Wölfersheim

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

WÖLFERSHEIM

State : Hessen
District (Kreis) : Wetteraukreis (until 1973 Friedberg-Hessen)
Additions : 1972-4 Berstadt, Melbach, Södel, Wohnbach

Origin/meaning

The arms show two shields, the right one with the cross of Trier, the left one with the arms of the Lords of Münzenberg. The lower part shows a falcon on a castle. The town was given first privileges (rights) by Werner von Falkenstein, Archbishop of Trier. The lower part thus would be a canting symbol for the bishop (Falk=falcon, Stein=stone), which also explains the cross of Trier. The Von Falkenstein family, however, did not use a falcon in their arms. The falcon is either meant really canting, or is derived from a 15^th century image in which imaginary arms are shown for the bishop. The Von Münzenberg family ruled large parts of the Wetterau region in the 12th-14th century. They were succeeded by the Lords von Falkenstein.

The image below shows the arms as shown in the Kaffee Hag albums of the 1930s, with as a cross the black cross of the Teutonic Knights instead of Trier.

In 1956 the arms below were proposed to simplify the arms from the seal. The proposal showed a falcon rising from the division line, with the smaller arms in quarters below. Even though this proposal is heraldically more correct, it was never adopted by the town.

Literature : Stadler, K., 1964-1971, 8 volumes; Hessisches Ortswappenbuch, 1956.