The Coat of Arms of Tyrol is the historic coat of arms of the region of Tyrol. It shows a red eagle. It was used by the Princely County of Tyrol and is today used by the states of Tyrol in Austria, South Tyrol in Italy, and numerous municipalities.

The coat of arms of the region

The Tyrolean Eagle

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Coat of arms of Tyrol, Austria.
 
Coat of arms of South Tyrol, Italy.

The Tyrolean eagle is red on a silver shield, with a golden beak, claws, and "clover-stems" which line the wings. It has been used as a symbol of the region since the early 13th century.

The eagle originates as the hereditary coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol, who resided at Tyrol Castle, which gave its name to the greater region. The seal of Albert IV, Count of Tyrol, dating from 1205, displays the Tyrolean eagle. It developed independently from the similar Coat of Arms of Brandenburg. The oldest colored representations date to the years 1271 and 1286.[1] In 1416, under the Habsburg monarchy, the eagle was crowned and the shield surmounted with a princely cap.[2][3]

Austrian State of Tyrol

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The coat of arms of the Austrian State of Tyrol show the Tyrolean Eagle crowned and its head surrounded by a laurel wreath. This design is based on that of the coins (Andreas Hofer-Kreutzer) produced during the Tyrolean Rebellion against Napoleon in 1809. However, a laurel wreath has been incorporated into some depictions of the arms since the 17th century.

The coat of arms in its current form was granted in 1946, and the Law of 17 May 2006 on the use of the State Coat of Arms (Tyrolean State Coat of Arms Act) specifies the blazon and use of the coat of arms.[4]

Italian Autonomous Province of South Tyrol

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The arms of the Italian Autonomous Province of South Tyrol and of the greater autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol both feature the Tyrolean eagle, although the design of the eagle is different from the one used by the Austrian State. It was designed by the Bolzano-based architect and artist Helga von Aufschnaiter on behalf of the South Tyrolean Regional Government under Silvius Magnago.[5] The design is based on the original coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol, which can be seen on the altar in Tyrol Castle dating back to 1370, and omits the laurel wreath, wing trefoils, and crown used in the coat of arms of the Austrian State.

Use in municipal coats of arms

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The coats of arms of numerous Tyrolean municipalities contain the Tyrolean eagle or parts of it to demonstrate that they belong to Tyrol. The red eagle as a whole is used in the coats of arms of Brixlegg, Landeck, Mareo, Merano, Radfeld, St. Anton am Arlberg, Sterzing, Tirol Commune, Ton, Vomp, and Wiesing. The coats of arms of Glurns and Ulten show the eagle divided with other charges, those of Gerlos and Spiss show the eagle's head, Jungholtz's the eagle's wing, and Rettenschöss the eagle's talons.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Flag Tyrol with coat of arms (Austria)". Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  2. ^ Franz-Heinz Hye (2004). Wappen in Tirol: Zeugen der Geschichte. Handbuch der Tiroler Heraldik. Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck 2004, ISBN 3703003847
  3. ^ "Tirol - Wappen - coat of arms - crest of Tirol". www.heraldry-wiki.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  4. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 2007-11-09. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  5. ^ SPA, Südtiroler Informatik AG | Informatica Alto Adige. "Abteilung Präsidium | Kontakte | Landesverwaltung | Autonome Provinz Bozen - Südtirol". Landesverwaltung (in German). Retrieved 2021-05-06.