Wanfried

This page is part of the German heraldry portal	Heraldry of the World
German heraldry: National arms Arms of States Arms of historical territories and states Districts (Kreiswappen) Cities and municipalities German Colonies Ecclesiastical heraldry Military heraldry Corporate heraldry Studentika Other civic heraldry Total pages in the German section : 60,767 Of which images : 40,691	Selected collector's items from Germany: Heraldic postcards Heraldic stamps Heraldic albums Kaffee Hag albums Wappen-Sammlung Heraldic trade cards Heraldic coasters Heraldic cigar bands German heraldic literature

WANFRIED

State : Hessen
District (Kreis) : Werra-Meissner Kreis (until 1974 Eschwege)
Additions : 1971 Völkershausen; 1972 Altenburschla, Aue, Heldra

Official blazon
German	In silber ein rotes Feld im Herzbereich des Schildes. Davor die Büste eines gerüsteten Ritters.
English	No blazon/translation known. Please click here to send your (heraldic !) blazon or translation

Origin/meaning

Wanfried received city rights in 1608 by Margrave Moritz of Hessen, but the oldest seal already dates from 1578. The seal shows the knight with a sword and spear. Ever since the knight has been the arms of the city. The image itself has changed considerably, sometimes a whole knight, sometimes a torso, with or without spear etc. The present image has been in use since the end of the 19^th century.

The origin of the knight is not known. It has been stated in a document from 1613 that it is St. Bonifatius, but this is not likely. It has also been explained as a canting symbol (Wahr'n Fried, or peace-keeper), but the origin remains uncertain.