Helmbrechts

This page is part of the German heraldry portal Deutsche Wappensammlung	Heraldry of the World
German heraldry: National arms Arms of States Arms of historical territories and states Districts (Kreiswappen) Cities and municipalities German Colonies Ecclesiastical heraldry Military heraldry Corporate heraldry Studentika Other civic heraldry Total pages in the German section : 61,373 Of which images : 41,286	Selected collector's items from Germany: Heraldic postcards Heraldic stamps Heraldic albums Kaffee Hag albums Wappen-Sammlung Heraldic trade cards Arms, Flags and Types of Nations Heraldic coasters Heraldic cigar bands Heraldic artists Otto Hupp Münchener Kalender German heraldic literature

HELMBRECHTS

State : Bayern
District (Kreis) : Hof (until 1973 Münchberg)
Additions : 1972Baiergrün, Kleinschwarzenbach, Oberweißenbach, Wüstenselbitz; 1977 Enchenreuth, Gösmes; 1978 Ahornberg (partly), Schauenstein

Official blazon
German	Gespalten; vorne geviert von Silber und Schwarz; hinten in Silber ein golden bewehrter roter Adler.
English	No blazon/translation known. Please click here to send your (heraldic !) blazon or translation

Origin/meaning

The arms are a combination of the arms of the Hohenzollern (quartered shield) family and the eagle of Brandenburg. The arms of the Hohenzollern family are quite common in the area, as they had most of the area in their possession in the 14^th century.
The quartered shield is known since 1248 as the arms of the family. The eagle is taken from the Margraves of Nürnberg, who originated from Brandenburg and used the eagle in their arms. The arms were probably granted in 1524. In the course of time the eagle has been displayed either mirrored and the colours have been changed several times.
In the 19^th century the eagle was first white, later gold on a blue field. This was done, probably to hide the fact that it was the eagle of Brandenburg. At the beginning of this century the original colours were restored.