| Coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Armiger | Rhineland-Palatinate State Government |
| Blazon | In thirds: A red cross on silver; a silver wheel on red; a golden lion on black |
| Constituent parts | Arms of the Archbishop and Prince Elector of Trier; the Archbishop and Prince Elector of Mainz, and the Prince Elector of the Palatinate. |
This article is about the coat of arms of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate (German: Rheinland-Pfalz).
Overview
The state flag and the coat of arms were designed in 1947 after the new Land of Rheinland-Pfalz was formed by the authority of the French High Commissioner to Germany. The flag symbolizes the dedication of Rhineland-Palatinate to Germany (therefore the black-red-gold tricolour) as well as the democratic traditions of Germany. These colours were seen first in this combination during the Hambacher Fest, a mass demonstration by German liberals at the ruins of the Hambacher Schloss in 1832. The Palatinate is therefore connected to these colours.
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The coat of arms, an integral part of the state flag, symbolises the three predominant powers in the region before the French Revolution of the late 18th century:
- the red cross on silver represents the Archbishop and prince-elector (Kurfürst) of Trier
- the silver wheel on red (Wheel of Mainz) represents the Archbishop and prince-elector of Mainz
- the crowned golden lion on black represents the prince-elector of the Palatinate (see: Palatine Lion)
The Volkskrone (people's crown) consists of vine leaves and shows the importance of this crop for local agriculture.
Legal status
§ 1 The state's colors are black-red-gold.
§ 2 The state's coat of arms has the form of a round shield. This is split by an ascending sagging peak and shows on the right side on a silver field a continuous red cross, on the left side red field a silver six spokes wheel and in the ascending black peak a redly crowned and reinforced, gold lion. The coat of arms is covered by a golden people's crown (vine leaves)...
§ 4 Decisive for the design of the state's coat of arms and the state's flag are the patterns, added to this law.— State legislature, Landesgesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz (Wappen- und Flaggengesetz) in der Fassung vom 7. August 1972 (Fundstelle: GVBl 1972, S. 293) Zuletzt geändert durch Gesetz vom 21.7.2003, GVBl. 2003, S. 167.[1]
References
- ↑ Ein Service von rlp online und juris(in German)
