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State : Bayern
Urban District (Kreisfreie Stadt) : Bamberg

Origin/meaning:
The arms were granted in 1953 and are based on the oldest known seal, known since 1211, see below.

The knight is St. George, the patron saint of the city, the small shield shows the arms of the Counts of Andechs-Meranien, who ruled the city in the 13^th century. In the 15th and 16^th century the seal sometimes showed Emperor Heinrich II instead of St. George. From the late 15^th century the composition was also used as arms of the city. Previously the city used the lion of the Abbey and State of Bamberg (see below) as city arms. Even though the composition of the arms thus did not change since the 15^th century, the colours of the eagle changed regularly.

The former independent State of Bamberg, ruled by the Archbishops of Bamberg, was a small, but quite powerful part of the German Empire. The bishops owned many towns and villages, and the arms of the State of Bamberg can be found in many arms in Bayern. The arms of the State are shown below:

Literature : Stadler, 1990.

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