^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Grimmen City (Germany)

Stadt Grimmen, Landkreis Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

3:5 image by Jörg Majewski and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 May 2020
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 25 Feb 2007
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 3 May 2020

Grimmen City

Grimmen Flag
Grimmen Coat of Arms

See also:

County and Municipal Flags (Mecklenburg-Westpomerania / Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
Vorpommern-Rügen County
Mecklenburg-Westpomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
Germany

Grimmen City

Grimmen Flag

It is an armourial flag (banner of arms) (see central image above). In 1998 Erwin Günther reported a yellow flag (see left image above) with centred arms without shield, i.e. despite of the yellow colour the same flag as before. Both had a red stepped gable had just three steps. In 1998 the flag was replaced (see right image above) by basically the same pattern, showing however the new version of the arms with four steps. The yellow colour of the flag was probably based on the tinctures of the Dukes of Pommern-Wolgast (yellow and black).
Sources: Hans-Heinz Schütt:"Auf Schild und Flagge" , Schwerin 2011, p.342 and Erwin Günther: "Kommunalflaggen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern(1)"; published in Flaggenkurier, No. 7/8, December 1998, pp.16-29

Jörg Majewski, 25 Feb 2007 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 May 2020

Grimmen Coat of Arms

3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 3 May 2020
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 25 Feb 2007

Issuant from a stepped gable Gules masoned Sable a demi-griffin Sable armed and tongued Or.
Meaning:
Grimmen was first mentioned in 1267 and gained city rights in 1304 /1306. The city belonged to the Principality of Rügen, later until 1325 to the Duchy of Pommern-Wolgast, was however pawned in between to the Dukes of Mecklenburg and the Lords of Werle. In 1354 the Dukes of Pommern-Wolgast regained control, but already in 1376 it was pawned to the Lords of Barth until 1478 with several interruptions. From 1648 until 1815 it became a possesion of Sweden, since then of Prussia. The arms are based on a secret seal of the city from the 14th century with prints since 1304, were adopted in 1865 and modified a few times but remained basically the same through the centuries but minor details changed. From 1900 until 1940 the griffin had been red, since 1998 the griffin was black. The black griffin is taken from the arms of of the districts of Barth and Wolgast. The stepped gable is a modification of the arms of the Princes of Rügen. It had had four steps (see left image above), but at least from 1982 until 1998 it had only three steps (see right image above).
Sources:
Hans-Heinz Schütt:"Auf Schild und Flagge" , Schwerin 2011, p.342
Bensing et alii 1984, p.171
Erwin Günther: "Wappen und Flaggen der Kreise und Kreisstädte in Pommern" , Usti nad Labem 2000, p.118
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Apr 2020 / 3 May 2020

According to Stefan Schwoon and Jörg Majewski the yellow and the white flag with three steps were already in use in times of the GDR. The yellow flag had been adopted after 1990 and had been described in §2(2) of the local Hauptsatzung, probably the version of 1991, was however refused by Minister of Interior of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The local administration confirmed the information by letter to Erwin Günther on 19 August 1998. The old symbols were abolished in 1999 and the current flag was adopted and described in §2(2) of the local Hauptsatzung, version 8 July 1999. The new flag was approved on 24 January 2000 by Minister of Interior of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The old coat-of-arms was adopted 1865 by the local council and revised in 1998. The new symbols were published in the Municipal Roll of Arms Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as no.202
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Apr 2020

back to Vorpommern-Rügen cities and municipalities click here