I walked here and there and found it.

After one of the old people died, this set of badges was thrown away. Right in its entirety, in the cover. The cardboard cover, of course, is somewhat damaged; even the footprint of someone's shoe is visible.
But the badges themselves are intact, not even the pins are bent.

If anyone doesn’t know (or has forgotten), the “Golden Ring” is a tourist route developed in Soviet times through cities with traditional Russian architecture, mainly from the 15th to 18th centuries (although in some places there are also older buildings and younger ones - if they are architecturally interesting). The architecture is represented by churches, monasteries, less often - boyars' or merchants' chambers, ancient fortifications (kremlins) in varying degrees of preservation. This route was called “Ring” because the cities offered for visiting were located approximately in a ring around Moscow, in modern Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Tver, Kostroma and Yaroslavl regions. Classically, eight cities belong to the “Golden Ring”: Sergiev Posad (from 1930 to 991 - Zagorsk), Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov the Great, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Suzdal, Vladimir. Moscow was usually not included in the list of cities of the Golden Ring, being, as it were, the center of this ring.

The term itself appeared thanks to the art and literary critic Yuri Aleksandrovich Bychkov, who in 1967 published a series of articles in the newspaper “Soviet Culture” under the general title “The Golden Ring of Russia.”

However, it quickly became clear that it was difficult to limit ourselves to just the eight cities named, since there are many more ancient cities with interesting history and architecture. This is how an “extended” list of cities of the “Golden Ring” appeared, which is often discussed. The expanded list includes the following cities and towns in Central Russia: Abramtsevo, Alexandrov, Bogolyubovo, Gorokhovets, Gus-Khrustalny, Dmitrov, Kalyazin, Kashin, Kideksha, Kineshma, Krasnoe-on-Volge, Murom, Myshkin, Nerekhta, Palekh, Ples, Pokrov , Rybinsk, Tutaev, Uglich, Shuya, Yuryev-Polsky, Yuryevets. This list varies in different sources, it includes either a larger or smaller number of cities, and sometimes they are ranked according to the degree of significance or interest from the point of view of history and tourism.

Even later, the concept of the “Great Golden Ring” appeared, which included more than a hundred different cities and towns in Central Russia. Of course, it was impossible to fit all the cities of the “Great Golden Ring” into one route; accordingly, a whole network of routes was developed, varying in duration of the trip and its intensity. The trips were usually by bus, of varying duration - from three or four to ten days.

With the collapse of the USSR, active tourist activity on the Golden Ring routes almost ended, architectural monuments in some places fell into disrepair and were even destroyed without maintenance, and in others they were “restored” quickly and cheaply. However, travel agencies still offer tours to the cities of the Golden Ring - both according to the classic list of eight main cities, and in individual regions.

Now it’s time to move directly to the found set of icons.

This is what the cover looks like with all the icons:

1. Moscow. The image of the coat of arms of Moscow is interesting. This is not an image of the coat of arms of Moscow during the Soviet era, but also not an image of pre-revolutionary versions of the coat of arms. Rather, this is some kind of free fantasy on the theme of the “kopeyts” of ancient Russian coins or seals. Let me remind you that the city of Moscow was usually not included in the classic list of cities of the Golden Ring, being the “center” of this ring and the beginning of tourist routes:

2. Zagorsk (before 1930 and after 1991 - Sergiev Posad). A city from the main list of the Golden Ring. The coat of arms is depicted quite accurately, with a red field in the corner of the shield; the coat of arms of Moscow should have been located in it, as a sign of belonging to the Moscow province. However, on the small badge the coat of arms of Moscow is indistinguishable:

3. Kineshma. A city usually included only in the "Great Golden Circle" list. Nowadays it belongs to the Ivanovo region, but before the revolution it belonged to the Kostroma province, which was reflected in the coat of arms granted to the city in 1779: in the upper part of the shield there is a golden ship in a blue field (coat of arms of Kostroma), and in the lower part there are two bundles linens, as a symbol of the linen manufactory that existed in the city:

