Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: pinneberg county | nettle leaf | fir tree | rooted |
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![[Pinneberg county flag]](../images/d/de-pi.gif)
3:5
image by Jörg Majewski, 10 Dec 2007
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Passing the "Elbtunnel" right on the lefthand side northern directory, lies the County of Pinneberg. Related to its expanse of 664 km2 it is the smallest one of Schleswig-Holstein, even though 10 percent of the inhabitants of our federal state live here. Therefore the County Pinneberg with its 299,310 inhabitants at the same time is the biggest district of Schleswig-Holstein. The region’s length is about 35 km and is right next to Hamburg. To the east the County of Segeberg borders on, to the north the County of Steinburg and to the south - beyond the Elbe - lies the County of Stade, a district of the federal state Niedersachsen. The most southwestern County of the northernmost federal state offers its visitors lots of features, they wouldn’t get elsewhere. Such as Helgoland, Germanys one and only open high sea island, belongs to the County Pinneberg.
The emblem of many of the 49 communities of the County of Pinneberg shows a tree or a rose. Even the County of Pinneberg itself . The emblem shows a green fair with golden roots – a hint to the traditional tree nursery. With 8 towns, 3 independent communes and 38 rural communes the county of Pinneberg has an urban structure. The biggest town is Elmshorn with 48,253 inhabitants, the smallest commune is Bullenkuhlen with 367 inhabitants.
Source: Pinneberg county website.
Jarig Bakker, 10 Dec 2007
Description of flag:
The white flag has a blue, horizontal stripeat the top edge and a red one at the bottom edge. Blue, white and red are the colours of Schleswig-Holstein. The couty's coat of arms is slightly shifted to the hoist.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Nov 2012
![[Pinneberg County flag]](../images/d/de-pi).gif)
image by Jörg Majewski, 10 Dec 2007
Description of coat of arms:
In a red shield is a silver (= white) nettle leaf superimposed by a green fir tree rooted golden (= yellow).
Meaning:
Pinneberg County had been erected in 1867 as one among 20 counties together with the new Prussian province Schleswig-Holstein. It consisted of the lordship of Pinneberg, Uetersen monastery, the county of Rantzau and the manor districts of Seestermühe, Haselau, Haseldorf and Flottbek.
The county was resized several times and had to cede some municipalities to Altona, Hamburg and to Segeberg County, the latter became parts of the newly built city of Norderstedt. On the other hand Helgoland, which had been part of Southern Dithmarschen, was incorporated.
In 1935 a coat of arms was approved by Prussian government. The draft was made by Erwin Nöbbe. It showed a nettle leaf, alluding to the Counts of Holstein, descendants of the Schauenburg kin, who had been rulers for many hundreds of years. The leaf was superimposed by a count's coronet in order to symbolize that not the whole dominion of the Holstein counts was meant, only the range of the county of Pinneberg, which had been independent until 1640. The crown was replaced by the current fir tree in 1946 to symbolize the waste tree nurseries, some say the biggest worldwide.
Source: Reißmann 1997, p.29
The current coat of arms was adopted on 11 January 1946 and approved by British military government. The artist is A.P. Weber from Schretstaken.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 Nov 2012
back to Schleswig-Holstein counties and municipalities index page click here.