FULL CREST AHEAD

Most Swiss families have a coat of arms. If you’re from a country where heraldry is reserved for castles, crowns, and the nobility, this might raise an eyebrow (or two). But in Switzerland, heraldry isn’t just about ancient battles it’s about tradition… and, let’s be honest, a healthy dose of fashion.

The whole coat of arms business began in the Middle Ages, when knights figured out that being fully armoured had an annoying downside: nobody could tell who was who under the metal suits. This led to unfortunate “Oops, sorry I accidentally speared my best friend” moments. Enter the coat of arms - part medieval name tag, part battlefield fashion statement.

Over the centuries the practice spread to other parts of society, including commoners - who began feeling a little bit less common, thanks to their fashionable crest.

Having a coat of arms was a way of showing that you were somebody.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and heraldry became a fashionable phenomenon that spread far and wide. Turns out, you didn’t need to be born into a family with a crest - you could just get creative, commission one, and voilà, your family was now “crest-worthy.” In most cases, these were kept by the archives of the various cantons, towns, municipalities or regions.

However, registering a coat of arms does not give it official status, because in Switzerland, they are not granted by an authority. They are merely a personal mark and thus have no official value.

And as armour has long since disappeared from the Swiss arsenal, they are of little practical use either. Sure, you could stamp your crest on a wax-sealed letter, this seems somewhat outdated in the age of emails and emojis.

So, for a long time, they have therefore been used primarily for decorative purposes, such as on a front door, or on a stained-glass window.

Even today, you can still create your own coat of arms if you don’t have one. However, as heraldry follows a specific language and a set of rules, it’s always advisable to turn to specialists.

There are many rules and restrictions that must be taken into account. The main rule concerns the superimposition of colours. Coats of arms are also translated into an arcane language (blazoning). For example, the coat of arms of the author of this blog post is "Argent, to a river in bend Azure. Crest: A Pyramidal hat Azure, turned up Argent, towered of five feathers of cock Sable."

But perhaps in this particular case, a drawing is better than words…

In Switzerland, heraldry has survived over the centuries, but it now faces a modern enemy: apathy. The art form is slowly being forgotten, with few specialists left to teach the craft. And let’s face it - asking the Gen Z generation to give up TikTok time to learn blazoning is a hard sell.

Luckily, the Swiss keep the spirit alive in a distinctly practical way: on their roads, where subtlety takes a back seat (quite literally). Their car licence plates are practically mini art galleries, sporting not one but two crests: the cantonal crest and the Swiss flag. Because why stop at a single symbol when you can double down on national and regional pride? Whether you’re stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or cruising through picturesque Alpine landscape, rest assured that everyone knows you’re Swiss, and exactly which of the 26 cantons you call home. It’s like broadcasting your address, but cooler.

That, however, comes with a distinct downside. If you you’re an out-of-towner driving a mere 1 k/mh below the speed limit for fear of missing a turn or triggering one of Switzerland’s many sneaky speed cameras - brace yourself. Displaying a number plate from a different region is like an automatic invitation for locals to honk, as if to remind you that you don’t belong.

Who knows? Maybe heraldry will make a glorious comeback. Imagine that alongside the cantonal crest and Swiss flag, your licence plate also proudly showcases your great-great-grandfather’s coat of arms. Forget boring vanity plates - these would be rolling heraldic masterpieces. If everyone embraced the trend, the roads might become less about getting from A to B and more about admiring the family history of the car ahead. Now that would be a world worth honking about!