Eschwege

ESCHWEGE

State : Hessen
District (Kreis) : Werra-Meissner Kreis (until 1975 Eschwege)
Additions : 1936 Niederhone; 1972 Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niederdünzebach, Niddawitzhausen, Oberdünzebach; 1974 Oberhone

Official blazon

German	Im roten Schild eine silberne Stadtburg mit zwei Türmen und offenem Tor, zwischen den Türmen ein grüner Eschenzweig.
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

Eschwege became a city in the early 13^th century. The oldest known seals date from 1261 and 1282 and show, as do all later seals, the city wall with the two towers. In the 16^th century the canting ash (Esche) branches were added. The branches were already used as a symbol for the city in the 16^th century and became the official arms in the early 17^th century. Until the late 19^th century the branches remained the official arms of the city, whereas the seals still showed the wall and towers. Since 1884 the city uses the above arms. <

In 1956, however, a book published by the official government of Hessen shows the older arms again. This resulted in a long dispute whether the branches or the towers were the official city arms. The Hessisches Ortswappenbuch mentiones the branch as arms, whereas Stadler mentions in his later work the above arms.

The arms in a 16th century manuscript	The arms in a manuscript from +/- 1730
The arms in an 1884 book
Seal from around 1900	The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925
The arms in the Abadie albums	The arms with the branch only, as shown in the Hessisches Ortswappenbuch

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Literature: Stadler, K., 1964-1971, 8 volumes; Hessisches Ortswappenbuch, 1956.