Niedersachsen

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NIEDERSACHSEN

Official blason

• (de) Das weiße Roß im roten Felde.

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Origin/meaning

The arms were officially adopted on April 3, 1951.

Niedersachsen is a German State, created in 1946. It is a combination of several older states or territories, mainly Oldenburg, Hannover, Braunschweig and Schaumburg-Lippe.
Combination of the arms of these entities was rather difficult. Finally the horse of (Nieder)Sachsen was chosen as the new arms. The horse has been the symbol for many parts of Northern Germay in earlier times.

The horse first appears in the arms of Duke Albrecht II of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen in 1361. Soon afterwards the horse appears in rolls of arms as the arms of Braunschweig (see below). The horse is based on an old Saxon tradition and the horse was used as a symbol for the old Saxon Kings Hengist and Horsa.

The horse in the Wappenbuch von den Ersten, 1379.

The horse also appears in many arms of families and towns since the 14th/15^th century. The horse was also used as the arms of the Kings of Hannover (and through these in the arms of the United Kingdom). Later the horse was used as the arms of the Prussian province Hannover from 1926-1945. The Dukes of Braunschweig used the horse on the crest or as a quarter in their arms.

The arms of the Prussian province of Hannover by Ströhl.

The arms on a manhole cover (in Aurich)

Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes.

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