Wheel of Mainz
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The Wheel of Mainz or Mainzer Rad was the coat of arms of the Electorate of Mainz, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red background. The wheel can also be found in stonemasons' carvings (e.g. landmarks) and similar objects. Currently, the City of Mainz uses a double wheel connected by a silver cross.
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[edit] Origin
The origins of the Wheel are not known. One theory traces it back to Bishop Willigis, who was elected Archbishop of Mainz in 975. His ancestors may have been wheelwrights, but this is not proven. Coats of arms only appeared in the 12th century.
Other theories see the wheel as:
- a symbol of Christ, XP (Chi, Ro), enclosed in a nimbus
- the insignia of Emperor Constantine
- the sign of Mogons, a Celtic sun-god, or
- the sign of Mithras, a Roman sun-god.
However, it is more likely that the wheel is derived ultimately from Ezekiel or Isaiah 66 and that the wheel refers to St. Martin, the patron of both the city itself and Mainz Cathedral. Regardless, insignia dating from 1300 depict the saint with both wheels. Moreover, the Archbishops of Mainz were called currum dei ("Drivers of God's Chariot") and currum ecclesiae Moguntinae aurigantes ("Drivers of the Church of Mainz").
[edit] Dissemination
Due to the power wielded by the Elector until 1803, the Wheel of Mainz was recognized across a vast territory, and it can be seen in many coats of arms of towns belonging to the collegiate church. Thus, it also came to Erfurt, which belonged to the archbishopric for centuries. In addition, it is seen in the following coats of arms: Mainz-Hechtsheim, Mainz-Laubenheim, Mainz-Lerchenberg, Mainz-Weisenau, as well as Alzenau, Arenshausen, Bad Hersfeld, Bad Sobernheim, Bennhausen, Berlingerode, Biebergemünd, Birkungen in Leinefelde-Worbis, Blankenbach, Bönnigheim, Brehme, Breitenworbis, Bürgstadt, Büttstedt, Cleebronn, Collenberg, Deuna, Dorfprozelten, Dünwald, Effelder, Eichenbühl, Eichsfeld, Elsenfeld, Eltville (ehemalige Residenz), Ortsteil Ershausen der Gemeinde Schimberg, Faulbach, Frammersbach, Frankfurt-Griesheim, Frankfurt-Höchst, Frankfurt-Nied, Freienhagen (Eichsfeld), Fritzlar, site of an important cathedral chapter, Gau-Algesheim, Geisenheim, Samtgemeinde Gieboldehausen, Gieboldehausen, Goldbach (Unterfranken), Großbartloff, Großheubach, Großvargula, Gumbsheim, Haibach (Unterfranken), Hanau-Steinheim, Hausen (bei Aschaffenburg), Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Heppenheim (Bergstraße), Hergenfeld, Heyerode, Hofgeismar, Hofheim am Taunus, Holungen (Landkreis Eichsfeld), Hundeshagen, Johannesberg (Bayern), Jützenbach, Kahl am Main, Kelkheim (Taunus), Kelkheim-Münster, Kella, Kirchgandern, Kirchheim (Thüringen), Kirchzell (Landkreis Miltenberg), Kleinostheim, Kleinwallstadt, Klingenberg am Main, Krautheim (Landkreis Hohenlohe), Kreuzebra, Langenthal (Hunsrück), Leidersbach, Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Lindenberg/Eichsfeld, Lorch (Rheingau), Mainaschaff, Marth, Miltenberg, Mömbris, Mönchberg, Monzingen, Mühlberg (Thüringen), Naumburg/Hessen, Neudenau (with eight spokes), the former Gemeinde Herbolzheim, since 1973 Herbolzheim, part of the city of Neudenau, Neunkirchen (Unterfranken), Neustadt (Eichsfeld), Niedernberg (Landkreis Miltenberg), Niederwalluf, Nöda, Obergriesheim, Oberlahnstein, Ober-Mörlen, Oberursel, Pleitersheim, Rauenthal, Ravenstein, Reinholterode, Rieneck, Rodgau, Rohrberg (Eichsfeld), Röllbach, Rothenbuch, Sailauf, Schloßböckelheim, Schöllkrippen, Schöneberg (Hunsrück), Seesbach, Seligenstadt, Sömmerda, Sulzbach am Main (Landkreis Miltenberg), Treffurt, Uder, Viernheim, Waldaschaff, Walldürn, Weibersbrunn, Weilbach (Bayern), Weißenborn-Lüderode, Wiesen (Unterfranken), Wittighausen, Worbis in Leinefelde-Worbis, and Wüstheuterode.
It is also on the coats of arms of the following Kreise (districts)
- Hohenlohekreis
- Landkreis Aschaffenburg
- the former Landkreis Buchen (merged with Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis in 1973)
- Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg
- Landkreis Eichsfeld
- Landkreis Göttingen
- the former Landkreis Künzelsau (merged with Hohenlohekreis in 1973)
- Landkreis Lohr
- Landkreis Main-Spessart
- Landkreis Mainz-Bingen
- Landkreis Miltenberg
- the former Landkreis Mosbach (merged with Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis in 1973)
- Landkreis Offenbach
- Landkreis Sömmerda
- the former Landkreis Tauberbischofsheim (merged with Main-Tauber-Kreis in 1973)
- Landkreis Weimarer Land
- Main-Tauber-Kreis
- Main-Taunus-Kreis
- Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis
- Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
- Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis
and also in Landeswappen in Rheinland-Pfalz.
