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Herbarz Miast Polskich
Polish Civic Heraldry
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GRUDZIĄDZ
Province: Kujawi i Pomorze
Origin/meaning:
The oldest seal of the city dates from the 13th century and simply shows a bishop on a throne, holding in his left hand a stick and in his right a city. The same composition is seen on the next known, 15th century seal.
After that the seals and also the arms of the city are quite different; they show bull's head with between the horns the arms of the Teutonic Order, a black cross on a silver shield. This change was probably made after the city received several rights from the Knights of the Order. The oldest seal showing the head dates from 1456 and from the horns pieces of cloth fall down alongside the head. It is likely that these pieces of cloth were later misinterpreted as daggers, as the next seal shows two crossed daggers behind the head. This composition is seen on all seals until 1809.
The use of a bull's head is first documented in the Battle of Tannenberg (1411) when the town used a silver banner with a bull's head, but nothing between the horns.
In 1809 the newly made seals show the arms as shown above, only with a small shield with the head and daggers below the bishop. The small shield was not removed until 1840. The arms haven't changed since.
The arns as shown in 1895
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Seal from around 1900
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The arms as shown in the 1950s
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The arms as shown in a book from 1963
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The arms as shown in 1994
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Literature : Hupp 1898; Plenako and Wanag, 1994; Szczechura, 1963
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coats of arms on-line ! 
