TheWheel of Mainz orMainzer Rad, inGerman, was the coat of arms of theArchbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate ofMainz (Kurmainz), inRhineland-Palatinate,Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red background. The wheel can also be found instonemasons' carvings (e.g.landmarks) and similar objects. Currently, the City ofMainz uses a double wheel connected by a silver cross.
The origins of the wheel are not known. One theory traces it back to BishopWilligis, who was electedArchbishop of Mainz in 975. According to a tale delivered by theBrothers Grimm, his ancestors had beenwheelwrights and his adversaries sneered at him for his mean birth. They drew wheels on the walls and doors of his residence, Willigis though made it his personal ensign with the motto "Willigis, remember where you came from". However, this is not proven, and in any casecoats of arms only appeared in the 12th century. Most of the archbishops of Mainz used the wheel for the first and third field of their personal coat of arms, using their family's coat of arms for the second and fourth fields.
It is more likely that the wheel refers toSaint Martin,[2] the patron of both the city itself and ofMainz Cathedral. Insignia dating from 1300 depict the saint with both wheels.
Other theories see the wheel as either:
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Due to the power wielded by the Elector until 1803, the Wheel of Mainz was recognized across a vast territory, and it can be seen in many coats of arms of towns belonging to the collegiate church, such asErfurt, which belonged to the archbishopric for centuries. In addition, it is seen in the following coats of arms:Mainz-Hechtsheim,Mainz-Laubenheim,Mainz-Lerchenberg,Mainz-Weisenau, as well asAlzenau,Arenshausen,Bad Hersfeld,Bad Sobernheim,Berlingerode,Biebergemünd, Birkungen inLeinefelde-Worbis,Blankenbach,Bönnigheim,Brehme,Breitenworbis,Bürgstadt,Büttstedt,Cleebronn,Collenberg,Deuna,Dorfprozelten,Dünwald,Effelder,Eichenbühl,Eichsfeld,Elsenfeld,Eltville (ehemalige Residenz), Ortsteil Ershausen der GemeindeSchimberg,Faulbach,Frammersbach,Frankfurt-Griesheim,Frankfurt-Höchst,Frankfurt-Nied,Freienhagen,Fritzlar, site of an important cathedral chapter,Gau-Algesheim,Geisenheim,Samtgemeinde Gieboldehausen,Gieboldehausen,Goldbach,Großbartloff,Großheubach,Großvargula,Gumbsheim,Haibach (Unterfranken),Hanau-Steinheim,Hausen (bei Aschaffenburg),Heilbad Heiligenstadt,Heppenheim (Bergstraße),Hergenfeld,Heyerode,Hofgeismar,Hofheim am Taunus,Holungen (Landkreis Eichsfeld),Hundeshagen,Johannesberg,Jützenbach,Kahl am Main,Kelkheim (Taunus),Kelkheim-Münster,Kella,Kirchgandern,Kirchheim, Thuringia,Kirchzell (Landkreis Miltenberg),Kleinostheim,Kleinwallstadt,Klingenberg am Main,Krautheim (Landkreis Hohenlohe),Kreuzebra,Langenthal (Hunsrück),Leidersbach,Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Lindenberg/Eichsfeld,Lorch (Rheingau),Mainaschaff,Marth,Miltenberg,Mömbris,Mönchberg,Monzingen,Mühlberg, Thuringia,Naumburg/Hessen,Neudenau (with eight spokes), the former Gemeinde Herbolzheim, since 1973Herbolzheim, part of the city ofNeudenau,Neunkirchen (Unterfranken),Neustadt (Eichsfeld),Niedernberg (Landkreis Miltenberg),Niederwalluf,Nöda,Obergriesheim,Oberlahnstein,Ober-Mörlen,Oberursel (Taunus),Pleitersheim,Rauenthal,Ravenstein,Reinholterode,Rieneck,Rodgau,Rohrberg,Röllbach,Rothenbuch,Sailauf,Schloßböckelheim,Schöllkrippen,Schöneberg (Hunsrück),Seesbach,Seligenstadt,Sömmerda,Sulzbach am Main (Landkreis Miltenberg),Treffurt,Uder,Viernheim,Waldaschaff,Walldürn,Weibersbrunn,Weilbach (Bayern),Weißenborn-Lüderode,Wiesen,Wittighausen, Worbis inLeinefelde-Worbis, andWüstheuterode.
It also occurs in the coats of arms of the followingKreise (districts)
It also features in the arms ofRhineland-Palatinate itself.
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