Last modified: 2022-09-10 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: erzgebirgskreis | annaberg(county) | mittleres erzgebirge | stollberg(county) | zschopau(county) | lion(black) | hammer and mallet | crozier | fir | demi-eagle |
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![[Erzgebirgskreis county flag]](../images/d/de-ek.gif)
3:5 image by Jens Pattke, 4 Apr 2009
The county's is name giver is the Erzgebirge (English literal translation: Ore Mountains), a mountain range in the southern part of the county which forms part of the Germany-Czech border. The county was established by merging the former counties of Annaberg(-Buchholz), Aue-Schwarzenberg, Stollberg and Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis as part of the county reform of August 2008. The county includes the western part of the Erzgebirge, which also forms the border to the Czech Republic. Several rivers rising in the Erzgebirge flow through the county, including Zwickauer Mulde and Zschopau. Seat of the county is the city of Annaberg-Buchholz.
Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
The flag is horizontally divided green-white (1:1) with centred arms. The county council decided to have a different flag. During its meeting on 27 November 2008 it changed the green-yellow version to a green-white version in order to adopt the reversed colours of Saxony.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebiezsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.16
Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
![[Erzgebirgskreis banner]](../images/d/de-ek_.gif)
image by Jens Pattke, 4 Apr 2009
The banner is vertically divided green-white (1:1) with arms shifted to the top.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebietsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.16
Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
![[Erzgebirgskreis black-white proposed flag]](../images/d/de-ek1!.gif) 3:5 image by Jens Pattke, modified by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019 |
![[Erzgebirgskreis green-yellow proposed flag]](../images/d/de-ek2!.gif) 3:5 image by Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009 |
According to Jens Pattke reported on 6 January 2009 the flag was horizontally divided green-yellow (1:1) with centred arms (see right image above). According to Erwin Günther the flag was however black-white and the mount in base of the shield was black (see left image above).
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebietsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.16
Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
![[Erzgebirgskreis black-white proposed banner]](../images/d/de-ek1!_.gif) 3:5 image by Jens Pattke, modified by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019 |
![[Erzgebirgskreis green-yellow proposed banner]](../images/d/de-ek2!_.gif) 3:5 image by Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009 |
According to Jens Pattke reported on 6 January 2009 the banner was vertically divided green-yellow (1:1) with arms shifted to the top (see right image above). According to Erwin Günther the flag was however black-white and the mount in base of the shield was black (see left image above).
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebietsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.16
Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
![[Erzgebirgskreis coat of arms]](../images/d/de-ek).gif)
image by Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
Shield Or, a lion passant Sable, armed and tongued Gules, issuant from base a mount Vert charged with hammer and mallet Argent in saltire.
Meaning:
The lion is a modification of the arms of the Margraviate of Meißen, to which the Ore Mountains (German: Erzgebirge) historically belonged. The margraves however used a lion rampant. Hammer and mallet are symbolising ore mining in the name giving mountains.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebietsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.16
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
The arms were adopted on 27 November 2008 by the county council and confirmed on 18 December 2008 by district director (Regierungsdirektor) of Chemnitz. The arms were designed by Michael Zapfe.
Jens Pattke, 6 Jan 2009
![[Annaberg County flag]](../images/d/de-ek-c1.gif)
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
It is a yellow-red horizontal bicolour with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, pp.56-57
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Annaberg County banner]](../images/d/de-ek-c1_.gif)
image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
It is a yellow-red vertical bicolour. The coat of arms is shifted to the top.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, pp.56-57
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Annaberg County flag proposal 1991]](../images/d/de-ek-c1!.gif)
3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Jan 2020
It was a white-green horizontal bicolour with a black logo in the middle of the white stripe. The logo was black/white and displayed in front of the ridges of the Erzgebirge a church tower and two firs and in front an annulet chared with hamer and mallet.
Sources: image painted by Falko Schmidt and Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, p.58
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 Jan 2020
![[Annaberg County CoA]](../images/d/de-ek-c1).gif)
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
Shield parted per pale; at dexter twice parted per fess, above bendy of four of Gules and Argent, in centre Or parted by a saltire Sable, beneath Gules an annulet Or gemmed Azure; at sinister Or a lion rampant Sable, armed and tongued Gules, holding hammer and mallet Sable hafted Or by his forepaws.
