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Birwinken commune (Thurgau canton, Switzerland)

Birwinken
Andwil
Happerswil-Buch
Klarsreuti
Mattwil

See also:

Birwinken

image by Pascal Gross

On a blue field a white pear with a two-leaved stalk upside down.
Birwinken's canting coat of arms/flag is attested as early as the 16th century (Birne = pear, winken = to wave). The colours refer to the city of Zurich.
On 1 January 1995 Birwinken merged with Andwil, Happerswil-Buch, Klarsreuti und Mattwil (see below).

Andwil (until 31 December 1994)

image by Pascal Gross

Split by white with red and red with yellow turned away lion.
The colours red and yellow are reminiscent of the dominion of Thurgau, red and white of the lordship of Berg. The yellow lion is the Thurgau lion, the red lion the heraldic animal of the Lords of Hugelshofen.

Happerswil-Buch (until 31 December 1994)

image by Pascal Gross

In white a red fox's head.
The fox is the common heraldic figure for Happerswil and Buch. The Lords of Andwil, the oldest known landowners in Buch, used the fox as a helmet ornament and partly in the coat of arms. The fox was also the heraldic animal of the Lords of Steinach, who owned the Vogtei of Happerswil around the middle of the 14th century. The colours red and white come from the monastery of Constance.

Klarsreuti (until 31 December 1994)

image by Pascal Gross

In red two walking yellow lions on top of each other.
Klarsreuti was once a so-called High Court, which stood under the reeve (be it the Count of Habsburg or the Swiss reeve).

Mattwil (until 31 December 1994)

image by Pascal Gross

Split by red with a white and yellow with a red rose.
The split symbolizes the former separation from Mattwil. Both the roses come from the Barons of Güttingen. The colours yellow and red show the affiliation to the dominion of Thurgau and the colours red and white to the lordship Berg.