English: coat of arms of Bad Staffelstein, Bavaria, Germany

English: Emperor Lothar III bestowed market rights upon Staffelstein in 1130. The market was first designated as a town in 1418. The oldest known seal dates from the mid-14th century, featuring a four-tiered mountain as a rebus for the town's name, as "Staffel" means steps. A seal from 1640 and another from the 18th century replaced the Staffelberg with a lindworm (dragon) being impaled by a knight's lance. This knight represents St. George, the former principal patron of the Bamberg Cathedral Chapter. Bishop Otto the Saint (1102-1139) acquired Staffelstein through an exchange with Fulda Abbey and bequeathed it to the Congregation of St. George in Bamberg, later the Cathedral Chapter. Staffelstein remained under their rule until the secularization of 1803. In 1819, the ministry established the colors and rejected a new coat of arms that had emerged unofficially after 1803. This unofficial design, already present on the mayor's medal, displayed three silver capital letters "S" on a blue background, intended to represent "Siegel Stadt Staffelstein" (Seal of the Town of Staffelstein). Since 2001, the town has incorporated the prefix "Bad" in its official name.