Schwyz
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Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Switzerland - Schweizer Wappen / Armorial de Suisse |
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SCHWYZ (Canton and City)
Official blazon
In Rot ein silbernes Kreuzchen im linken Obereck.
Origin/meaning
The arms of Schwyz canton and city are identical and are based on the oldest arms, and banner, of the inner part of the present canton. The oldest known description of the arms dates from 1481, when it is described as a red shield. The cross first appears on the seal of the district in 1729, and later on coins issued in 1730. Until the beginning of the 19th century the cross was placed in the upper right corner, ever since in the left corner.
The cross is a simplified version of the scene of the crucifixion of Jesus, which was often placed in the upper left corner of the banner. The arms were formally described and adopted in 1815, but the size of the cross was not described. This has resulted in images with very small to very large crosses, until, in 1963, the size of the cross was finally determined.
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 Variations of the arms in the Kaffee Hag albums 1914-1960 |
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Literature : Mühlmann, L. : Wappen und Fahnen der Schweiz, Bühler Verlag, Lengnau, 1977 and 1997.