Last modified: 2019-12-07 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: kleve(county) | escarbuncle | lion(golden) | geldern | inescutcheon |
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![[Kleve County arms]](../images/d/de-kv).gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 June 2011
Shield parted per pale, at dexter Gules an inescutcheon Argent, over all an escarbuncle fleury Or, at sinister Azure a lion rampant Or armed and tongued Gules.
Meaning:
The former counties of Kleve and Geldern merged in the 70ies of the 20th century.
The dexter side shows the arms of the former County of Kleve. It is not known, when these traditional arms had been granted. This borderland county located between river Waal and the Netherlands' border was established by Prussia from parts of the former French arrondissement having the same name. In 1823 parts of the county district of Rheinberg had been added. As this region was the core of the ancient County of Kleve, the county district overtook the arms of the Counts of Cleve, who died out in 1368.
First there was only the inescutcheon in a red field. The escarbuncle was added in the 13th century, first having six beams, later eight. Probably it was originated in a decorative lining of the shield. Its existence can be proven on seals since 1254.
The lion was taken from the arms of the former County of Geldern. In its arms the lion however was sinister facing opposite to the black lion of Jülich in a yellow field. These arms had been approved to the county of Geldern on 31 August 1929 by Prussian Ministry of State.
First the blue field was scattered by golden billets, like in the arms of Nassau. The billets disappeared since 1330.
When the Dukes of Jülich had become heirs of Geldern, both lions had been connected in one shield divided per pale. These arms existed since the 15th century and had been overtaken by the Prussian county district of Geldern in 1815.
Sources: Stadler 1964,pp.37 and 52; §2 of Hauptsatzung of Kleve County, version 1 Oct 1999, last updated on 4 November 2004
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 June 2011
![[Kleve County flag]](../images/d/de-kv!.gif)
3:5
image by Jens Pattke, 7 Dec 2019
Officially, the county still has no flag. In 2016, the German vexillologist Jürgen Krause made an attempt to propose a district flag to district administration. At the same time he published his draft here. The proposed flag is horizontally red-yellow blue in the ratio 1:3:1 striped with arms in the centre of the yellow stripe.
In §2 of Hauptsatzung from 1 October 1999 there is only the existence of a coat of arms and a seal mentioned but no flag. Images from the county hall only show the flags of Germany, Europe and Northrhine-Westphalia. A B/W-image of the coat of arms is in the appendix 1 of Hauptsatzung.
Source: §2 of Hauptsatzung of Kleve County, version 1 Oct 1999, last updated on 4 November 2004
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 June 2011 and Jens Pattke, 7 Dec 2019
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