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Kleve County (Germany)

Kreis Kleve, Northrhine-Westphalia

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Jun 2011

Kleve county arms

Kleve cities and municipalities
Northrhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Germany

Kleve county

Kleve County has no proper flag. In Hauptsatzung from 1 October 1999 there is only the existence of a coat of arms and a seal mentioned (§2), 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.
Description of coat of arms:
The shield is divided per pale. On the dexter side is a silver (=white) inescutcheon placed upon the centre of a red field. The whole is superimposed by a golden(=yellow) reel, consisting of eight beams ending in a fleur de lis each. On the sinsiter side is a golden(=yellow) rampant lion, armed and tongued red in a blue field.
Meaning:
The former counties of Kleve and Geldern merged in the 70ies of the 20th century.
The dexter side shows the arms of 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 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 shingles (like in the arms of Nassau). The shingles 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 des Kreises Kleve, version 1 Oct 1999
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Jun 2011

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