City coat of arms of Aš
The coat of arms of Aš is one of the most distinctive symbols of the city, connecting its name with local history. Three silver graylings in a blue shield refer to the origin of Aš and its cultural roots. The coat of arms still proudly represents the city and its traditions today.
History of the Aš coat of arms
Symbolizing three silver graylings placed one under the other in a blue shield, the city's coat of arms belongs to the category of so-called "speaking" emblems, which directly refer to the city's name - in this case, the German word for grayling, Äsche. There is speculation that the connection of Äsche with grayling dates back to 1270, but this claim has never been confirmed.
Historical opinions differ. According to the prominent Aš historian Karel Alberti, graylings were not introduced into the coat of arms until the Thirty Years' War. The oldest preserved depiction of graylings on the city seal dates from 1635, which is stored in the District Archives in Cheb. The coat of arms depicts three crossed graylings, which probably refers to the original name of the city, derived from the German word Äsche, which means grayling. The seal bears the inscription "DES MARKTS ASCH INSIGEL" and above the graylings is the St. Andrew's cross. The shield is decorated with a kolč helmet with covers and the jewel is again three crossed graylings. The oldest known depiction of three graylings below each other, as we know them today, is from 1765 on a relief of the Old-New Town Hall building.
In the second half of the 20th century, there were disputes over the form of the Aš coat of arms. Its official form was finally established on October 21, 2004, with three graylings below each other as the basis, but there were also variants with a royal or castle crown above the shield.
Horizontal view
Seals with crossed and horizontal graylings were in use until the middle of the 18th century. The District Archives in Cheb have preserved two documents with a seal with a horizontal image, the older of which is dated April 18, 1650. Probably both versions of the Aš coat of arms were created at about the same time.
Emblem colors
The first color depiction of the coat of arms dates back to the 19th century. It is believed that older versions had a similar color scheme – a blue shield with silver fish. However, the specific color scheme is unknown.
Crown
On our coat of arms we can observe a helmet crown in a historical context. The first mention of the crown appears in a document dated June 19, 1750. This version of the coat of arms with a crown appeared in the Aš offices at the end of the 19th century. In the Ethnographic Museum you can see the coat of arms that was placed on the town hall with the year 1765.
Using the character
The Aš coat of arms was widely used on seals, city stamps, books, maps, banknotes and medals. It can also be seen on important buildings. For example, the coat of arms from the former Anger Schule pod Střelnicí from 1878 is currently on display in the lapidary of the Aš Museum. Coats of arms are also placed on buildings such as the former savings bank, the current library, the Okružní elementary school, the former grammar school, and on the monuments to Gustav Geipel and JW Goethe.
City flag
The official flag of Aš has three white waving wedges, the tops of which reach half the length of the blue leaf. The flagpole has three white graylings one below the other, all three of the same size. Before the introduction of the current form of the flag, the city used various variants, but since June 8, 2004, the current form has been valid.
City logo
In 2016, the city of Aš introduced its own logo, which was selected in an art competition where city representatives collaborated with experts. The winning design is a stylized version of the city's historical emblem, which features three grayling on a blue background. The author of the winning design is Eliška Karešová from Dvůr Králové nad Labem.
