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City of Papenburg (Emsland County, Lower Saxony, Germany)

Stadt Papenburg

3:5
by Stefan Schwoon
Flag adopted ca.1807

Introduction
Description

See also:

County and Municipal Flags (Lower Saxony / Niedersachsen, Germany)
Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen, Germany)
Germany

Introduction

Papenburg is located close to the river Ems and the Dutch border.

Ivan Sache, 19 June 2002

Description

Yellow-red-blue with the arms in the red stripe. Sources: Stadler 1970, Keyser 1939-1974 and the Delfzijl (Netherlands) website (translated in the Emden 18th-19th Centuries section).

Stadler says that until 1803 the city belonged to the diocese of Münster, and that until then the arms of the diocese were used in place of the current arms. The arms of the diocese showed a red fess in a golden field. In 1803 the city came to the duchy of Arenberg and thus the arms were replaced with those of Arenberg. Today, Papenburg is in the county of Emsland.

Stefan Schwoon, 29 March 2001

Stadler 1970, p.65, says:

Papenburg: (...) Um 1807 hielt man für das Ortswappen den schwarzem Löwen im Rot, den die Herren von Papenburg geführt haben sollen. Man wollte ihn anstatt des Arenberger Schildes in die Schiffsflaggen setzen. (...) Papenburger Seeflagge war bis 1803 die des Fürstbistums Münster (Gelb, Rot, Blau mit dem Balkenschild). Nach dem Wechsel des Landeshoheit belegte man diese Streifen mit dem herzoglich arenbergischen Wappen.

I believe this translates as:

Papenburg: (...) The black lion on red, which the Lords of Papenburg are supposed to have used, was used around 1807 for the municipal arms. These were intended to replace the Arenberg arms [*] on the ensigns. (...) The Papenburg ensign was until 1803 that of the Principality-Bishopric of Münster (yellow, red, blue with the fess arms [**]). After the change of power these stripes were charged with the Arenberg ducal arms."

No information about today's (i.e. 1970's) flag. So it appears that the yellow-red-blue flag bore:

the Münster arms [**] until 1803;
the Arenberg arms [*] 1803-ca.1807; and
the Papenburg (black lion on red) arms since ca.1807.

Notes: [*] The Arenberg arms are Gules three roses Or, see for instance the first quarter in the Euskirchen County arms in Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website. [**] The Münster arms refers to the coat-of-arms of the Principality-Bishopric of Münster, Or a fess Gules, as shown on the chief of nowadays Münster County arms, shown in Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website.

Santiago Dotor, 19 December 2001

From Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website:

The arms show the imaginary arms of the Lords of Papenburg and were adopted by the town in 1807. In 1860 when the town became a city the arms were officially granted. The bordure was added during this century. The colours are non-heraldic, and thus probably are based on a mistake made in 1807. Before 1807 the town used in its seals a ship, to emphasize the importance of sailing and trading.
Literature: Stadler 1964-1972.

Santiago Dotor, 26 March 2002