4. Vyazniki. Also usually included in the “Great Golden Ring”. Nowadays it is part of the Vladimir region, before the revolution it was part of the Vladimir province. In the upper part of the coat of arms there is a golden lion in a red field, in the lower part there is a tree (elm) on a yellow field:

5. Murom. Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". City of Vladimir region (province). In the coat of arms in the upper part there is again the Vladimir lion in a red field, in the lower part of the shield there are three rolls in an azure field, “for which this city is famous”:

6. Plyos. Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". Now a city in the Ivanovo region, before the revolution it was in the Kostroma province. In the upper part of the shield there is a Kostroma golden ship in a blue field, in the lower part in a silver (light gray) field there is a river with a reach that gave its name to the city:

7. Rybinsk. Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". City of Yaroslavl region (province). In the upper part of the shield there is a golden bear with an ax in a red field (the coat of arms of Yaroslavl), in the lower part there is a river with a pier and two sterlets in the river on a red field. There is something faintly visible on the pier icon:

8. Kostroma. A city from the main list of the Golden Ring. The city is the center of the Kostroma region, before the revolution - the Kostroma province. The coat of arms of Kostroma was granted by Catherine II in 1767. On the coat of arms, in an azure field, a golden galley sailing on blue waves with silver crests - for the empress arrived in Kostroma on the Tver galley:

9. Shuya. The city now belongs to the Ivanovo region, previously belonged to the Vladimir province. Included in the "extended" list of cities of the Golden Ring. The coat of arms is a shield divided in two, in the upper part on a red field there is a golden lion with a crown holding a cross in its paws (the coat of arms of Vladimir), in the lower part there is a bar of soap in a red field, in memory of the fact that soap making was the most ancient craft of the city:

10. Yaroslavl. A city from the main list of the Golden Ring. The city's coat of arms is not depicted quite correctly. There should be a black bear on the silver (gray) field, holding a golden ax (or protazan) in its left paw. However, the bear is also depicted in gold:

11. Gorokhovets. City of Vladimir region (province). Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". The coat of arms is a shield divided in two, in the upper part on a red field there is a golden lion with a crown holding a cross in its paws (the coat of arms of Vladimir), in the lower part there are pea sprouts on poles in a golden field:

12. Carpets. The city was usually included in the “Big Golden Ring”, Vladimir region (and province). The coat of arms in the upper part contains the coat of arms of Vladimir, in the lower part there are two silver hares with red eyes and tongues in a green field. It is believed that the governor of Catherine II, Count Vorontsov, highly valued hare hunting in those parts:

13. Pereslavl-Zalessky. Included in the main list of the "Golden Ring". A city in the Yaroslavl region, formerly in the Vladimir province. The coat of arms in the upper part of the shield contains the coat of arms of the provincial city of Vladimir, in the lower part there are two golden herrings in a black field, as a sign that herring smoking was one of the notable city crafts:

14. Vladimir. The city is included in the main list of the Golden Ring. One of the most interesting and monument-rich cities of the Ring. On the coat of arms of Vladimir there is a golden lion in a red field, wearing a crown and with a cross in its paws. The lion was the family sign of the Vladimir-Suzdal princes:

15. Alexandrov. A city in the Vladimir region, formerly a province. Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". The coat of arms consists of the coat of arms of the city of Vladimir in the upper part of the shield, and in the lower part - in a red field - a bench vice and two anvils, "as a sign that very fair metalwork work is carried out in this city":

16. Uglich. The city of the Yaroslavl region (formerly a province) is included in the “extended” list of the “Golden Ring”. The coat of arms of the city of Uglich reflects the tragedy that took place here: under unclear circumstances, the young Tsarevich Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible, died (was stabbed to death). The people of Uglich considered two clerks guilty of the murder of the prince and killed them. The coat of arms contains in a red field the image of the faithful Tsarevich Dmitry with a knife (murder weapon) in his right hand:

