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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