Bielefeld city (Germany)

Kreisfreie Stadt Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia

Last modified: 2007-10-27 by jarig bakker
Keywords: bielefeld | brackwede |
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• Bielefeld city
• Bielefeld horizontal flag
• Brackwede borough

• County and Municipal Flags (North Rhine-Westphalia / Nordrhein-Westfalen)
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• North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
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Bielefeld city

From Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website: Bielefeld probably got city rights in the early 13th century. 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. The actual picture of the gate has changed often during the centuries. Sometimes the patron saint St. George is shown above the gate, sometimes the small shield is shown, sometimes not. The small shield is derived from the arms of the Counts of Ravensberg, who owned the town until 1346.
Literature: Stadler 1964-1971.
Santiago Dotor, 18 Dec 2001

Bielefeld horizontal flag

City of Bielefeld (Northrhine-Westphalia)
The flags ratio is 3:5. It is 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 Jul 2007

Brackwede borough

Brackwede (City of Bielefeld / North Rhine-Westphalia)
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 to Brackwede. In 1974 the city became a district of Bielefeld.
Description of flag:
The ratio of flag is 3:5. It is a red over white over red flag with the coat of arms in its centre. The flag was abolished, when the city became a part of Bielefeld.
Description of coat of arms:
In a silver (=white) shield three trees with silver(=white) stems and green leaves are standing upon the peaks of a red mountain, upon which a silver (=white) wheel with six spokes is superimposed. Above all is a red chevron touching the top edge of the shield.
Meaning:
The chevron was taken from the coat of arms of the counts of Ravensberg, who had been the sovereigns until 1346. Mountain and trees are symbolizing the location beneath the Teutoburger Wald. The wheel is a symbol of trade and industry. The coat of arms was granted in 1950. The Amt Brackwede used the same shield without the wheel since 1936.
Source: Klemens STADLER, images by Max REINHART: "Deutsche Wappen Bd.VII Nordrhein-Westfalen" Bremen 1972; p.29.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 June 2007