Impression of  the municipal seal of Koszalin

From the second half of the 13th to the first half of the 15th century the coat of arms of Koszalin was a figure of a bishop, giving a blessing in a pontifical robe, standing under the arched gate of city wall with battlements, with a tower covered with a conical roof. Two shields were placed on the wall on both sides of the gate. According to the German graphic artist and heraldry expert Otto Hupp (1859-1949), the shields bore images of lions rampant, a feature of the coat of arms of the von Gleichen family. Koszalin was granted city rights in 1266 by bishop of Kamień Pomorski – Herman von Gleichen (who died in 1289). However, according to an engraving of this seal and its description in Die Geschichte der Stadt Coeslin von ihrer Gründung bis auf gegenwärtige Zeit (The history of the city of Koszalin from its foundation until today) by the Pomeranian historian Johann Ernst Benno (1777-1848) published in 1840, only the shield to the right (heraldic left) depicted a lion. The second depicts a griffin, the coat of arms of the local dynasty – and that version is officially accepted. The seal described above was used until about 1440. Probably in the middle of the 15th century the coat of arms of Koszalin was changed, and the city adopted the head of St. John in a bowl, placed on an escutcheon with a helmet with mantling, as well as a crest – a bishop's stole – as its coat of arms. This depiction can be found on a wax imprint of the secret seal of Koszalin, dating back to the first half of the 19th century. The motif of the head of St. John, patron saint of the bishopric of Kamień Pomorski, was probably initially found only on the city's secret seal. Gradually, because of its simplicity, it became increasingly popular, and in the mid-15th century it was adopted as the main coat of arms, which remained unchanged until 1938.

Mieszko Pawłowski