17. Tutaev. Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". Until 1918, it was called Romanov-Borisoglebsk and was formed by the merger in 1822 of two independent cities - Romanov and Borisoglebsk, located on both banks of the Volga. The coat of arms of the united city was also obtained by combining their original coats of arms: “In a golden shield beveled to the right at the top there is an azure wavy bandage, accompanied on the sides by narrow black bands; below is a wreath of thirteen red roses with green stems and leaves, tied with an azure ribbon and having inside in the silver field of a black bear holding a golden ax on his shoulder with his left paw." But the badge shows the coat of arms of only one city of Romanov:

18. Yuriev-Polsky. City of Vladimir region and province. Included in the "extended" list of the "Golden Ring". Its modern name is somewhat misleading, since the city has nothing to do with Poland, but is related to the “field” - the second part of the name was added in order to distinguish it from other cities with the name Yuryev. Its coat of arms in the upper part contains the coat of arms of Vladimir, in the lower part - two boxes filled with cherries, “with which this city abounds.” However, the boxes on the icon are empty:

19. Galich. The city of the Kostroma region and province is included in the list of the "Great Golden Ring". The coat of arms of Galich consists of unequal parts of the shield. In the upper, mostly red field, there are military trophies - armor, ten banners, an ax and the Cross of John the Baptist crowning them. In the lower, smaller part, on a silver field, two drums, two timpani and a pair of drum sticks are placed tilted apart:

20. Suzdal. The city of the Vladimir region and province is included in the main list of the Golden Ring. Along with Vladimir, one of the most interesting cities of the Ring. The coat of arms of Suzdal is a shield divided into two fields, azure at the top, red at the bottom, with a falcon in a princely crown in their background:

21. Rostov the Great. The city of the Yaroslavl region and province is included in the main list of the Golden Ring. The third of the most interesting cities of the Ring. On the coat of arms of Rostov there is a silver deer in a red field, golden horns, mane and hooves:

And finally - the overall impression of the set.

The idea seems good, but the execution...
The cover is made of low-quality cardboard, like the kind used to make shoe boxes; it’s a stretch to call printing as such.
The composition of the emblem badges in the set also causes some confusion. The coat of arms of the city of Ivanovo - the eighth city from the main list of the "Golden Ring" - is missing; the coats of arms of the cities of the "expanded" list and the list of the "Great Golden Ring" are randomly included.
The badges themselves are small, about 2 cm in diameter, because of this, the images of the coats of arms are very conventional and simplified, some of the coats of arms are given with errors.
The execution of the badges itself is quite crude, which is partly explained by the material - aluminum, but often simplifications cannot be explained only by this. The enamels and varnish covering the icons have different shades, which makes it difficult to perceive the set as a single whole.
The images of coats of arms adopted at the end of the 18th century, during the reign of Catherine II, were mainly used, since in Soviet times there was no city heraldry as a system.

I will make assumptions that the sets were generally completed according to the principle “we collect what is available.” Perhaps the specific composition of the icons was also slightly different in different sets. They were apparently sold at points on the Golden Ring tourist route as souvenirs.

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Presentation on the topic: Coats of arms of Russian cities

Slide no. 1

Slide description:

History of the fleet in the coats of arms of cities Completed by: 4th grade student of secondary school No. 289 in Zaozersk, Murmansk region Alina Lyashenko Scientific supervisor: primary school teacher Pulina Svetlana Evgenievna Secondary school No. 289 in Zaozersk, Murmansk region Interregional distance conference - competition for students 1 – 7 - classes “First steps into science” Section “History” 2011 5klass.net

Slide no. 2

Slide description:

Slide no. 3

Slide description:

Introduction A coat of arms is an emblem of a state, a city, or even a clan or family. The coat of arms is depicted on flags, coins, seals, state and other documents. For any city, the coat of arms is of great importance; it reflects the history and is the calling card of the city. I live in the ZATO (closed territorial entity) city of Zaozersk, Murmansk region - a city of submariners. Like any other city, ours has its own coat of arms. The coat of arms reflects the features of the city: specifics, geographical location.

