Niedenstein
NIEDENSTEIN
State : Hessen
District (Kreis) : Schwalm-Eder Kreis (until 1973 Fritzlar-Homberg)
Additions : 1970 Ermetheis; 1971 Metze, Kirchberg, Wichdorf.
| German | Im goldenen Schild ein herschauender blauer Stechhelm mit rot-silberner Decke und silbernen Hörnern, zwischen denen ein roter Löwe steht. |
| English | No blazon/translation known. Please click here to send your (heraldic !) blazon or translation |
Origin/meaning
The helmet and crest already appeared on the oldest known seal of the town, dating from the 14th century. The crest is the simplified crest of the Counts of Hessen in the 14th century. The counts granted the village near one of their castles city rights in the late 13th century.
The original lion of Hessen is striped (see the arms of the state), but already in 1605 coloured images of the arms of Niedenstein showed a red lion. Otherwise the composition has not changed, even though the size and shape of the elements has differed widely through the centuries.
 The arms in a 16th century manuscript |
 The arms in a manuscript from +/- 1730 |
 The arms in an 1884 book |
 The arms by Hupp in the Kaffee Hag albums +/- 1925 |
Literature: Stadler, 1964-1971, 8 volumes.