!!!Kruckenkreuz

Cross Potent, (Teutonic cross), cross with flat bars across the ends 
of its 4 arms, symbol of the  Fatherland Front. First proven existence 
in the Neolithic, then in China, in antiquity and in Latin American 
civilisations. In the Middle Ages it was used as a mintmark and in 
art, as well as a symbol for crusaders (Cross of Jerusalem) and as a 
coat of arms of the Holy Sepulchre. I.  Seipel considered it a sign of 
redemption; from 1922 onwards it was minted on the reverse of the 
2-groschen coin, from 1931 onwards also on the 5-groschen coins. From 
1922 onwards the cross potent served as a badge of honour awarded for 
services to the Republic of Austria. In 1933 it was introduced as the 
symbol of the Vaterlaendische Front (Fatherland Front), emphasising 
its Christian character and standing in contrast to the swastika of 
the National Socialists. From 1935 onwards it had the same meaning and 
importance as the state flag; its official use in the  Corporate State 
was laid down in the federal law of December 28, 1936.

!Literature
K. J. Heilig, Oesterreichs neues Symbol, 
%%sup 2/%1936; N. Leser and M. Wagner (ed.), Oesterreichs politische 
Symbole, 1994.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Kruckenkreuz|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]