Creussen

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of Germany - Deutsche Wappen (Gemeindewappen/Kreiswappen)

CREUSSEN

State : Bayern
District (Kreis) : Bayreuth (until 1973 Pegnitz)
Additions : 1972 Bühl , Lindenhardt

Official blazon

Geviert von Silber und Schwarz, in der Mitte aufgelegt ein henkelloser roter Tonkrug.

Origin/meaning

The arms probably date from the middle of the 14^th century. The oldest known image, however, dates from 1470 and the arms appeared on the seals of the city in 1511. Until 1581 the city only used the quartered shield of the (Hohen)Zollern family as the city was a possession of the family. To distinguish the arms the jug was added. The jug is a symbol of the pottery industry in the town, but has also been explained as a canting symbol (from Kreus, a type of beaker).

The colours are the historical colours, but until the early 20^th century the colours were often shown wrongly, see image below.
The city historically, and still sometimes, uses also the crest of the Hohenzollern family, a dog, above the arms, see below.