Kempten

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KEMPTEN

State : Bayern
Urban district (Stadtkreis) : Kempten
Additions : 1972 Sankt Lorenz, Sankt Mang

Official blazon

German	Gespalten; von Schwarz und Silber; vorne am Spalt ein halber goldener Adler, hinten auf grünem Dreiberg ein roter Zinnenturm mit offenem Tor.
English	No blazon/translation known. Please click here to send your (heraldic !) blazon or translation

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on December 12, 1488 and confirmed on January 5, 1819.

Kempten was an Imperial city in medieval times and thus entitled to use the imperial eagle in its arms and seals. The oldest seals, however do not show the eagle. The oldest seal dates from the early 14th century and shows the patron saint of the city at the time, St. Gordianus. Later sources indicate that the shield was horizontally divided from silver and blue. The second seal dates from 1403 and shows St. Hildegard, who was combined with the arms in a later 15^th century seal.

In 1488 Emperor Friedrich III granted the city new arms, a vertically divided shield gold and black, with the imperial eagle in the opposite colours.

In the late 16^th century the city started to use the symbols used on the local coins, an eagle with the letter K on its breast. These arms were used until 1819.

In 1818 the city was combined with the Imperial Abbey Kempten and the new arms showed the imperial eagle from the city arms, and a tower taken from the arms of the Abbey.

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  The arms around 1500

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  Siegel von Kempten]]
  The seal from 1343

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  Wappen von Kempten]]
  The arms in a manuscript +/- 1530

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  Arms of Kempten]]
  The arms in a 16th century manuscript

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  Arms of Kempten]]
  The arms in a 17th century manuscript

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  Wappen von Kempten]]
  The arms by Tyroff (1835)

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  Wappen von Kempten]]
  The arms in Kramer (1841)

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  Wappen von Kempten]]
  The arms of Kempten as shown on a postcard from 1905

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  Seal of Kempten]]
  Seal from around 1900

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  The arms in an album from around 1910

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  Arms (crest) of Kempten]]
  The arms in the Abadie albums

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  Wappen von Kempten]]
  The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925

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  The arms in an album from 1968

Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes.

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