Coat of arms of Maastricht
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms
of Maastricht
(Dutch
: Wapen van Maastricht; Limburgish (Maastrichtian variant)
: Waope vaan Mestreech) is a symbol of the city of Maastricht, Limburg
, The Netherlands
. It consists of a red escutcheon (shield) with a five-pointed white star that is adorned by a coronet (crown)
of gold whilst being held by an angel
. Together with the flag of Maastricht
, the coat of arms functions as the official symbol of Maastricht.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
(Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Wapen van Maastricht; Limburgish (Maastrichtian variant)
Maastrichtian dialect
Maastrichtian or Maastrichtian Limburgish is the city dialect and variant of Limburgish spoken in the Dutch city of Maastricht alongside the Dutch language . In terms of speakers it is the most widespread variant of Limburgish, and is a tonal one...
: Waope vaan Mestreech) is a symbol of the city of Maastricht, Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It consists of a red escutcheon (shield) with a five-pointed white star that is adorned by a coronet (crown)
Coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
of gold whilst being held by an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
. Together with the flag of Maastricht
Flag of Maastricht
The flag of Maastricht is the official flag of Maastricht, the capital city of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands...
, the coat of arms functions as the official symbol of Maastricht.