Reutigen
REUTIGEN
Canton : Bern
Bezirk : Thun (until 2010 Niedersimmental)
Official blazon
In Blau ein goldenes Hauszeichen, H-förmig mit quergestellten Hochkreuz.
Origin/meaning
The arms were adopted in 1936.
The arms are taken from the arms of Hans Schütz from Bern, owner of the village from 1478. The symbol shows a letter H with a cross, as he was much involved in religious issues at the time. According to the Bern Archives, the arms were black on a red field.
The arms appear in the church of Reutingen in 1480 on the baptismal font, as in 1480 the local chapel became a new parish church.
In 1924 the local music band wanted to participate in the cantonal music festival, but needed uniforms and a banner. A local artist designed the banner, which showed a shield with a tree as arms for the village. The tree was taken from a book with the village arms in canton Bern from 1780, according to the cantonal archive. The arms were used on the banner until 1972.
In 1935 a local teacher/historian proposed the use of a local coat of arms to the municipal council. He proposed the arms found on the baptismal font as arms for the municipality, which was approved by the council on December 30, 1935.
Literature : Wappenbuch des Kantons Bern, 1981; Kernen, 2007