and third bendy lozengy argent and azure, in a chief of the second, a letter W of the first. As early as 1390, the town of Wachenheim used a seal with the quarterly composition charged with the Palatine Lion and the Bavarian “bendy lozengy” pattern (that is, slanted diamond shapes of alternating tinctures formed out of two sets of bends, or slanted stripes, each set at a different angle), although alongside this, another coat of arms, this one with the escutcheon party per pale (divided down the middle), but also showing the Palatine Lion and the Bavarian “bendy lozengy” pattern, is also known. On the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side appears the lion already holding a W. Both coats are found alongside each other. The current composition is first known from 1739 in a seal. The lion holding the W was adopted again in 1748 in the so-called small seal, only this time by himself. This coat, along with the quarterly shield as the great seal, prevailed in the time that followed, and the Royal conferral acceded to Wachenheim's wish to be allowed to bear both coats, albeit with a chief added to the great arms with a black W. The chief's tincture was originally argent (silver); this has since become gules (red). Approval for the arms came from King Ludwig I of Bavaria and was issued on 7 October 1845. Town partnerships Wachenheim fosters partnerships with the following places: Cuisery, Saône-et-Loire, France Pegau, Leipzig, Saxony Schwetzingen, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg (wine sponsorship) Neuburg an der Donau, Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Bavaria (wine sponsorship) Culture and sightseeing Buildings Wachtenburg – The Wachtenburg castle ruins, owing to the view over the Upper Rhine Plain is also known as the “Balcony of the Palatinate”. From here, one can see the Rhine Valley, the Odenwald and, on a clear day, the Black Forest. The Wachtenburg, lying above the town, has its roots in the 12th century and was all but destroyed in the 15th century. In 1689, a half of the keep was blown up by French troops. Since 1984, the Förderkreis zur Erhaltung der Ruine Wachtenburg e. V. (“Promotional Circle for Maintaining the Wachtenburg Ruins”) has been working on the care and restoration of these ruins. The castle is a popular outing destination for hikers, who can drop into the castle inn also found there. Villa rustica – The villa rustica is a Roman country seat