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Deutsche Wappen (Gemeindewappen/Kreiswappen) German Civic Heraldry

WISMAR

State : Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Urban district (Stadtkreis) : Hansestadt Wismar

Origin/meaning:
The city of Wismar uses two different arms, the official arms as shown above, and the small arms shown below. The arms above are since 1995 the only arms used by the council, but the small arms may be used, but not for official purposes.

The oldest known seal of Wismar dates from around 1250 and already shows the Kogge-ship, the typical trading vessel of the time, and the principal ship of the Hanseatic League. The three fish indicate the importance of sailing and fishing for the city. The meaning of the seagull on the front of the ship is not known. The small shield on the mast shows the arms of the Duchy of Mecklenburg, to which the city belonged.

The oldest seals of Wismar

The seagull does not yet appear on the oldest seal (see above), but it appears on the second, 14^th century, seal of the city.

The small arms only show the bull of Mecklenburg with several bars, which are likely derived from the banner of the city. These arms were widely used as official arms by the city until 1918. The seals at the same time showed still the ship. From 1918 onwards the city has used the composition from the seal as it's arms. Until the end of the DDR the field of the arms was blue, since 1995 officially silver.

Use of the arms in the city :

Literature : Information provided by the city of Wismar; Ewe, 1972; Bensing et al, 1984

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