Berlin Bear – Coat of arms of Berlin. The Berlin Coat of Arms features a bear – the Berlin Bear. Or actually there are different theories and all them seem to make sense. Coat of arms of Berlin, the main heraldic symbol, approved by the city authorities only in 1954. The bear pit behind the museum was built as a present to the people of Berlin on the city’s 700th birthday. Introduced in 1954 for West Berlin, it shows a black bear on a white shield. The arms of Berlin in a medieval roll of arms On a seal from 1388 the bear has the arms of Brandenburg hanging on its neck, in 1448 the eagle appears on the back of a walking bear. At present the united Berlin again uses only the bear as the arms of city and State. All the coats of arms of Berliner boroughs (the current as the ones in the period 1990-2001) have some common points: The shield has a Spanish form and the coronet is represented by a mural crown: 3 towers in red bricks with the coat of arms of Berlin in the middle. Introduced in 1954 for West Berlin, it shows a black bear on a white shield. But how or why the Berlin Bear became Berlin’s coat of arms remains mostly unknown. After the declaration of the Republic in 1918 the arms of Brandenburg were removed and the bear was again the sole arms of the city. The coat of arms of Bern, along with the associated flag and heraldic colours, are used both by the Swiss city of Bern and by the canton of the same name.They were also used by the former district of Bern until its abolition in 2009.. The bear was not the original symbol of the city, but instead had to 'struggle' to establish its place as such. On top of the shield is a special crown, created by the amalgamation of the mural crown of a city with the so-called people's crown (Vo Berlin-Mitte is the oldest part of Berlin and until 1920, when the Berlin districts were established, its arms were identical to the arms of the city as a whole. Whatever the reason, the Berlin Bear remains. The official symbol of the German capital todaya black bear. Description Berlin official symbol However, historians say that the image is a formidable predator is used as such for many centuries. The official symbol of the German capital todaya black bear. Berlin-Mitte is the oldest part of Berlin and until 1920, when the Berlin districts were established, its arms were identical to the arms of the city as a whole. The new district chose as its arms the eagle of Brandenburg, which was taken from the seal of the former city of Cölln, which also was part of the district. The coat of arms of Berlin is used by the German city state as well as the city itself. The bear as the sole symbol does not appear on seals before 1618.