Sankt Lorenzen am Wechsel
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Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Austria - Österreichische Gemeindewappen |
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SANKT LORENZEN AM WECHSEL
State : Steiermark
District : Hartberg
Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on July 1st, 1991.
The main charge is a grid iron, the chief attribute of St. Lawrence, the patron saint of the local parish. The fleur-de-lis ornaments are a bow to Ottokar Kernstock, Canon at the monastery of Vorau and vicar of the parish of Festenburg for nearly 30 years. He was a well-known poet and wrote the text for the Austrian Bundeshymne of the First Republic.
The snow crystals and sun indicate the Wechsel region, in which the village is situated. The Wechsel mountain is a great weather divide at the border between the Austrian States of Styria and Lower Austria. Besides, "Wechsel" itself means "change".
Literature : Image provided by Karl Palfrader (k.palfrader@aon.at), MStLA 42/43, p. 56