The crest
The emblem used on this site is not a family coat of arms in the strict sense. It tells the whole Kartoffeltysker story in four parts: where the colonists came from, where they went, and what they grew.
- Top left: the lion of HesseA lion barred red and white on blue, the arms of Hesse. Many colonists came from Hesse-Darmstadt and the neighbouring Palatinate.
- Bottom left: three black lions on goldThe lions of Württemberg, still part of the arms of Baden-Württemberg today. Recruiters also worked in Württemberg and Baden.
- Right: the Danish crossA white cross on red, as on the Dannebrog, for the kingdom that invited them.
- Centre: the potato woman and 1759A woman holding a basket of potatoes, between the digits of 1759, the year the first colonists set out from Frankfurt.
Where it comes from
The original is a small colour-printed sticker, 10 by 7 centimetres, kept in the picture collection of the Hessian State Archive in Darmstadt (Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt). It is catalogued under emigration history as Auswanderung, 1759 / Kartoffeldeutsche in Dänemark / Wappen, reference R 4 Nr. 12955.
The catalogue dates it "[1759]", but that is the year it commemorates, not the year it was made. The sticker itself is modern, and the record does not name a designer.
What is not known yet
Who designed the emblem, when, and for what occasion. A woman with potatoes is also the subject of Kartoffelpigen, the sculpture unveiled at Frederiks Church in 1984. That may or may not be a coincidence. If you know the story behind the sticker, please get in touch.
The version on this site
The archive's sticker survives only as a small, worn print. The crest shown here is a clean vector redrawing made for this site, keeping the original's design. It is used for non-commercial purposes, with credit to the Hessian State Archive in Darmstadt, where the original is held.