The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

state of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

represents its historical origins. The

land area This is a list of the world's countries and their dependent territories by land, water and total area, ranked by total area. Entries in this list include, but are not limited to, those in the ISO 3166-1 standard, which includes sovereign s ...

was formed out of the former

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (german: link=no, Provinz Sachsen), also known as Prussian Saxony () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merge ...

and the German

Free State of Anhalt The Free State of Anhalt (german: Freistaat Anhalt) was formed after Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. In May 1932 the Nazi ...

. The upper part of the coat of arms represents the Province of Saxony with its green

crancelin Crancelin (or "crown of rue") is a charge in heraldry, usually seen in the bend on a shield. It depicts a band of a stylized trefoil leaves, representing a branch of common rue (''Ruta graveolens''). It can be found in the coat of arms of Saxon ...

while the lower half shows the bear of the Free State of Anhalt.Heraldry of the World: Sachsen-Anhalt
/ref>

History

File:Wappen Erzbistum Magdeburg.png,

Prince-Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Roma ...

1180–1680 File:Shield of the Duchy of Anhalt.svg, Principality (Duchy) of Anhalt-Köthen 1396–1562 and 1603–1853 File:Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Anhalt.svg,

Duchy of Anhalt The Duchy of Anhalt (german: Herzogtum Anhalt) was a historical German duchy. The duchy was located between the Harz Mountains in the west and the river Elbe and beyond to the Fläming Heath in the east. The territory was once ruled by the House ...

1806–1918 File:Coat of Arms of Province of Saxony.svg, alt=,

1816–1918 File:Wappen preussische Provinz Sachsen.svg,

1919–1944 File:DEU Anhalt 1924-1945 COA.svg,

1918–1945 File:Coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt 1947-1952.svg,

1945–1952

Blazon

Party per fess, the first barry of ten or and sable, a crown of rue throughout bendways vert, the second argent, a gated wall gules masoned sable, on the top thereof a bear passant of the last, and over all a sinister canton argent charged with an eagle displayed sable armed or langued gules.

History

Blazon

References

See also