Gressenberg
Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Austria - Österreichische Gemeindewappen |
GRESSENBERG
State : Steiermark
District : Deutschlandsberg
====Origin/meaning====
The arms were officially granted on ??
There were several old roads from Styria to Carinthia, called Weinstrassen (wine roads); one of them passed locally via Gressenberg (an old form of "der grosse Berg", the bigger mountain - which is symbolised by the blue field).
There is a lot of quartz in the stone of the Koralpe mountains - so, from the 16th century on, small glassworks, Glashütten, were established and the cross in the arms consists of two glass-blowers' pipes. One of these glassworks did so well that a small village grew up, even after the Glashütte was abandoned, and a church was built at Glashütten, dedicated to Our Lady (hence the fleur-de-lis).
The arms are strewn with sprigs of cress because it is a popular explanation that Gressenberg really means Kressenberg (hill of cress).
Literature : Image provided by Karl Palfrader (k.palfrader@aon.at)
[[Category:Austrian Municipalities G]