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Dessau-Roßlau City (Germany)

Stadt Dessau-Roßlau, Saxony-Anhalt

Last modified: 2019-04-25 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: dessau-roszlau | dessau | roszlau | demi-eagle | barry(10) | crancelin | quartered | ship(ancient) |
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[Dessau-Roßlau flag] 3:5 image by Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007 See also:

Dessau-Roßlau City

Dessau-Roßlau  is a county-free city in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The city was formed by the merger of the cities of Dessau and Roßlau on 1 July 2007. Dessau-Roßlau is the third city of Saxony-Anhalt by number of inhabitants after Magdeburg and Halle.
Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007

Dessau-Roßlau Flag

It is a horizontal bicolour in yellow and red with centred arms.
Source: this online catalogue
Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007

Dessau-Roßlau Banner

[Dessau-Roßlau banner] 2:1 image by Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007

It is a vertical bicolour in yellow and red with arms slightly shifted to the top.
Source: this online catalogue
Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007

Dessau-Roßlau Coat of Arms

[Dessau-Roßlau CoA] image by Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007

Shield quartered; 1st quarter Argent a demi-eagle Gules, armed and tongued Or and couped per pale; 2nd quarter barry of 10 of Sable and Or, charged with an embowed crancelin Vert in bend; 3rd quarter quartered of Or and Gules; 4th quarter Argent with base wavy Azure, on base an ancient sinister sailing ship Gules with sail Or, charged with a sinister facing bear statant Sable, crowned Argent with two axes Argent in his forepaws, the top of the mast is charged with a carp Azure, the prow with a blue over white naval jack (flag). The shield is topped by a mural crown Gules with five visible gate towers.
Meaning:
The first three quarters are taken from the arms of former Dessau city, the 4th quarter displays the arms of former Roßlau city.
Source: Ralf Hartemink's webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Aug 2018

Coat of arms, flag and banner were adopted on 26 April 2007 by the city council of Dessau-Roßlau. On 22 August 2007 the Administrative Office (Landesverwaltungsamt) of Saxony-Anhalt approved the new symbols.
Jens Pattke, 27 Aug 2007

Adopted by the Municipal Council on 26 April 2007, the new flag reached new heights even before having been confirmed by the government of Saxony-Anhalt on 22 August 2007: the flag was hoisted over the top of Mt. Kilimandjaro (5,896 m, the highest mountain in Africa) on 25 July 2007 by Frank-Reiner Eckert and his roped party. An article relating to the event, with a colour photography of the flag hoisting, can be seen on the electronic edition of the "Mitteldeutsche Zeitung", 7 September 2007.
Source: this online newspaper, edition 7 September 2007
Ivan Sache, 5 Oct 2007


Dessau City (- 2007)

Dessau was the largest part of Dessau-Roßlau, with approximately 77,000 inhabitants (2006). Most of the city is located on the left bank of the Mulde, south of its confluence with the Elbe. Dessau was first mentioned in 1213, and became the capital of a small state (Anhalt-Dessau) in the 14th century. Between 1863 and 1918, it was the capital of Anhalt. Since the second half of the 19th century, Dessau is an industrial city. The famous art and architecture school Bauhaus was located in Dessau between 1925 and 1932.

Dessau Flag

[City of Dessau flag)] 3:5 image by Stefan Schwoon, 16 Feb 2001

It was a horizontal bicolour in yellow and red with centred arms.
Sources: Günther 1996a and Staack 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider,

Dessau City Colours 1896

[Dessau city colours 1896] 1:2 Dessau city colours 1896 image by Tomislav Todorović, 21 Apr 2019

The colours were orangy yellow and dark red, granted in 1896 by Duke Friedrich I of Anhalt.
Source: Anhaltischer Staats-Anzeiger, edition 7.11.1896, Dessau
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Apr 2019

Dessau Coat of Arms

Shield parted per fess; above parted per pale, at dexter Argent a demi-eagle Gules, armed and tongued Or and couped per pale, at sinister barry of 10 of Sable and Or charged with an embowed crancelin Vert in bend; beneath quartered of Or and Gules.
Meaning:
The arms display in the upper half the arms of the Princes of Anhalt and in the lower part the arms of he Lords of Waldeser. The city was part of Sachsen-Anhalt and the Waldeser kin had its castle close to the city. The city used only the arms of Sachsen-Anhalt in the seals dating from the 16th century. The mural crown indicates the freedoms of the rank of a city. In 1933 the city added a small inescutcheon with the local church, as the oldest seals of the city displayed the church. These arms, which were never officially granted, had been in use until 1951.
Source: H. Papendieck:" Die Wappen der Landkreise und kreisfreien Städte des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt", Landesarchiv Magdeburg, 1996; found at Ralf Hartemink's webpage
Stefan Schwoon, 16 Feb 2001 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2018

The arms were approved on 4 July 1994 and previously in 1951.
Stefan Schwoon, 16 Feb 2001


Roßlau City (- 2007)

Roßlau had approximately 13,000 inhabitants (2006). It is located on the right bank of the Elbe, near its confluence with the Mulde, about 7 kilometers north of the centre of Dessau. Roßlau was first mentioned in 1215. Before it merged with Dessau, it was part of Anhalt-Zerbst County.
Stefan Schwoon, 2 June 2001

Roßlau Flag

[City of Roßlau flag)] 3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2018

It is a blue over white horizontal bicolour with centred arms. It had been a plain bicolour before.
Source: here
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2018

Roßlau City Colours 1896

[Roßlau city colours 1896] 1:2 Roßlau city colours 1896 image by Tomislav Todorović, 21 Apr 2019

The colours were dark blue and white, granted in 1896 by Duke Friedrich I of Anhalt.
Source: Anhaltischer Staats-Anzeiger, edition 7.11.1896, Dessau
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Apr 2019

Roßlau Coat of Arms

Shield Argent with base wavy Azure, on base an ancient sinister sailing ship Gules with sail Or, charged with a sinister facing bear statant Sable, crowned Argent with two axes Argent in his forepaws, the top of the mast is charged with a carp Azure, the prow with a blue over white naval jack (flag).
Source: Ralf Hartemink's webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 Aug 2018

Acc. to Stefan Schwoon the city had had a (probably plain) blue over white bicolour since 1896, granted maybe per incident by the Duke of Anhalt. The flag colours were confirmed in 1993 by district governor (Regierungspräsident) of Dessau. Acc. to Thomas Rystau only the flag colours were confirmed in 1994, together with the approval of the coat of arms, and a city flag with arms had never been approved officially by the authorities in Saxony-Anhalt.
Source: Stefan Schwoon's database
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Mar 2019


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