original design by David von Gonzenbach, created in 1803. In the original design, the weapon contained in the fasces was a halberd, but this was changed to the axe in 1843. There were a number of other design changes during the 20th century; from the 1930s until 1951, a black Swiss cross was placed on the axe blade to avoid association with the fasces as used as a symbol of Italian fascism. Grisons The flag of Grisons was adopted in 1933. From 1815 to 1933, the canton had used various combinations of the three coats of arms of the historical Three Leagues. The modern design combines simplified versions of the historical coats of arms. A combined coat of arms with the same division of the shield as in the modern version (but with the position of the leagues of God's House and of the Ten Jurisdiction reversed) is already found on the Patenpfenning minted by Jacob Stampfer in 1547. Aargau Aargau (Argovia) is the ancient name of the march between Alemannia and Burgundy, but it never was an independent canton historically. Since 1712, the territory of the modern canton had been divided between Zürich and Bern. The canton of Aargau was created as an administrative division of the Helvetic Republic, and its flag is an original design by Samuel Ringier-Seelmatter of Zofingen (1767–1826), dating to 1803. The current official design, specifying the stars as five-pointed, dates to 1930. Thurgau Like Aargau, Thurgau (Turgovia) was historically a subject territory of the confederacy, and was created as a canton of the Helvetic Republic. The flag design is an ad hoc creation of 1803, based on the two lions in the coat of arms of the House of Kyburg which ruled Thurgau in the 13th century. The green-and-white were regarded as "revolutionary" colours in 1803, also introduced in the coats of arms of St. Gallen and Vaud, but the placement of a yellow lion on white is a violation of heraldic principles, and also creates a visibility problem. There have been suggestions to correct this, including a 1938 suggestion to use a solid green field divided by a diagonal white line, but they were not successful. Ticino The flag is an 1803 design, but its designer or intended symbolism have not been recorded. The convention of displaying the flag per fess is apparently inspired by Lucerne. Vaud The design dates to 1803, based