Slide no. 4

Slide description:

Heraldry is the science of coats of arms. A coat of arms is an inherited emblem, which is characterized by the presence of a shield as the main visual element. The very origin of the term “coat of arms” emphasizes its meaning as a symbol of family ties. In the West Slavic and Upper Germanic languages, the word “herb” means “inheritance”, “dowry”. Heraldry is a science that studies and explains already created coats of arms and signs, determines the rules for drawing up new ones. In the modern world there were more than two hundred states. Almost each of them has its own official symbols. The history of many state emblems goes back hundreds of years.

Slide no. 5

Slide description:

In heraldry, five main forms of the coat of arms have been established: Varangian, Italian, Spanish, French and German. The most widely used in the design of coats of arms is the French shield. It is he who is present on all the coats of arms of Russian cities. The main figures of the coat of arms are the images placed on the shield. The shield can be crossed vertically in the middle by a wide strip - a pillar, horizontally - by a belt, and along an oblique - by a sling. If the bands intersect to form an angle, they are called rafters. There may be a cross on the shield - an image of an intersecting pillar and belt. Also, images of humans, animals, birds, fish, geographical objects, etc. are placed on the shield. Sometimes mythological creatures can also be seen on the shield.

Slide no. 6

Slide description:

Knight's shields were covered with bright colors - enamels. According to the rules of heraldry, when composing coats of arms, a limited number of colors are used: red, blue, green, purple, black, as well as heraldic metals - gold and silver, which are yellow and white colors, respectively. Heraldic colors had symbolic meanings: gold signified wealth, strength, loyalty, constancy, greatness, strength, generosity, providence and sunlight; silver is a symbol of perfection, nobility, purity of thoughts, peace; azure - grandeur, beauty, clarity; scarlet color means bravery, courage, fearlessness, maturity and energy; greenery is a symbol of joy, hope, nature, prosperity, prosperity, hope, abundance, freedom; black color is prudence, wisdom, honesty, humility; purple - dignity, strength, courage.

Slide no. 7

Slide description:

Voronezh In a scarlet (red) field with a golden head, burdened with a black double-headed eagle with golden beaks, paws and eyes, with scarlet tongues, crowned with three golden imperial crowns and holding a golden scepter in the right paw, and a golden orb in the left, emerging from the right golden a mountain made of boulders, on the slope of which there is an overturned silver jug ​​pouring out silver water. The shield is crowned with a golden tower crown with five visible teeth, surrounded by a hoop with a golden laurel wreath. Shield holders are knights on the green earth in silver chain mail, mirror armor, helmets with arrows and open aventails in front, in scarlet cloaks pinned on the right shoulder with silver, in shirts and boots of the same enamel and ports of the same metal; the right one holds a golden sword in his right hand, pointing downwards, and on his belt is a golden sheath; left - holds in his left hand in front of him a golden ancient (almond-shaped) shield, on which is placed the emblem from the regimental banner of the infantry regiment, approved on March 8, 1730, on his belt is a sword in a sheath of the same metal. The shield is framed with order ribbons: on the right - the Order of Lenin, and on the left - the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

Slide no. 8

Slide description:

St. Petersburg The coat of arms of St. Petersburg is a heraldic red shield with an image on its field of two silver anchors - sea (obliquely from left to right of the viewer, with claws in the upper left corner of the shield from the viewer; has two claws and a transverse detail on the anchor rod) and river ( diagonally from the right to the left of the viewer, with paws in the upper right corner of the shield from the viewer; has four paws and lacks a transverse detail on the anchor rod), placed crosswise, and on them is a golden scepter with a double-headed eagle. The shield is crowned with an imperial crown with two St. Andrew's azure ribbons emerging from it. Behind the shield are two crosswise gold Russian scepters, decorated with diamonds and enamel, connected by St. Andrew's azure ribbon.

The city coat of arms is the same symbolic image, an identification and legal sign, drawn up according to certain rules and fixed by the supreme authority, just like the state coat of arms. But if the state coat of arms reflected the power of the state, its international image, then the city coat of arms pursued much more modest goals. The city coat of arms most often reflected the peculiarities of the region, the concerns with which the population lives.

