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Oder-Spree County (Brandenburg, Germany)

Landkreis Oder-Spree

Last modified: 2019-12-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: oder-spree | beeskow(county) | quartered | bend sinister | chequered | scythe-blade | attire | demi-eagle | stork(vigilant) |
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[Oder-Spree County banner] image by Stefan Schwoon, 13 June 2011 See also:

Oder-Spree County

Oder-Spree Banner

Vertical quartered red-white bearing the arms in centre.
Source: this online catalogue
Stefan Schwoon, 4 February 2001

Oder-Spree Coat of Arms

Shield quartered, 1st quarter Or two boat hooks Gules in saltire above a 6-point star Gules, 2nd quarter Sable a bend sinister chequered of Gules and Argent, 3rd quarter Gules three scythe blades Argent ordered per pale; 4th quarter Or an attire Gules.
Meaning:
The 1st quarter is derived from the arms of the Bishops of Lebus, who had their seat of residence in Fürstenwalde. The 2nd quarter represents Eisenhüttenstadt-Land. The former county was more or less identical to the possessions of the former Cistercian Abbey of Neuzelle (1286-1817), and the quarter thus shows the chequered bend sinister of the Cistercian Order. The lower two quarters represent the former Beeskow County, which was made up from the Beeskow and Storkow estates. The scythe blades are derived from the arms of the Lords of Strehla, the attire from the Lords of Biberstein. The first had been Lords of Beeskow and Storkow prior to 1377, the latter from 1377-1518.
Source: Linder and Olzog 1996
Santiago Dotor, 25 October 2001

Flag, banner and arms were approved on 12 December 1995 by Minister of Interior of Brandenburg,
Stefan Schwoon, 4 February 2001


Beeskow County (1952 - 1993)

Beeskow County Flag


[Beeskow county flag] 3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Dec 2019

It was a red-white horizontal bicolour with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen und Flaggen der Stadt- und Landkreise Brandenburgs und der ehemaligen Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen", Erfurt 1998, p.76 and §2(3) of Hauptsatzung of Besskow County, version 19 December 1990
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Dec 2019

Coat of Arms

Shield round and quartered, 1st quarter Gules three scythe blades Argent ordered per pale, 2nd quarter Or an attire Gules; 3rd quarter Argent a demi-eagle Gules armed Or and couped per pale, 4th quarter Azure with base Vert a stork proper vigilant.
Meaning:
The scythe blades display the family arms of the Lords of Strehla, the attire displays those of the Lords of Biberstein. The demi-eagle is a modification of the arms of Brandenburg. The stork is a combination of the city arms of Beeskow and the pre-1929 arms of the city of Storkow.
Sources: Erwin Günther: "Wappen und Flaggen der Stadt- und Landkreise Brandenburgs und der ehemaligen Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen", Erfurt 1998, p.76 and §2(1) of Hauptsatzung of Besskow County, version 19 December 1990
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Dec 2019

Flag, banner and arms were adopted by the county council but never approved officially.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 Dec 2019


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