Meaning:
The lion at dexter is taken from the arms of the Margraviate of Meißen, to which the county historically belonged. Hammer and mallet are representing mining as an important business line. The saltire is taken from the arms of the Meinhering kin, who had been Burgraves of Meißen from the 12th to the 15th county. They ruled the area around Annaberg , the County of Hartenstein and the Lordship of Pöhlberg, before 1406. The bendy shield displays the arms of the Counts of Schönberg. They ruled the Lordship of Schlettau as a Bohemian fiefdom in the 14th century and acquired the County of Hartenstein from the Burgraves of Meißen in the 16th century. Furthermore the founded the mining cities (German: Bergstädte, i.e. cities where anybody could fetch mining rights with permission of the ruler) Scheibenberg and Oberwiesenthal. The lower third is displaying the arms of the Lords of Waldenburg, who ruled the eastern parts of the current county, especially the Lordship of Wolkenstein. They gained merits by the development and settlement of the Ore Mountains.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, pp.56-57
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
Flag, banner and arms were approved on 25 May 1994 by district director (Regierungsdirektor) of Chemnitz.
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
The county had the name Westerzgebirgskreis from 1994 until 1995.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
![[Aue-Schwarzenberg county flag]](../images/d/de-ek-c2.gif)
3:5 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
It was a white flag with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebietsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.14
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
![[Aue-Schwarzenberg county banner]](../images/d/de-ek-c2_.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
It was a white banner with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole der sächsischen Landkreise nach der Kreisgebietsreform von 2008", Dresden 2010, p.14
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
Shield parted per pall reversed, above right Azure a crozier issuant Or, above left Gules three wolfteeth Argent issuant from the sinister edge, base Or parted by a saltire Sable.
Meaning:
The crozier is representing the Cistercian Abbey of Grünhain, established around 1230 and dissolved in 1535, which owned important estates in the easten parts of the county. The wolfteeth are taken from the arms of the Tettau kin, who had ruled the Lordship of Schwarzenberg in the southern parts of the county from 1425 until 1533. The saltire is taken from the arms of the Meinhering kin, who had been Burgraves of Meißen from the 12th to the 15th county and representing the northern parts of the county.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001 - [English: Coats of arms, flags and symbols in Saxony and its cities and counties], p.59
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
Flag and banner were approved on 3 May 2005. The arms were approved on 1 December 1994 by district director (Regierungsdirektor) of Chemnitz.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
![[Mittleres Erzgebirge county flag]](../images/d/de-ek-c3.gif)
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
It was a white-green horizontal bicolour with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", 2001 - [English: Coats of arms, flags and symbols in Saxony and its cities and counties], p.93
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Mittleres Erzgebirge county banner]](../images/d/de-ek-c3_.gif)
image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
It was a white-green vertical bicolour with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001 - [English: Coats of arms, flags and symbols in Saxony and its cities and counties], p.93
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Mittleres Erzgebirge county CoA]](../images/d/de-ek-c3).gif)
image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
Shield parted per pall reversed, above right Vert a 5-spokes wheel Argent, above left Argent a fir issuant Vert, in base Sable hammer and mallet Argent in saltire.
Meaning:
Hammer and mallet are symbolising the importance of ore mining in the Erzgebirge (= ore-mountains). The tree is symbolising the many forests and the local timber industry in. The wheel is symbolising the former water mills as well as the more recent industries in the county.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, p.93
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
Flag, banner and arms were approved on 12 January 1995 by district director (Regierungsdirektor) of Chemnitz.
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Stollberg county flag]](../images/d/de-ek-c4.gif)
3:5 image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
It was a red-white horizontal bicolour with centred arms.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, pp.111-112
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Stollberg county banner]](../images/d/de-ek-c4_.gif)
image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
It was a red-white vertical bicolour with arms shifted to the top.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, pp.111-112
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
![[Stollberg ounty CoA]](../images/d/de-ek-c4).gif)
image by Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
Shield parted per pale, at dexter bendy of four of Gules and Argent, at sinister Or a demi-eagle Sable, armed and tongued Gules and couped per pale.
Meaning:
The dexter half displays the arms of the Counts of Schönburg, who ruled the western parts of the county, and from 1300 until 1367 the city of Stollberg. The eagle is a modification of that one of the Holy Roman Empire, and alluding to the fact that under Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa the Pleißenland had been under direct imperial rule and in the 12th century most villages in the county and the Lordship of Stollberg had been an imperial fiefdom, literally fiefdom of the realm (German: Reichslehen).
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, pp.111-112
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Dec 2019
Flag, banner and arms were approved on 13 March 1995 by district director (Regierungsdirektor) of Chemnitz.
Jörg Majewski, 4 Feb 2007
The county became a part of Mittleres Erzgebirge County in 1994.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Jan 2020
![[Zschopau county banner (until 1994)]](../images/d/de-ek-c5_.gif)
5:2 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Jan 2020
It was a plain blue-white-green vertical tricolour.
Source: Erwin Günther: "Wappen, Flaggen und Symbole in Sachsen und seinen Stadt- und Landkreisen", Goslar 2001, p.94
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Jan 2020
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