The Donauschwaben coat of arms was created by Hans Diplich in 1950. Gold and
white are separated by a wavy blue chevron; the upper area has a black
eagle spiced with red; below is a white fortress with six towers and
red-roofed buildings on green arable soil, above which float the shining
golden sun on the right and the white waning moon on the left. The left
and right are described - as is customary in heraldry - not from the
viewpoint of the observer, but rather from the viewpoint of a knight on
horseback.
The coat of arms shows Germany's national colors - black, red, and gold -
and the Donauschwaben ethnic colors - green and white. Black, red, and gold -
the symbol of German unification as well as colors of the German league - are
incorporated into the coat of arms because Donauschwaben history developed
within the framework of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation until
1806. White is the symbol for the peaceful sentiments of the
Donauschwaben; green represents hope and also the new fields of their
homeland which were cultivated to become an important grain region.
The black eagle holds his wings protectively over the Pannonian countryside (Roman province) in the
central region of the Danube and symbolizes the obligation of the Holy
Roman Emperor to protect those borders of the empire. The wavy blue line
symbolizes the Danube River, on or along which the German settlers
traveled to Hungary. Amidst fertile farmland stands the strong fortress of
Temeschburg (Timisoara), flanked to the left by the waning Islamic
crescent moon and to the right by the bright rising sun, the symbol of
Christ, who is the true light of the world. The six towers of the fortress
represent the six main regions of the settlement for the Donauschwaben:
Central Hungarian Highlands, Swabian Turkey, Slavonia-Syrmia, Batschka,
Banat, and Sathmar.
The inscription reads "Semper atque semper liberi ac indivisi" or "Always free and undivided."
This motto probably refers to the fact that the Donauschwaben once were
free men in one undivided land, which they once again long for and which,
in light of the results of both World Wars, will always be just a
dream.
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