Passau
Country : Germany State : Bayern District (Kreis) : Free urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt) |
German | In Silber ein steigender roter Wolf. |
English | Silver, a wolf rampant Gules. |
Origin/meaning
The arms show the wolf, taken from the arms of the Bishops and the State of Passau. The oldest known seals of the city date from the 14th century and show St. Stephanus sitting on a throne. In front of him there is a small shield with the wolf.
From 1460 onwards the wolf is used as a single symbol on seals and in the arms of the city. The first time the wolf is mentioned as the arms of the city is older, from 1402. In the Roll of Arms from Arlberg the arms are shown as they are today.
In the 16th century a helmet and crest were added. The crest shows an arm holding a stone, the symbol of St. Stephanus. These are not very often used.
Similarly, to distinguish the arms of city and diocese, in 1605 a blue bend was added to the city arms, but this addition was soon after removed again. Still, even in 1910 an image with the bend appeared.
Although the arms thus basically never changed, the shape of the wolf has varied considerably, as can be seen from the images below.
The arms in a 16th century manuscript
The arms in an album from around 1910
The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925
The arms in the Kurmark Wappenschau album from 1929
The arms in the Abadie albums, 1930s
The arms in an album from around 1950
The arms in an album from 1968
Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes.
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