Chain of office used by the mayors of Anklam

• silver, 1808;
  length in the case: 30 cm

The heavy silver chain worn by the leader of the council carries the city's coat of arms with the inscription 'MAGISTRAT ZU ANCLAM MDCCCVIII' (mayor of Anklam) and weighs 550 grams. The lower section of the emblem has a tinned wall and an open gatehouse with a roof and pommel at its centre. A griffin stands on the wall, its wings half extended, tongue pointing out and its tail unfurled, clutching in its claws three beams of light. Above, the crown of a wall is shaped like an eyelet with another griffin, strident against the backdrop of an oak leaf wreath. The heavy links of the chain connect here.

The chain was made to mark the city reforms of 1808, which abolished Anklam's medieval town charter of 1353. This brings to an end the rule of the council families, which had been bonded by marriage since the age of the Hanseatic League. From then on, the mayor is chosen by an assembly of elected town councillors.