The coat of arms of Copenhagen was granted 24 June 1661 by king Frederick III of Denmark in appraisal of its citizens' efforts in repelling the Swedish siege and attack on Copenhagen in 1658-1659. An accompanying royal letter of privilege granted the citizens of Copenhagen the same rights to own fixed property as applied to the Danish nobility.
The central feature of the full arms are three towers rising above water, a symbol also appearing in the town's seal from 1296. The water element also refers to the city's original name Havn meaning "Harbour" (Latin: Hafnia). The left and right towers represented Absalon's castle and the central tower a church building inside the castle. By the 16th century, the central tower was no longer depicted as a church tower, instead it had a gateway with a portcullis. The version granted by King Frederick III modified the original symbol by adding a knight carrying a raised sword in front of the gateway. The central tower features an oval with the king's F3 cypher above the city gate, both elements in gold.
The greater coat of arms features three helmets, banners and a wide assortment of war equipment. An oversized golden crown is shown above but not affixed to the central helmet. Two lions act as supporters.
Today, the full arms is reserved for representative purposes. A lesser coat of arms featuring only the central shield is more commonly used by the city. In recent years, this symbol has in turn been simplified to a logo omitting the frame of the shield featuring only the three towers over three waves.
Famous quotes containing the words coat and/or arms:
“I can sit up half the night
With some friend that has the wit
Not to allow his looks to tell
When I am unintelligible.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“A line in long array, where they wind betwixt green islands;
They take a serpentine course—their arms flash in the sun—hark to the musical clank;”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)