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You might have seen big, painted fish statues in different places in Kaiserslautern or spotted the fish in the city crest.
The story of the fish in the city crest has been the source of many stories and some controversy. Local historians have documented one story that seems to satisfy most Kaiserslautern’ers.
When the first settlements arose on the Rittersberg around 7,000 years ago, there was no mention of a city coat of arms. However, the clear, pure waters referred to in the Old High German word “Hlutraha,” which gave the settlement its name, held an abundance of fish in the area. So, it’s probably no coincidence that a fish adorns the Kaiserslautern coat of arms today.
On November 6,1497, a fisherman caught a pike in one of the lakes. The fish was almost 20 feet long and weighed 350 pounds. It was the biggest fish anyone had ever seen. But that wasn’t all. A golden chain with a ring attached to it hung around the fish’s neck. The ring had an inscription on it but no one, not even the wise city fathers, could read it.
The pike was taken to Heidelberg to have the inscription translated. A Bishop determined that the inscription was Greek and read: “I am the first among all the other fish that has personally been put in the lake by Emperor Friedrich II (grandson of Barbarossa) on October 5,1230. “
After this happened, the two small fish that were on the city crest before were replaced by one big fish.
Now the fish figures that can be seen all through Kaiserslautern have a different story:
In 2001, Kaiserslautern celebrated its 725th anniversary after receiving its city rights in 1276. For this celebration, schools, companies, and organizations could purchase fish in various sizes and paint or decorate them however they wanted.
One of the fish placed is the KMC fish standing right at the corner of the German-American Community Office. This fish with propellors and German and American flags symbolizes German-American friendship for over seven decades.
Have you spotted any fish around the city?
