Klarenthal - Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms

Klarenthal’s coat of arms is the youngest in Wiesbaden. It could not be based on any historical seal because the settlement of Klarenthal was only built in the 1960s by plans of Ernst May. When the desire for a unique crest for the borough came in the mid-1980s, a heraldic proposed that it should picture St. Clare, together with a lamp as a symbol of the history of the settlement. The borough council, however, also wanted to add the silhouette of a newly built house. This design was eventually discarded as far too complicated.

Other consultants advised them that St. Clare herself should not be pictured; only her attributes were suitable for a coat of arms. Suggested attributes included the rule book, a lily, a cross, a burning lamp and a monstrance. The lily and book were quickly rejected, since the lily is already the symbol of the City of Wiesbaden and the coat of arms from Nordenstadt contains a book.

The lamp was finally chosen because it directly related to St. Clare – “Clare” is Latin for "the Light." To continue with the connected to the name "Klarenthal", a symbol of a valley was also proposed. The classical heraldic symbol is a so-called "supporting rafters", which looks roughly like the letter "V". This symbol is also included in the coat of arms of Schierstein. Finally, the colors blue and gold were chosen. These were the national colors of Nassau, recalling that the Klarenthal Monastery was founded by Adolf of Nassau. It was officially adopted in November 1988.