The six small coat of arms at the top stand for the origins of parts of
Baden-Württemberg. They are from left to right: •
Coat of arms of Franconia for former
Franconian regions in the northeast: ::It shows the coat of arms of Franconia, called the (Franconian rake). This field represents
Tauber Franconia, the region around the river Tauber in the northeastern part of Baden-Württemberg. It was part of the
Duchy of Franconia. While the main part of Franconia became part of Bavaria, this area became separated and part of Baden-Württemberg. The coat of arms features a field
divided per fess dancetty gules and argent, i.e. it is divided into an upper red band and a lower white band by a three-pointed zig-zag line. This was the coat of arms of the prince-bishops of Würzburg, who were also dukes of Franconia. • Coat of arms of the
House of Hohenzollern for the
Province of Hohenzollern: ::The second shield shows the coat of arms of the
House of Hohenzollern (
party per cross argent and sable). It represents a region north of lake Constance around
Hohenzollern Castle, the ancestral seat of the House of Hohenzollern. The coat of arms of Hohenzollern is parted per cross; the first and third field are argent (white/silver), the second and fourth shield are sable (black). •
Coat of arms of Baden for
Baden: ::The third shield shows the coat of arms of Baden, a red diagonal band on a golden shield (
or, a bend gules). This represents the former
Margraviate and
Grand Duchy of Baden, the western and south-western part of Baden-Württemberg. As one of the two biggest predecessors of Baden-Württemberg, also part of the state's name, this shield is about 10 percent bigger than the others. •
Coat of arms of Württemberg for
Württemberg: ::The fourth shield shows the
coat of arms of Württemberg. On a golden shield, there are three superposed deer antlers. This shield represents the Region of Württemberg, the other main part of the state, which lies in the central and eastern part. For the same reasons, it is the same size as the coat of arms of Baden. •
Coat of arms of the Electorate of the Palatinate for the region around
Mannheim and
Heidelberg: ::The fifth shield shows the coat of arms of the Elector Palatine. This field represents those parts of former Electorate of the Palatinate, on the right side of river Rhine. The black field is charged with a yellow lion rampant with red claws, tongue and crown (
sable, a lion rampant or armed langued and crowned gules). •
Coat of arms of Austria for
Further Austria in the south: ::The sixth shield shows the coat of arms of Further Austria: a white horizontal band on a red field (
gules, a fess argent). This shield represents the former possessions of the house of Habsburg, the family of the former Austrian Emperors. Thereby the arms of Baden and Württemberg are slightly elevated. The
supporters are a
stag to the left representing Württemberg and a
griffin to the right representing Baden. The supporters are those used in the arms of the pre-war states of Baden and Württemberg. They are positioned on a pedestal of black and gold which is not further mentioned in the law about the arms. The great coat of arms is only used by higher authorities, i.e. the state premier, the government, the ministries, the state's representation to the Federation and to the EU, the Supreme State Court and higher courts, the audit court and the Administrative Districts. ==Lesser arms==