Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: geilenkirchen | lion(golden) | double queued | parrot(blue) |
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![[Geilenkirchen banner]](../images/d/de-hs_gk.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Aug 2011
Description of banner:
It is a blue - yellow vertical bicolour. The coat of arms is shifted to the top.
Source: §2(2) of Hauptsatzung of the city of Geilenkirchen, version 20 February 1995, updated 5 November 2009
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Aug 2011
Description of coat of arms:
The shield is divided per fess. Above in a blue field is a half golden (= yellow) double queued, rampant lion, armed and tongued red. Below in a golden (= yellow) field is a blue parrot armed red sitting on a black branch of an unknown kind of tree.
Meaning:
According to source the arms appeared since 1556 on the oldest seal of the city, which was made by Duke Wilhelm V of Jülich. In the old version, described in
Stadler 1972, p.42, the lion in the upper part is the lion of Heinsberg in the colours of Jülich. There the two tails of the lion indicate the origin as lion of Heinsberg. The parrot is said to appear as a part of chains, worn at shooting matches of the shootist guilds (German: Schützenvereine). The collar (only in the old version) and branch are not historical, but were added in the last century. After the borders of the counties had been redrawn in 1972, the colours were changed. They might either allude to the former municipality of Teveren or to the duchy of Geldern. The new lion matches that one of Geldern. But that is a mere speculation.
Source: §2(1) of Hauptsatzung of the city of Geilenkirchen, version 20 February 1995, updated 5 November 2009
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Aug 2011
Banner and coat of arms were approved by Regierungspräsident Köln on 29 November 1972.
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