Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Nordic heraldry (Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)
Marcus Karlsson
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Marcus Karlsson » 30 Sep 2012, 13:05

A bit about the territorial division of Sweden before the 1970ies. Below the Landskap and Län there was Städer (Cities), Köpingar (Boroughs), Municipalsamhällen (Municipal Aereas) and Landskommuner (Rural Municipalities). The Landskommun originated at the end of the 19th Century when the Socken (Parish) was divided into Församling (Parish for Religious pruposes) and the Landskommun (for civil administrative purposes). At about 1974 this division was abolished and a new unitary type of Municipality the Kommun was created. For historical reasons the former Cities was allowed to use the designation Stad instead of Kommun if they wanted to. Apart from this there existed the Härad (Hundred) which was a juridical unit on the countryside. With the reorganisation of the Swedish juridical system the Härad has now lost this connection and are today purely of historical interest.

Cities where the first ones of this type of territorial unit that used Heraldic Arms. And at the end all 133 cities of Sweden had Arms. The others followed suit begining during the 1930ies, the first Municipal Area Kinna had Arms approved 1934. during the rest of the 1930ies seven other Arms for Municipalities other then cities where approved, during the 1940ies 130 and from 1950-53 when the riksheraldikerämbetet was abolished and replaced by the Heraldic Section of the State Archives another 63. The ten year period following this saw another 200 Arms. The Heraldist Uno Lindgren working with the private foundation Svenska kommunalheraldiska institutet (Swedish Municpal Heraldry Institute created 1951) was responsible for a great deal of these new Arms. About 90% of the Boroughs had Arms and about half of the Rural Municipalities. The Municipal Areas numbering about 240 but heavily reduced from the 1940ies until only four remained befor they where abolished, never had any great number of Arms, only about ten or so had Arms.

The Arms of the Muncipal Area of Kinna approved by Kungl. Maj:t 27 april 1934 was:
Parted per fess three times Or and Sable, in each of the Or fields three rundels Sable and in the Sable fields a Weaver's shuttle Or. The Roundels are from the Seal of the Hundred of Mark and the Weavers' Shuttle denotes the textile industry of the Area. Kinna was raised to the status of a Borough on 1 January 1947, the old Arms continued to be in use until 1971 when the Borough was merged into the new Kommun of Mark.

Image
Arms of Kinna.

The new Kommun of Mark used part of this in its new Arms: Sable between a Ear of Wheat and a Weaver's Shuttle all Or a Pale Or charged with four roudels Sable. Symbolism as Kinna but with the addition of a Ear of Wheat symbolising Agriculture.
Last edited by Marcus Karlsson on 14 Mar 2014, 10:43, edited 2 times in total.

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Chris Green
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Chris Green » 30 Sep 2012, 13:50

It really isn't easy to explain the current administrative divisions of Sweden to a foreign audience (I know - I've tried!).

Sweden now has no cities. But Stockholm is a city surely?! No, if you are thinking of the large area containing a couple of million inhabitants it's a Län (administrative county); if you are thinking of the central area where 800,000+ people live, it's a kommun (municipality), no different, except in size of population, to any other kommun. It is usually called Stockholms Stad, but that has no official status. But surely Stockholm has a Lord Mayor or Oberburgermeister?! No, not even a Mayor. The Finansborgarråd (Commissioner of Finance) chairs the Executive Committee and is the nearest equivalent Stockholm has to a Mayor. Confused?

PS: But try explaining to a Swede that London has a Lord Mayor - two actually since Westminster also has a Lord Mayor - and a Mayor, and the latter is more important politically than the former.
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Torsten Laneryd
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Torsten Laneryd » 30 Sep 2012, 14:35

The city of Malmö is surrounded by Oxie härad. The coat of arms of Oxie härad is canting because it shows a red ox on a golden field.
Actually oxen have nothing to do with it, because the old name was written “Ostoegu” in the 12th century and later “Oshögha”, which means “the hills at the mouth of the small river”
http://www.ngw.nl/int/zwe/district/oxie.htm

Jonathan Webster
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Jonathan Webster » 30 Sep 2012, 17:27

PS: But try explaining to a Swede that London has a Lord Mayor - two actually since Westminster also has a Lord Mayor - and a Mayor, and the latter is more important politically than the former.

Yes; but a distinction must be made between Greater London and the actual City of London itself. The Lord Mayor of London is technicall head of the 1-square mile City of London and the Mayor of London is the executive head of Greater London; possessing far-reaching, real and extensive powers that the Lord Mayor of the City of London does not possess.

I appreciate that's probably even more perplexing to the non-englishman, but there you go. I suppose it would ease the confusion if either entity were called something else, but such things are never that simple.

Ryan Shuflin
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Ryan Shuflin » 30 Sep 2012, 22:57

So do these kommuns have their own governments with executives or not?

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Chris Green
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Chris Green » 01 Oct 2012, 05:18

So do these kommuns have their own governments with executives or not?


They do. A Swedish kommun is in some ways like a US county, but has no responsibility for policing. In the UK a kommun would generally be on the lines of the old Urban or Rural District, though in the Stockholm context more like a London Borough.

But I think we are straying from Torsten's (and the forum's) theme.
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Iain Boyd
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Iain Boyd » 01 Oct 2012, 23:46

Chris wrote -

"But I think we are straying from Torsten's (and the forum's) theme."

Yes, but, it is worth knowing how the civic structure of a particular country works so that one knows how the various arms are related to each other.

Regards,

Iain Boyd

Ryan Shuflin
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Ryan Shuflin » 02 Oct 2012, 10:41

ok, I understand now, so do the finansborgarråds and the landshövdings use coat of arms?

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Chris Green
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Chris Green » 02 Oct 2012, 11:26

... so do the finansborgarråds and the landshövdings use coat of arms?


A Landshövding would use the Län CoA officially and the Finansborgarråd of Stockholm would use Stockholm's CoA. They probably do not have personal CoAs any more than State governors or city fathers in the USA do these days.
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Ryan Shuflin
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Re: Territorial Heraldry of Sweden

Postby Ryan Shuflin » 04 Oct 2012, 11:18

City fathers? I have never heard that term.


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