Papenburg City (Germany)

Stadt Papenburg, Landkreis Emsland, Lower Saxony

Last modified: 2017-11-11 by german editorial team
Keywords: papenburg | muenster bishopric | arenberg | aschendorf |
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2:3 image by Jörg Majewski, 20 Oct 2007
Flag adopted ?

• Papenburg new flag
• Papenburg city
• Papenberg (Reported 1813, 1823, 1832 / Papenburg?)
• Coat of Arms
• Plain Flag reported 1891
• Naval Flag until 1803
• Naval Flag until 1810
• Borough of Aschendorf
• Aschendorf Flag
• Aschendorf Banner
• Aschendorf Coat of Arms

• County and Municipal Flags (Lower Saxony / Niedersachsen)
• Emsland County
• Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
• Hannoverian Flags reported 1891
• Germany

Papenburg new flag

Papenburg city

Yellow-red-blue with the arms in the red stripe. Sources: Stadler 1970, Keyser 1939-1974 and the Delfzijl (Netherlands) website (translated in the Emden18th-19th Centuries section).

Stadler says that until 1803 the city belonged to the diocese of Münster, and that until then the arms of the diocese were used in place of the current arms. The arms of the diocese showed a red fess in a golden field. In 1803 the city came to the duchy of Arenberg and thus the arms were replaced with those of Arenberg. Today, Papenburg is in the county of Emsland.
Stefan Schwoon, 29 Mar 2001

Stadler 1970, p.65, says (my translation):
Papenburg: The black lion on red, which the Lords of Papenburg are supposed to have used, was used around 1807 for the municipal arms. These were intended to replace the Arenberg arms [*] on the ensigns. The Papenburg ensign was until 1803 that of the Principality-Bishopric of Münster (yellow, red, blue with the fess arms [**]). After the change of power these stripes were charged with the Arenberg ducal arms."
No information about today's (i.e. 1970's) flag. So it appears that the yellow-red-blue flag bore:
- the Münster arms [**] until 1803;
- the Arenberg arms [*] 1803-1810; and
-the Papenburg (black lion on red) arms since ca.1807.

Notes:
[*] The Arenberg arms are Gules three roses Or, see for instance the first quarter in the Euskirchen County arms in Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website.
[**] The Münster arms refers to the coat-of-arms of the Principality-Bishopric of Münster, Or a fess Gules, as shown on the chief of nowadays Münster County arms, shown in Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website.
Santiago Dotor, 19 Dec 2001

From Ralf Hartemink's Ralf Hartemink's webpage:
The arms show the imaginary arms of the Lords of Papenburg and were adopted by the town in 1807. In 1860 when the town became a city the arms were officially granted. The bordure was added during this century. The colours are non-heraldic, and thus probably are based on a mistake made in 1807. Before 1807 the town used in its seals a ship, to emphasize the importance of sailing and trading.
Source: Stadler 1970, p.65
Santiago Dotor, 26 Mar 2002

Papenburg is located close to the river Ems and the Dutch border.
Ivan Sache, 19 Jun 2002

Papenberg (Reported 1813, 1823, 1832 / Papenburg?)

A yellow-red-blue vertical tricolor. Possibly a flag of Aremberg.
Illustrated in outline in Flag Bulletinno. 93, p. 70.
Norman Martin, April 1998

Coat of Arms

Plain Flag reported 1891

Description of  flag:
The ratio is given as 1:2. It was a blue over red over yellow horizontal tricolour.
Source:H.Ahrens "Hannoversche Landschafts-und Städtewappen", 1891, plate XX
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Nov 2011

Naval Flag until 1803

3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2011

Papenburg located on the banks of river Ems at that place, where it becomes a real broad stream, probably had been the only sea harbour of the Bishopric of Münster. Therefore the tricolour of the city of Papenburg had been combined with the coat of arms of the bishopric in ist centre. The bishopric had a golden(= yellow) shield divided by a red fess. In Stadler 1970, p.65 the author mentions the existence of the naval flag of the bishopric until 1803, when the bishopric had been dissolved by Napoleon I.

Naval Flag until 1810

3:5 speculative image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Nov 2011

After the territories of Archbishoprics,Bishoprics, Abbeys had been dissolved in 1803, Papenburg kept the naval flag but the coat of arms was replaced by that one of Arenberg, acc. to Stefan Schwoon a red shield showing three golden (= yellow) blossoms of medlar ordered two above one. The Duchy of Arenberg became part of the French Empire in 1810.
Source: , p.65
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Nov 2011

Borough of Aschendorf

Aschendorf Flag

3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 21 Oct 2007

Borough ofAschendorf, former independent city and capital of the county having the same name
coat of arms adopted: 31 August 1952 [1]
flags adopted: 31 August 1952 [2]
Sources:
[1]Hanns Fettweis: "Die Wappen der Städte, Gemeinden und Altkreise des Emslandes", 1989.
[2]Main State Archive of Hannover
Jörg Majewski, 21 Oct 2007

Aschendorf Banner

Aschendorf Coat of Arms

Description of coat of arms:
Shield Or, a fess wavy Azure, over all a defence tower Gules roofed Azure.
Meaning:
Gold and red are the colours of the Bishopric of Münster, which acquired the area in 1252 from the Counts of Ravensburg. The fess wavy is representing Ems River. The tower is a naturalistic depiction of an early belfry and defence tower and is stressing the claim that a baptistery existed in Aschendorf since 800. In 1952 on occasion of the 1200-years anniversary the village gained city rights and by the minister of interior of Lower Saxony, who also approved the current arms.
Acc. to source there had been also a comprehensive municipality of Aschendorf, having nearly the same arms with six additional stars (no image no further information)
Source: Stadler 1970, p.17
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Jan 2016

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