Research — Coats of Arms and Seals
Coats of Arms and Seals of Thun – Research at Thun Castle
Why does Thun bear a golden star in its coat of arms – and since when? Starting from the special exhibition «Awarded! The Golden Star of Thun», we research the seals, banners and coats of arms of the town, its burgher families, guilds and clubs, together with the Burgerarchiv Thun. This page makes that work visible – with research posts, your questions, and a crowdfunding.
A black star on the oldest banners. A golden star, granted as an honour after the Battle of Murten in 1476 – so records the Jahrzeitenbuch of Scherzligen of 1489. And a town seal that for centuries showed something quite different from the coat of arms, namely the castle: the heraldic history of Thun is rich in traces – and in open questions.
Our team pursues these questions in the archives: Where does the coat of arms with the bend come from – is there a connection to the de Chalon family, from which Countess Elisabeth of Kyburg came, who granted Thun its charter (Handfeste) in 1264? Why does the star appear with five, six or seven points, until the cantonal government fixed the seven-pointed form in 1945? And what do the coats of arms of the burgher families in the Burgerbuch, the emblems of the guilds, and the arms of today’s clubs – from FC Thun to the music association – tell us? We work closely with the Burgerarchiv Thun.
What we find, we publish here as research posts – in English and German. And if you are researching a Thun family coat of arms or a seal, we are happy to help.
Latest from the research
The first research posts – on the origins of the Thun coat of arms, on the change from the black to the golden star, and on the question of how many points the star really has – will appear here over the course of the special exhibition.
All posts are also available in German on the German project page.
What does your coat of arms show? Ask the research team
Does your family carry a Thun burgher name and would you like to know more about your family arms? Have you come across a heraldic pane, a seal or an old flag? Send us your question – we read every message, answer by email, and publish selected findings as research posts.
Crowdfunding
Support the heraldry research
Archival research takes time, expertise and care. With your donation you make it possible to study the seals, banners and armorial records, to answer the enquiries we receive, and to publish the findings on this page. Thank you warmly!
Please mention «Wappen und Siegel» in the message field of your donation so we can attribute it to this project.
Visit the places yourself
The best way to experience this history is on site: the special exhibition «Awarded! The Golden Star of Thun – 550 Years Since the Battle of Murten» (25 April 2026 to 22 March 2027) presents seals, banners and coats of arms from eight centuries – from the 14th-century Thun bannerette to the club arms of today. And in the permanent exhibition you will encounter the Burgundian coat-of-arms tapestry from the field camp of Charles the Bold.