the local noble family, also called bessenbach, were instrumental in the community's development. their ancestral seat, a castle, stood in today's centre of keilberg. the family's existence is documented as far back as the 12th century. they had lordly and juridical rights throughout the bessenbach valley that they alienated in the late 13th century. the family arms – the two-headed stork – were later adopted as the charge in the community's arms. standing for the bessenbach, the brook that serves as the geographical link in the community named after it, is the wavy fess in the base of the escutcheon.