Tiefenbach (Östringen)

TIEFENBACH

Province/State : Baden-Württemberg
District (Kreis) : Karlsruhe (until 1972 Sinsheim)
Incorporated into : 1972 Östringen

Official blazon

German	In gespaltenem Schild vorne in Blau schräggekreuzt ein silberner Schlüssel und ein silbernes Schwert, die Kreuzung überdeckt durch ein goldenes Zepter, hinten in Silber eine grüne am Blattstiel hängende Traube.
English	(Östringen) No blazon/translation known. Please click here to send your (heraldic !) blazon or translation

Origin/meaning

Tiefenbach belonged from the mid 14^th century until 1803 to the Odenheim Abbey in the State of Speyer, from 1803 onwards to Baden and Baden-Württemberg.

The local council did not have its own seal in 1654. The oldest known seal dates from 1739 and shows a non-heraldic composition of the baptising of Jesus. A later seal, from the 19^th century, shows St. John Baptist holding a vine. St. John is the patron saint of the local church.

In 1909 the State Archives proposed as arms for the municipality the image of St. John Baptist holding a crosier. The municipality rejected the image for use on its seal, but accepted the arms as such. The arms, however, were never granted nor used.
In 1938 some attempts were made to change the unofficial arms, but these changes were never adopted either. Finally in 1953 the above arms were granted.

The arms show a bunch of grapes as a symbol for the importance of viticulture in the municipality. The left side shows the arms of the former Odenheim Abbey in the colours of the State of Speyer.

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Literature: John, H. : Wappenbuch des Landkreises Karlsruhe. Stuttgart, 1986.