Deutsche Erbe Wappenrolle

In the German heraldic tradition, both commoners and nobles have been allowed to use coats of arms since the Middle Ages, without requiring a monarch’s grant. Germans could unilaterally adopt their own coat of arms, though rulers sometimes granted them or enhanced existing assumed arms with new grants. The advent of mechanical printing made it possible to mass-produce heraldic art. Beginning in 1605, Siebmacher’s Wappenbuch attempted to record coats of arms across the German lands, categorising them by state of origin and including sections for individuals without noble titles. These printed, line-based black-and-white designs had a lasting impact on German heraldic art, an influence still visible today.

German law does not require the registration of a coat of arms, and there is no single official register. Nevertheless, most people consult heraldry specialists to ensure their design is heraldically correct and not already in use. This follows a tradition begun in the Middle Ages. Registration can offer legal protection by discouraging others from adopting similar arms and strengthens claims of ownership in disputes. Registers exist to publicly assert ownership, avoid duplication, and promote quality standards. Several heraldry registration organisations fulfil this role. In 2009, the oldest registers agreed on shared rules and principles—the Berlin Declaration of 2009—to safeguard the integrity of German heraldry.

In 2021, Wilhelm Horwood, co-founder of the Heraldic Institute, established the Deutsche Erbe Wappenrolle (DEW) to promote German heraldry, register coats of arms, and publish them. The DEW’s distinctive mission is to extend German heraldry’s reach internationally and to make registration accessible to anyone connected to the German cultural area. It adheres to traditional heraldic and genealogical principles, with a heraldic committee and compliance with the 2009 Berlin Declaration, though it applies some flexibility when registering arms from outside Germany—recognising that such designs may have followed heraldic traditions differing from German rules at the time of their creation.

The German-speaking Austria Empire formed in 1804 and Germany proper did not unify into an Empire until 1871. Before that, the various Germanic states—mostly autonomous parts of the Holy Roman Empire—maintained their own royal and princely courts, each with separate heraldry registers or chancelleries with deference to the court in Vienna. Even after unification, Germany remained largely federal. The two oldest surviving heraldry registers date from the late 19th century, created in the former states of Prussia and Lower Saxony, and exist today as registered associations (eingetragener Verein). When monarchy and aristocracy were abolished after the First World War, the new German republic (Weimar Republic) enshrined in civil law the right to bear a coat of arms. Unlike in some countries where heraldry must be officially granted, all German citizens retain the legal right to establish a personal identity—such as with heraldry or a Hausmarke—to represent their family. Germany law considers personal expression paramount and includes heraldry amongst the many private matters may never be put under direct government control.

Most German registers allow individuals with ties to the “German cultural area” to register arms. This broadly includes present or former German territories, much of Eastern Europe, and lands historically linked to the Holy Roman Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Eligibility extends to residents, their descendants, and those who have married into these families. Many descendants now live outside Germany and may be unaware of or unable to access these opportunities, often due to language barriers and the dominance of Anglo-Saxon heraldic concepts. Having German ancestry typically qualifies a person as connected to the German cultural area - this may not only include the right to German citizenship, but almost certainly also the right to bear arms in Germany.

The DEW is a sub-association (Unterverein) of the Heraldic Institute e.V. and is subject to the same German laws and regulations regarding registered associations and charities.

W. Horwood FHI (chair)
Dr J. F. Müller FHI FRHistS
O. Mullett FHI
Prof. Dr A. Winkelmann
Assoc. Prof. Dr L. Peschke

For more information about the DEW, or about how to register a coat of arms, contact Wilhelm Horwood FHI.