Borgholzhausen

The "Sparren" coat of arms

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The chevron coat of arms: Recognizable feature of the County of Ravensberg
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Borgholzhausen

The "Sparren" coat of arms

In the Middle Ages, knights looked pretty similar in their armor. On the battlefield, it was sometimes difficult to tell friend from foe. This is why coats of arms were created as identifying marks that could be clearly assigned to a noble family. These signs were later found on seals, coins and tombstones, among other things.

Heraldry deals with the description and interpretation of coats of arms. Experts describe the coat of arms of the Counts of Ravensberg, first observed at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, as follows: It is "a shield divided into six spars. The tinctures are silver and red."

In 1346, the male line of the Counts of Ravensberg died out. The Dukes of Jülich-Berg, who resided on the Rhine, inherited the territory and henceforth also used the title "Counts of Ravensberg". The new rulers also adopted the chevron coat of arms. In this way, the dukes documented the new ownership and ruling relationships and created a coat of arms made up of many parts, which is known as the "alliance coat of arms". At marriages, the coats of arms of the spouses were also combined; in this way, the Ravenberg chevron coat of arms spread throughout Europe, especially in German-speaking countries. For example, the chevrons can be found in the coats of arms of the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electorate of Saxony and the Prussian Kingdom.

But why did the Counts of Ravensberg choose three chevrons for their coat of arms? The regional historian and linguist Christof Spannhoff suspects that it could be a false derivation of the name "Ravensberg". This is because in Old High German, "ravo" refers to a staff, a small beam or even a rafter. Contemporaries may have interpreted the eponymous Ravensberg as a "mountain with rafters"; today we know: This name actually goes back to the male surname Hravan. The Ravensberg is therefore actually the "mountain of Hravan".

Burg Ravensberg

The "Sparren" coat of arms

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Borgholzhausen

The "Sparren" coat of arms

The fountain - no castle without water

Fountain tour of Ravensberg Castle

Film: Sieko Film / Ravensberg Castle Foundation