City of Bernburg (Bernburg County, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany)

Stadt Bernburg

Last modified: 2002-05-31 by santiago dotor
Keywords: saxony-anhalt | bernburg | stadt bernburg | bernburg county | coat of arms (city gate: red) | coat of arms (towers: 2) | coat of arms (towers: red) | coat of arms: inescutcheon (anhalt) |
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by Stefan Schwoon

• Description

See also:

• County and Municipal Flags (Saxony-Anhalt / Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany)
• Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany)
• Germany

Bernburg is a town of approx. 35,000 inhabitants and the seat of a county of the same name. According to Günther 1996a, the flag was black-yellow-black-yellow until 1950, black-yellow in 1961, and yellow-black with the arms today. If I recall correctly, the counts of Bernburg became dukes of Anhalt later on, and their arms —a black bear on top of a fortress wall, canting for Bernburg ('bear-fortress')— became the arms of Anhalt (see for instance the state arms of Saxony-Anhalt today).

Stefan Schwoon, 19 April 2001

From Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website:

The arms of the city date from the oldest (still existing) seal from 1342. The city rights were granted in the early 13th century. Bernburg belonged to the Dukes of Anhalt-Bernburg, who built a large castle in the city. The arms show a city wall with in the gate the arms of the Dukes of Anhalt and their crest on the wall.

Literature: Bensing et al. 1984.

Santiago Dotor, 23 May 2002