!!!Wappen

Coat of Arms: The coat of arms of the Republic of Austria is made up 
of a suspended, single-headed, black, red-tongued eagle with golden 
weapons; its chest is covered with a red shield crossed by a silver 
bar. On its head the eagle wears a golden masonry crown with three 
visible pinnacles. In its claws it holds a broken iron chain. In its 
right claw it holds a golden sickle with the edge turned inwards, in 
its left claw a golden hammer" (Article 8a of the Federal 
Constitutional Law BGBl. 350/1981).

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The federal coat of arms dates back to the founding days of the 
Republic of Austria. After the collapse of the Danube monarchy the 20 
members of the State Council, elected by the Provisional National 
Assembly, adopted  Red-White-Red as the national colours on October 
31, 1918 (first documented mention at the time of Duke 
Friedrich II the Bold (1230-1246)).

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On May 8, 1919 the Constituent National Assembly agreed in the 
"Gesetz ueber das Staats-Wappen und das Staatssiegel der Republik 
Deutsch-Oesterreich" act on the adoption of the one-headed black 
eagle, whose chest was covered with a red-white-red  striped shield 
and whose 3 other golden symbols represented the co-operation with the 
most important working classes of society: the hammer represented the 
workers, the sickle represented the farmers and the masonry crown on 
the eagle´s head represented the middle-class. These symbols are 
not connected with the Communist symbols of hammer and sickle.

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At the time of the Corporate State 1934-1938 a black, double-headed 
eagle with nimbus and striped shield, but without the other 3 symbols, 
was used. The Austrian symbols of sovereignty were banned under the 
National-Socialist regime (1938-1945).

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After the end of the war the coat of arms of the First Republic was 
re-introduced. In remembrance of the restoration of Austria´s 
independence and the reconstruction of the state a broken iron chain 
was added. On March 28, 1984 the Nationalrat passed the Federal Act on 
the Coat of Arms and other Symbols of Sovereignty of the Republic of 
Austria (Wappengesetz, BGBl. 159/1984); it defines the persons and 
authorities who may carry the federal coat of arms and the federal 
service flag on public occasions. The federal service flag corresponds 
to the red-white-red national flag except that it bears the federal 
coat of arms in its centre. The dimensions of the federal service flag 
are 2 : 3 (height : length). Depictions of the 
state symbols may be used by private persons, provided they do not 
pretend to have public authorisation. The misuse of state symbols and 
their defilement are punishable. Important businesses may be awarded 
the federal coat of arms by the Ministry of Economic Affairs for use 
in business transactions (§ 68 Gewerbeordnung 1994).  Coat 
of Arms, Provincial.

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The official coat of arms of the Austrian monarchy was created in 1836 
and adapted for the last time in 1866. It consisted of a 
triple-crowned double-headed eagle with the Habsburg-Lorraine coat of 
arms (surrounded by the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece) 
shielding its heart. Shields displaying the coats of arms of the crown 
lands were arranged around it. In its claws it held sword, sceptre and 
the imperial orb. In 1915 the two parts of the empire were given new 
coats of arms (in the Austrian one the coats of arms of the crown 
lands were included in the heart shield) and a common coat of arms. 
The medium common coat of arms consisted of the countries´ 
individual coats of arms with their crowns, one shield bearer each, a 
banner with a motto and the 3 highest orders on the Habsburg-Lorraine 
coat of arms shield.

!Literature
F. Gall, Oe. Wappen-Kunde, 1992; G. Spann, Zur Geschichte 
von Flagge und Wappen der Republik Oesterreich, in: N. Leser and M. 
Wagner (eds.), Oe. politische Symbole, 1994; P. Diem, Die Symbole Oe., 
1995.


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