 1900

Literature : Background : Joachim Beeck, Meerbusch; Image from Jürgen Krause, Essen.