SAXONY-ANHALT

Saxony-Anhalt, coat of arms

Saxony-Anhalt, car license plate

Saxony-Anhalt combines the seemingly incompatible: the birthplace of Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, and the mystical "witches' mountain" Brocken.

SAXONY-ANHALT: ICONIC LANDMARKS

Saxony-Anhalt on a map of Germany

Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) is a state in central Germany. Its capital is cozy Magdeburg, with its famous water bridge, cathedral, and leafy embankments. The historic towns of Wernigerode and stunning Quedlinburg, with its over 1,200 half-timbered houses — the most in Germany — offer a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in history and fairy tales simultaneously.

If you're in Quedlinburg, try counting all the half-timbered houses to check against the official figures.

The Protestant reformer Martin Luther was born and died in Eisleben. In his honor, the town is now called Lutherstadt Eisleben.

The highest peak in the Harz mountain range is Mount Brocken. It is shrouded in numerous legends and mystical stories. According to legend, every Walpurgis Night, from April 30th to May 1st, witches gather at the summit to hold a sabbath. Today, this night is celebrated with great fanfare: tourists and locals dress up as witches and devils, and costumed parades and concerts take place at the summit.

SAXONY-ANHALT: COAT OF ARMS' HISTORY

The ancient Saxons choose where to go for a summer holiday: England or Germany

Before delving into the coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt, let's ask a simple question: why are three states in Germany called Saxony? Lower Saxony, simply Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt — as if someone forgot to agree on names. In fact, this isn't a confusion, but a historical detective story with elements of heraldic philosophy.

It all begins with the Saxons, an ancient Germanic tribe. Some remained on the continent, others crossed the sea and eventually helped form England. Centuries passed, and the Saxons faded into the background, but they left behind two powerful symbols: the Saxon galloping white horse and the respectful, menacing name "Saxony." And what ruler doesn't need striking, memorable symbols to strengthen their power and authority?

"The Riddle of the Three Saxonies" and historical research on the topic

It's interesting to observe how this Saxon heritage was "divided" in the Middle Ages. In western Germany, they relied on imagery. The rulers of the kingdoms of Hanover and Westphalia adopted the Saxon white horse — a symbol of strength, movement, and ancient tradition. It was striking, compelling, and left no question of its legitimacy. Today, the horse lives on in the modern coats of arms of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

In eastern Germany, they took a different approach: they decided that the resonant name "Saxony" was more important than the image. And although the Saxons were almost entirely gone, the name stuck, again as iconic, compelling, and undeniably legitimizing. The family coat of arms of the rulers themselves, the Wettin dynasty — a yellow-and-black striped shield — was quietly added to the resonant name. Such is the historical paradox: some lands inherited the symbol, others the word.

Coat of arms of the Province of Saxony with the addition of the Prussian black eagle, 1815-1944

The territory of modern-day Saxony-Anhalt was long part of the Grand Duchy of Saxony, and after the Napoleonic Wars, it became part of Prussia as the Province of Saxony. Ironically, in the 19th century, there were two Saxonies — the Kingdom of Saxony and the Province of Saxony, both with identical coats of arms. To avoid confusion, the Province of Saxony sometimes added the Prussian black eagle to the Saxon shield. This was done to prevent corruption, as the document on the stamped paper was the same, but the laws were different.

Free State of Anhalt, 1918-1946, coat of arms

After World War II, history took another sharp turn. Part of the province went to Lower Saxony in West Germany, and the rest was united with Anhalt — thus, in 1947, the state of Saxony-Anhalt was created, but this time within the GDR. Saxony provided the name and the top of the coat of arms, while Anhalt provided the character and the bottom.

Anhalt-Zerbst family, coat of arms

Anhalt is a small but stubborn region with a long history. Its symbol is a bear calmly strolling along the fortress wall. This is believed to be a reference to the ruins of Anhalt Castle, the ancestral seat of the Ascanians. The Principality of Anhalt was formed back in the 12th century. Although modest in size, it nevertheless repeatedly split into many other states due to hereditary divisions. One of these is the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst.

18th-century pop art: a portrait of the rebel Yemelyan Pugachev over a portrait of Empress Catherine II

By the mid-18th century, despite the strong dynastic connections and nobility of the Anhalt-Zerbst family, the principality was a provincial backwater. One of the owners' main concerns was the successful arrangements for their daughters. This gamble paid off, and how. The modest Sophie Augusta Frederica was married to the heir to the Russian imperial throne and went down in history as Catherine II. She achieved success.

To remain on the coat of arms in modern Germany, the Prussian eagle had to carefully conceal its warlike image.

The modern coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt, adopted after 1990, carefully brings together all these layers of history. At the top is the Saxon heritage and even the uncrowned Prussian eagle, the only such allusion to Prussia among all the German states. Below is the Anhalt bear on the wall. The result is a coat of arms that is a compromise, a coat of arms that is a story, and perhaps one of the most multilayered in Germany. A story that couldn't choose between a name and an image — it took both.

SAXONY-ANHALT: FUN FACTS

Of the wings of character, the rose, the cross, and family heraldry.

Martin Luther nails his famous 95 theses, inspired by the coat of arms of his hometown, proving the effectiveness of outdoor advertising.

Martin Luther was a man who knew how to turn questions into reforms. He was born in Eisleben and ended his earthly journey there, as if emphasizing that his main journey was not geographical, but ideological. The coat of arms of his hometown is adorned with two white, almost angelic wings. Symbolically, Luther also "spread his wings" — not to fly away from the world, but to shake it up. His ideas spread quickly, sometimes noisily, but certainly not without a trace. The Eisleben wings seem to suggest: if one is to soar, one should soar over all of Europe.

Luther himself didn't have a coat of arms, but he did have a symbol — the famous "Luther Rose." In the center is a cross inscribed within a heart, surrounded by a white rose and enclosed in a circle. Brief and clear: faith, love, and eternity — without unnecessary commentary. Luther himself called it "the marker of my theology" — a kind of logo for the Reformation long before the age of branding.

Katharina von Bora-Luther, her family coat of arms, and the "Luther Rose"

Interestingly, a curious contrast emerged in the family symbolism: Luther had a rose, while his wife, Katharina von Bora, had a red lion, aggressive and feudal in its confidence. The union of a tender theological symbol and a predatory beast proved unexpectedly strong. Sometimes this is precisely what a successful Reformation looks like — both in the church and in the family.