Villach

	VILLACH Country : Austria State : Kärnten District : Villach Additions : 1973 Fellach 1973 Landskron 1973 Maria Gail Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":46.6152000000000015234036254696547985076904296875,"lon":13.847500000000000142108547152020037174224853515625,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
German	In Dreiecksschild im gelben Feld einen nach unten gerichteten schwarzen Adlerfang; der oben abgerundete Schenkel ist nach links gefiedert, und die kräftigen Krallen sitzen auf einem aus der Schildspitze aufragenden schwarzen Felsen auf.
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted in 1965.

Villach has used the eagle's claw as arms since at least 1240. The claw appeared on the oldest seal of the city and in the second seal of 1270 the rock or stone appeared.

There is no explanation known for the unusual charge. It has been suggested that the arms were originally used by a judge or another civic dignitary and were then passed on to the city. During the centuries the design of the claw has changed considerably. Also, the stone has sometimes been omitted. The arms used since 1965 are based on the original design of about 1270.

There have been a number of families in Austria using an eagle's claw, but no 13th century relation with the city has been established. During the 1230s when the town developed into a proper city, the Bishop of Bamberg was Ekhart, who was a member of the Counts of Andechs-Meranien. The arms of the counts were a lion above an eagle, and it may be that the claw is derived from the eagle from the family arms.

The tinctures of black (sable) and gold (or) are taken from the arms of the State of Bamberg, to which the city belonged from 1060 until 1759.

Image gallery

The oldest seal of Villach from around 1240
The seal of Villach from around 1270
The arms in a 16th century manuscript
The arms by Hugo Ströhl in 1904
The arms in an album from around 1905
The arms in the Coffee Hag album +/- 1932
The arms in the Kurmark Wappenschau album from 1929
The arms in the Abadie albums

Literature : Image provided by Karl Palfrader (k.palfrader@aon.at), Dieter Neumann, Siegel und Wappen der Stadt Villach. In: Neues aus Alt-Villach. Jahrbuch des Stadtmuseum, vol 33 (1996), 101-116 (illustrated)