The Brandenburg an der Havel Coat of Arms
The original double-shield emblem was created by uniting the old and the new city of Brandenburg in 1715. Both towns had their own coat of arms, evolved from the ancient seals, depicting a castle. With the unification of the cities, the two coats of arms are set side by side and the crown put over.
The design of the current coat of arms was created 1901 by herald Professor Hildebrandt. With the reintroduction of the historic coat of arms in 1993 the 1715 date was removed from the arms, as numbers are not common in emblem design. Crown and mantle, however, remained as auxiliary but integral components of the emblem. Seen heraldically, the right crest is the old arms of the old city, left that of the New Town. In the castle on the crest of the old town, the portcullis is raised. The two middle towers show the red Brandenburg and the black Prussian eagles. In the gate of the coat of arms of the new town a margravial knight stands with the red Brandenburg eagle on the shield. The city colours - green for the old town and blue for the new town - are reflected in the coat of arms by the colour of the spires.