Otterbach
OTTERBACH
State : Rheinland-Pfalz
District (Kreis) : Kaiserslautern
Addition : 1969 Sambach
Verbandsgemeinde : Verbandsgemeinde Otterbach-Otterberg (until 2014 Verbandsgemeinde Otterberg)
| German | Ein blauer Schild durch einen silbernen Wellenbalken geteilt. Oben ein silberner Otter mit einem ebenso gefärbten Fisch im Maul. Unten ein goldenes Eichhörnchen eine goldene Eichel in den Vorderpfoten haltend. |
| English | blazon wanted |
Origin/meaning
The upper left arms were granted on September 23, 1922. The right arms were granted on May 29, 1970.
The oldest seal of Otterbach and Sambach dates from 1559 and shows in the upper part an otter holding a fish, and in the lower two fish in water. This seal was transformed to the old arms at the beginning of the 20th century, where the two lower fish were replaced by a canting bar (Otterbach=otter-river). Later the old seal was restored, but in 1922 the arms with the bar were officially granted.
After the merger with Sambach the arms were changed. The bar was placed higher in the shield and in the base the squirrel from the old Sambach arms was placed. The colours silver and blue were taken from both old arms.
Literature: Debus, 1988