Bielefeld City (Germany)

Stadt Bielefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen

Last modified: 2020-05-24 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: bielefeld | brackwede | quelle | ummeln | dornberg | sparrenberg | inescutcheon | chevrons(3) | wall(embattled) | tower | mountain | trees(3) | wheel | coronet |
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3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Nov 2007

3:5 image by Stefan Schwoon, 22 Feb 2001

• Bielefeld City
• Brief History
• Bielefeld Flag with Coat of Arms
• Bielefeld Coat of Arms
• Bielefeld Banner#1
• Bielefeld Banner#2
• Bielefeld Banner#3
• Bielefeld plain Flag reported 1972
• Bielefeld Flag until 1833
• Ravensberg Banner of Arms
• Borough of Brackwede


• Brackwede Borough
• Brackwede Borough Flag
• Brackwede Borough Banner
• Brackwede Borough Coat of Arms
• Brackwede-Quelle Borough
• Brackwede-Quelle Borough Flag
• Brackwede-Quelle Borough Coat of Arms
• Brackwede-Ummeln Borough
• Brackwede-Ummeln Borough Flag
• Brackwede-Ummeln Borough Coat of Arms


• Dornberg Borough
• Dornberg Borough Flag
• Dornberg Borough Coat of Arms

• County and Municipal Flags (Northrhine-Westphalia / Nordrhein-Westfalen)
• Northrhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
• Germany

Bielefeld City

Brief History

Bielefeld was mentioned first in 1015, when a man named Tieni sold his acres to the Bishopric of Paderborn. In 1214 Count Hermann of Ravensberg founded a settlement and granted to it the rights of a city. Between 1240 and 1250 Sparrenberg Castle, usually known as Sparrenburg was built by Count Ludwig of Ravensberg. In 1293 Count Otto III and his wife Hadwig established an abbey, the core of Bielefeld New Town (Neustadt).
In 1346 the Ravensberg kin died out. Bielefeld became part of Jülich in 1348 and later of Kleve (1511). In 1520 Bielefeld and Bielefeld New Town merged.
In 1614 Bielefeld became part of the Electorate of Brandenburg, the process of incorporation was finished in 1647. Bielefeld became a boom town under Brandenburgian rule, when the linen industries were established by the electors. The city was in favour especially by the Great Elector.
From 1806 until 1813 Bielefeld became part of the Kingdom of Westphalia, a French puppet state, ruled by King Jerome (by the locals called "King Funny", although life wasn't funny at all in those years), a brother of the French Emperor Napoleon I.
In 1816 Bielefeld became capital of a Prussian county. In 1878 Bielefeld dropped out of the county and became a county free city.
In 1973 the city of Bielefeld, the main part of Bielefeld County and a minor part of Halle (Westfalen) County merged.
Source: "750 Jahre Bielefeld - unsere Stadt im Wandel der Zeit", Sonderbeilage of Freie Presse, a local newspaper, Bielefeld 1964
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 July 2011

Bielefeld Flag with Coat of Arms

It is a red-white horizontal bicolour with centred arms.
Source: Veddeler 2003, p.347
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Nov 2007

Bielefeld Coat of Arms

In a golden (=yellow) field is a red, embattled wall masoned black. The wall is topped by two red, embattled towers having eight open (=black) windows and four pinnacles each. In an open arc of the wall is a silver (=white) inescutcheon bearing three red chevrons.
Approved: 17 July 1978 by Regierungspräsident Detmold
Meaning:
The chevron shield is that one of the Counts of Ravensberg, Count Hermann of Ravensberg established the city of Bielefeld in 1214 as his new capital with privileges according to the version of Münster/Westphalia. 1293 the base of Bielefeld New Town was founded by Count Otto III. and his wife Hadwig. 1520 both cities merged. The image from the coat of arms existed on the cities seals since 1231. The oldest seals of the city date from 1231 and 1263. These already showed a gate, which has been also used as the arms ever since. Since 1336 there also existed seals of New Town, showing an image of St.George with lance and shield. There is however nothing known about the existence of a flag. It is known since 1701, that the city used a coat of arms with a black gate with a portcullis and the chevron-shield in a silver field. It was topped by a crown and had two lions as supporters. In the 19th century the tincture of the walls was changed into light grey for some funny reasons. In 1890 the shield was modified again, showing a "stonegrey" gate in a golden shield. The whole was topped by a mural crown. Hupp (Deutsche Ortswappen) and Meyer (Wappenbuch) had published a version with a red gate, which was proposed by Roth a little bit earlier, because gold besides stonegrey didn't match basic rules of heraldry. This version was used and finally became official in 1939.
The colours red and white in the flag had been used since the shooting-match (German: Schützenfest) of 1831. It was a revival of the Ravensberg colours. The city chose these colours as theirs officialy in 1833. The colours of the old flag, being black and white, had nothing to do with the colours of Prussia, as I claimed here earlier. According to Veddeler they were based upon the tinctures of the old coat of arms. This connection had been simply forgotten.
Sources: Veddeler 2003, p.347 and and Stadler 1972, p.25
Santiago Dotor, 18 Dec 2001 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Nov 2007

Flag, banner and arms were approved on 17 July 1978 by district governor (Regierungspräsident) of Detmold.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Nov 2007

