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Deutsche Wappen (Gemeindewappen/Kreiswappen) German Civic Heraldry

LÜDINGHAUSEN

State : Nordrhein-Westfalen
District (Kreis) : Coesfeld (until 1974 Lüdinghausen)
Additions : 1975 Seppenrade

Origin/meaning:
The bell is a canting symbol, in the North-German dialect lüden is to sound a bell. The name of the city, however, has nothing to do with lüden or bells. Lüdinghausen was founded in the 13^th century and received city rights around 1308. The oldest existing seal dates from the end of the 14^th century and shows already the bell. The bell also appeared on the seal of the 13^th century Knights of Lüdinghausen. All later seals showed the same composition. In the 18^th century a helmet with a bell between wings was used as a crest. On December 8, 1909 the arms were officially granted, without the helmet but with a mural crown, which was used until the merger with Seppenrade in 1975.
The new (above right) arms were granted in 1982 and combine the bell with the ammonite taken from the arms of Seppenrade.

There are a few other stories for the origin of the bell. One is the story that when the corpse of St. Liudgerus in the 10^th century arrived in Lüdinghausen, the local church bells started to sound on their own accord.

Literature : Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes; Leaflet: Die Wappen im Kreis Coesfeld, provided by Kreis Coesfeld, 1999.

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