Altenau
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Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Germany - Deutsche Wappen (Gemeindewappen/Kreiswappen) |
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ALTENAU
State : Niedersachsen
District (Kreis) : Goslar (until 1972 Zellerfeld)
Official blazon
Origin/meaning
The arms were granted in 1617 by Duke Christian of Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Celle.
The three bear claws are derived from the arms of the Counts of Hoya, who ruled the area until 1582. The lower two claws hold some miner's tools, symbol for the silver and iron mining in the area. The upper one holds a so-called wolfs-hook, symbol for the forestry. The meaning of the divided shield is not known.
In the Kaffee Hag albums of the early 20th century as well as the list of arms of Hannover from 1891 the arms were shown in different (historically wrong) colours:
 The arms as shown in 1891 |
 Seal from around 1900 |
 The arms in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925 |
Literature : Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes; Ahrens, 1891