[edit] Coats of Arms featuring the Mainz Wheel
[edit] Rhineland-Palatinate
 Mainz-Hechtsheim |
Wappen Mainz Laubenheim.gif
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 Mainz-Lerchenberg |
 Mainz-Weisenau |
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.svg/108px-Coat_of_arms_of_the_Archbishopric_of_Mainz_(1250).svg.png)
[edit] Hesse
 Geisenheim (before 1977) |
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 Geisenheim (after 1977) |
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 Kreis Offenbach |
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WappenSteinhem.jpg
Hanau-Steinheim |
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 Frankfurt-Griesheim |
 Frankfurt-Nied |
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Wappenfritzlar.jpg
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.png/111px-Wappen_Lorch_(Rheingau).png){kind=spacer}
.png/101px-Wappen_Hainburg_(Hessen).png){kind=spacer}
.png/112px-Wappen_Naumburg_(Hessen).png)
.png/111px-Wappen_Wetter_(Hessen).png){kind=spacer}
[edit] Baden-Württemberg
 former Landkreis Künzelsau, merged with Hohenlohekreis in 1973 |
 former Landkreis Buchen, merged with Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis in 1973 |
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 former Landkreis Mosbach, merged with Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis in 1973 |
 former Landkreis Tauberbischofsheim, merged with Main-Tauber-Kreis in 1973 |
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 former Gemeinde Herbolzheim, now Herbolzheim (Neudenau), part of the city of Neudenau since 1973 |
 former Gemeinde Obergriesheim, part of the the city of Gundelsheim since 1973 |
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[edit] Bavaria
 Landkreis Aschaffenburg |
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 Landkreis Lohr |
 Landkreis Miltenberg |
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 Stadt Miltenberg |
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 Landkreis Main-Spessart |
.png/112px-Wappen_von_Hausen_(bei_Aschaffenburg).png)
[edit] Thuringia
 Erfurt (Partner of Mainz) |
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 Administrative region of Lindenberg-Eichsfeld |
 Berlingerode (in Lindenberg-Eichsfeld) |
 Brehme (in Lindenberg-Eichsfeld) |
 Hundeshagen (in Lindenberg-Eichsfeld) |
 Birkungen, in Leinefelde-Worbis |
 Ershausen, in Schimberg |
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 Worbis, in Leinefelde-Worbis |
.png/116px-Wappen_Effelder_(Eichsfeld).png)
.png/115px-Wappen_Neustadt_(Eichsfeld).png)
.png/105px-Wappen_Kirchheim_(Thueringen).png)
.png/117px-Wappen_Muehlberg_(Thueringen).png)
[edit] Lower Saxony
 Landkreis Göttingen |
 Samtgemeinde Gieboldehausen |
[edit] Arms with wheels which have no connection to Mainz
- Donnersbergkreis: The two wheels come from the earlier arms of Kirchheimbolanden and Rockenhausen. The red wheel represented the line of Bolanden, the blue represented the line of Hohenfels.
- Osnabrück: this city's arms have a red six-spoked wheel on silver. The flag is white with black border stripes. A wheel as a coin-marking of the Archdiocese of Osnabrück already appears in 13th century seals, although during the course of time it was altered many times, the red wheel having become black by 1496. Later the red colour was re-adopted. In contrast the black Tingierung has lasted unchanged. In the 13th century St Peter was portrayed next to the wheel, as patron of the cathedral.
- The coat of arms of Störmede is quartered and includes two red, five-spoked cartwheels and two red, five-leaved roses. Die Teilung erfolgt durch das schwarze kurkölnische Kreuz. The rose represents the noble family which has had its ancestral home in Störmede since 1233. Compare the coat of arms of the von Lippe family. After Albert von Störmede bequeathed his fief to his son-in-law Friedrich von Hörde, the cart-wheel of the von Hördes was added.
- Geseke: the current coat of arms was adopted on 17 August 1977, replacing the silver cross which had been adopted on 16 November 1902. The silver cross had appeared on seals as early as the late Middle Ages, the earliest example dating from 1237. It is related to the arms of the Archbishopric of Cologne, a black cross on silver. The cross was first used as a coat of arms officially around 1700.[1] The wheel of Störmede was placed in the coat of arms after a redistricting united them with Geseke.
 Marnheim in Donnersbergkreis |
 Störmede |
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 Mühlheim am Main Wasserrad |
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[edit] External links
All are in German.
- Entwicklung des Erfurter Wappens, Abschnitt über das Mainzer Rad
- Die Gebrüder Grimm: Das Rad im Mainzer Wappen
- Erklärungen zur Entstehung des Mainzer Rades sind als PDF von der Landeszentrale für politische Bildung unter zu erhalten.
- Mainz aus heraldischer Sicht - Wappen in Mainz (von Dr. B. Peter)