Bielefeld Banner#1

It is a red-white vertical bicolour with centred arms and shield according to Klemens Stadler.
Sources: Staack 1997 and Stadler 1972., p.25
Stefan Schwoon, 22 Feb 2001

Bielefeld Banner#2

It is a red-white vertical bicolour. The coat of arms is shifted to the top. This variant has the usual shield, called Halbrundschild, e.g. depicted by Veddeler.
Source: Veddeler 2003, p.347
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Nov 2007

Bielefeld Banner#3

It is a red-white vertical bicolour, The coat of arms is in awhite banner head with a black inscription "Bielefeld" beneath the shield. A few of these banners were used during the foundation stone ceremony of the local university on 21 June 1968.
Source: this webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 May 2020

Bielefeld plain Flag reported 1972

It was a red over white horizontal bicolour.
The flag was used since the beginning of the 19th century. The city then had the same colours as the Prussian province of Westphalia.
Source: "Deutsches Städtebuch, Bd.III 2 Westfalen"; Hrsg: Stoob Stuttgart 1954.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 July 2007

Bielefeld Flag until 1833

It was a black over white horizontal bicolour.
Source: Veddeler 2003, p.347
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 7 July 2007

Ravensberg Banner of Arms

It is a white flag divided by three red chevrons. It is an armourial flag (banner of arms), showing the family arms of Ravensberg kin, who died out in 1346. It is hoisted on top of the belfry of Sparrenberg Castle above Bielefeld and Ravensberg Castle above Borgholzhausen.
Source: I spotted this flag various times.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 5 July 2011

Brackwede Borough

Brackwede had been the "biggest village of Europe" since it gained the title of a city in 1956. In 1970 some other municipalities had been incorporated into Brackwede. In 1974 the city became a district of Bielefeld.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 June 2007

Brackwede Borough Flag

3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 June 2007

3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 15 Mar 2013

It was a red-white-red horizontal triband with centred arms either with ratio of stripes 1:1:1 (see left image) above or approx. 1:4:1 (see right image) with arms in the middle of the white stripe.. The flag was abolished on 31 Decmber 1972, when the city became a part of Bielefeld.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 June 2007

Brackwede Borough Banner

It was a red-white-red vertical triband with ratio of stripes approx. 2:5:2. The coat of arms was within the white stripe and shifted to the top.
Source:this website
You can see the banner hanging at a crane of the local fire brigade volunteers. The photo was made on 17 May 2009 during the fire brigade's road show.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Dec 2009

Brackwede Borough Coat of Arms

Shield Argent, issuant from base a triplemount Gules charged with a 6-spokes wheel Argent and its peaks topped by a tree Vert trunked Argent each, all under a chevron Gules in chief touching the top edge of the shield.
Meaning:
The chevron was taken from the family arms of the Counts of Ravensberg, who had been the local rulers until 1346. Mountain and trees are symbolising the location beneath the Teutoburger Wald, a mountain ridge. The wheel is a symbol of trade and industries.
The coat of arms was approveded in 1950. The Brackwede Subcounty (Amt) used the same shield without the wheel since 1936.
Source: Stadler 1972, p.29
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 June 2007

Brackwede-Quelle Borough

Brackwede-Quelle Borough Flag

It was a red-white-red horizontal triband. The coat of arms is in the centre of the flag within the white stripe.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 Mar 2013

Brackwede-Quelle Borough Coat of Arms

Shield Argent three chevrons Gules superimposed by a tower Argent.
Meaning:
The chevrons had been the arms of the Counts of Ravensberg. The tower displays the Three Emperors' Tower (Dreikaiserturm) on top the Hünenburg Mountain. The tower was built between 1888 and 1894 and demolished in 1952, when it was replaced by a telecommunication tower.
Quelle was a rural municipality and first mentioned in 1221. Later metal processing, especially copper mallets, became the main business line. Quelle was incorporated into the city of Brackwede on 1 January 1970 and together with Brackwede became a part of Bielefeld on 1 January 1973.
The flag is of the same type like the flag of Brackwede.
Source: Heinz-Hugo Haarmann: "150 Jahre Landkreis Bielefeld 1816 - 1966", pp.20/58
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 Mar 2013

Brackwede-Ummeln Borough

Brackwede-Ummeln Borough Flag

It was a red-white-red horizontal triband. The coat of arms is in the centre of the flag within the white stripe.
Source: Heinz-Hugo Haarmann: "150 Jahre Landkreis Bielefeld 1816 - 1966", p.58
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 Mar 2013

Brackwede-Ummeln Borough Coat of Arms

Shield Argent two oven peels Gules in saltire under a chevron Gules.
Meaning:
The chevron is a differentiation of the arms of the Counts of Ravensberg, which displayed three chevrons. The meaning of the peels is not known, but might allude to agriculture or grain. Ummeln was incorporated into the city of Brackwede on 1 January 1970 and together with Brackwede became a part of Bielefeld on 1 January 1973.
Source: Heinz-Hugo Haarmann: "150 Jahre Landkreis Bielefeld 1816 - 1966", p.58
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 Mar 2013

Dornberg Borough

Dornberg Borough Flag

It was a yellow-white-yellow horizontal triband. The coat of arms is in the centre of the flag within the white stripe.

Dornberg Borough Coat of Arms