Eckernförde

ECKERNFÖRDE

State : Schleswig-Holstein
District (Kreis) : Rendsburg-Eckernförde (until 1970 Eckernförde)

Official blazon

German	In Gold über drei blauen Wellenleisten ein breiter, gemauerter blauer Zinnenturm mit geschlossenem Tor, auf dessen Zinnen ein rotes Eichhörnchen läuft.
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted in 1936.

Eckernförde received city rights in around 1288. The first seal dates from the early 14^th century and shows the castle at the coast (waves). The squirrel is a canting symbol (Eichhorn, or Ekern in the local dialect, the name thus means acorn-ford), which first appears on the seal in the 15^th century. At first the squirrel was shown somewhere on the seal, later it became part of the arms itself. It was said that the area was covered with a forest, so dense that a squirrel could travel to Kiel without touching the ground.

Seal from 1441	Seal from 1624
The municipal stamp shown in 1892	Seal from around 1900
The arms in the Wappen-Sammlung (1900)	The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925
The arms in the Abadie albums

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This page is part of the German heraldry portal Deutsche Wappensammlung	Heraldry of the World
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Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes; Kaffee Hag albums, 1920s