Last modified: 2022-11-26 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: altenberg | baerenstein | geising | bishop | lion | miner | bear(head) | griffin | hammer and mallet |
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![[Altenberg city flag]](../images/d/de-pn-ab.gif)
3:5
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
It is a white-red horizontal bicolour with centred coat of arms.
Source: this online catalogue and §2(2) of Hauptsatzung, version 18 November 2013
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
![[Altenberg city banner]](../images/d/de-pn-ab_.gif)
5:2 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
It is a white-red vertical bicolour. The coat of arms is shifted towards the top.
Source: this online catalogue
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
Shield parted per fess; above parted per pale, at dexter Gules a bishop with robe and mitre Or and holding a crozier of the same by his dexter hand and three balls of the same by his sinister hand, at sinister Azure a double queued lion rampant parted per fess of Argent and Gules; beneath Or a kneeling miner dressed Sable hewing rocks Sable by hammer and mallet.
Meaning:
Since 1400 tin soap was depleted by surface mining. In 1436 the greatest European deposit of tin was discovered at the nearby Geisingberg, a mountain. An inordinate settlement of miners grew, which gained city rights in 1451. During the following years it became the most important mining city in the Erzgebirge. A headmaster of mining existed since 1459. The name Altenberg appeared first in 1489. Due to its importance the city was bought in 1491 by Duke Georg the Bearded of Sachsen and Sagan. In 1512 a new town was added. In 1543 the city gained the high level cognisance. At the beginning of the century 200,000 kilograms of tin were depleted every year. A company held 133 mines. In 1620 the great fall shaft (German: Binge) was started. It had a depth of 100 meters. Mining declined since the 19th century and was discontinued in 1914, again started in 1937 and extended in 1947. Nowadays it is mainly a city of all kinds of winter sports, especially biathlon. The bishop on the arms is St. Nicolas, the local patron saint, recognisable by his attributes, the three golden balls or apples. The lion probably is a differentiation of the lion of the Kingdom of Böhmen. The miner is alluding to the fact that tin mining had been the most important business line for centuries. The pattern appeared first on a city seal from 1544. It changed in details during the centuries, like tinctures of the miner and attribute of the bishop, a book was replaced by the balls. The lion before had been the black lion of the Margraviate of Meißen.
Sources:
(1) Bensing et alii 1984, pp.14-15
(2) Mining Museum Altenberg
(3) §2(1) of Hauptsatzung, version 18 November 2013
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
Flag, banner and arms were approved on 1 December 1994 according to Hauptsatzung.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
![[Bärenstein borough banner]](../images/d/de-pn-ab-br_.gif)
5:2
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
It was a black-yellow vertical bicolour. The coat of arms was shifted towards the top.
Source: presentation of Klaus Günther on DVT 29 in Hamburg 2021
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
Shield Or a bear´s head caboshed Sable tongued Gules.
Meaning:
The canting bear had been always the symbol of the former city. He was taken from the family arms of the Lords of Bernstein, who founded the local castle and gained the area as a fiefdom of the Margraviate of Meißen. In the 15th century mining of tin and iron started. In 1501 Hans of Bernstein founded a city. The privileges were confirmed in 1506. The arms are based on a city seal from 1544. The head was brown in a golden field before 1894 and the city colours were denoted as brown and yellow by the mayor, which didn´t match heraldic rules. Thus in 1895 the Main State Archive decided that the head had to be black in a silver field. In 1936 there existed an erroneous description. According to this description the version of 1896 displayed a blue head in a silver field and the city colours had been blue and white. This version was confirmed by a publication from 1974 about city arms in Dresden district. Sächsische Zeitung, a newspaper, in 1978 and source below correctly described a black head on a silver shield. On behalf of the city the background colour was changed from silver to golden in 1997, in fact the arms of 1896 were restored. Since 2004 Bärenstein is a borough of Altenberg.
Source: Bensing et alii 1984, pp.31-32 this webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
The banner without arms is in use since 1897. The arms are traditonal and were confirmed on 18 April 1997 by the county administration.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
![[Geising borough banner]](../images/d/de-pn-ab-ge_.gif)
5:2 image by Jörg Majewski, 24 Nov 2022
It is a black vertical bicolour. The coat of arms is at the top of the yellow stripe.
Source: this online catalogue
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
Shield Or a griffin Sable armed and tongued Gules climbing steps of rocks Sable at dexter, in canton hammer and mallet Sable in saltire bordured Sable.
Meaning:
Geising is located alongside a namesake creek and was parted between the Lordship of Bärenstein (Altgeising) and the Lordship of Lauenstein (Neugeising). The creek had been the border between the two villages. Altgeising gained city rights in 1453. The settlements expanded since 1462 due to tin mining in Altenberg and Neugeising gained city rights immediately. Though they had never been mining cities, various industries settled down such as hammer mills, foundries and ore washers. The complex was called a little city in 1515 and a market town in 1590. Both cities were united in 1857 as city of Geising. The arms combine elements of both former cities. The arms of Altgeising displayed hammer and mallet and a fork in pale for depleting tin soap. The griffin is taken from the arms of Neugeising. He appeared first on a city seal from 1510.
Source: Bensing et alii 1984, pp.146-147
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
A plain bicolour is in use since 1897. The arms are traditonal.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 24 Nov 2022
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