The coat of arms was used primarily in seals and documents. Painted according to the rules of heraldry, it decorated the letter of grant. If a city minted its own coin, it was depicted on the coin. The coat of arms was hung on the walls of the town hall and on city buildings.

The symbolic image is compiled on the basis of certain rules of heraldry. The coat of arms usually consists of the following elements: shield, helmet, mantle, crown, crest, shield holders. The shield is the main component of the coat of arms. In terms of shape, they differ into the following types: German (with a notch on the side), English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, oblique, Byzantine (round) and square. The images on the shield are made using heraldic enamel (colors), metals and furs. A helmet is a heraldic sign, placed above the shield. The mantle is the decorations coming out of the helmet, the crest is the upper part of the helmet on which the figures were mounted. Shield holders are figures of people, animals or fantastic animals.

The appearance of the coat of arms is very significant for the city. By receiving a coat of arms, the city became an independent, self-governing administrative unit and began to enjoy privileges represented by the supreme power. Which means it was gaining strength. Its representatives enjoyed special respect.

History of the city coat of arms

Scientists have repeatedly tried to answer the question: when did city coats of arms first appear in Russia? The above-mentioned A.B. Lakier looked for them in “ancient Russian life.” Not everyone agreed with him. For example, the famous heraldist V.K. At the beginning of our century, Lukomsky declared without a shadow of a doubt that we can talk about coats of arms, including city ones, in the Russian state no earlier than the 17th century.

The evolution of urban heraldry is determined primarily by the patterns of development of a particular country. If we talk about Russia, then the origins of urban symbols here date back to the pre-Mongol period. Thus, the image of a lion is known as a personal sign of the Vladimir-Suzdal and Galician princes, which later becomes the main figure in the coats of arms of Vladimir and Lvov. The Mongol-Tatar invasion slowed down the development of emblems and symbols in Rus', but did not completely destroy them. This is evidenced by numerous emblems on Russian coins of the 14th - 15th centuries, still poorly studied, emblems of princely seals, as well as images on surviving city seals. The Mongol-Tatar yoke also affected the evolution of Russian cities in the 14th - 15th centuries, the political system of which did not reach such maturity and completeness as in some countries of Western Europe. Under these conditions, city coats of arms as symbols of city self-government and evidence of some special privileges could not become widespread. It should also be taken into account that the need to get rid of the Golden Horde yoke led to the strengthening of the grand ducal power. Russian urban population in the XIV - XV centuries. not only did it not receive a privileged legal status, as was the case in Western European countries, but even the rudiments of city self-government were eliminated. Consequently, the absence of city coats of arms in Rus' at a time when this phenomenon begins to flourish in many Western countries is due to the peculiarities of its historical development.

Well, officially for the first time the term “city coat of arms” appeared in the royal decree of 1692 regarding the seal of Yaroslavl, on which, in addition to the royal title, the inscription was depicted: “Seal of the city of Yaroslavl.” In the center of this seal was a drawing of the city's coat of arms - a bear with a protazan on its shoulder. This bear became the basis of the coat of arms of Yaroslavl. And already in the same year, Yaroslavl felt the tsar’s care. It was transferred from the Kostroma quarter to the department of the Discharge Order - one of the largest central government institutions. Rostov and Pereslavl-Zalessky came to the department of the Yaroslavl governor. The official hut of Yaroslavl was renamed the Chamber. And all this led to the expansion of trade and production. In a word, to strengthen the city and improve the lives of the population. And if we talk about the time of the appearance of the first city coat of arms, then we must take into account that it could not have arisen with the wave of a wand or the hand of an emperor or empress. The coat of arms took a long time to come into being.

Thematic conversation in elementary school. For younger schoolchildren about the coats of arms of Russian cities

Alla Alekseevna Kondratyeva, primary school teacher, Zolotukhinsk Secondary School, Kursk Region
Description of material: Nowadays, patriotic education takes up quite a lot of time in the educational environment, so I have developed a program for extracurricular activities “Your Russia”. I offer teachers of secondary schools and additional education institutions a material - a reference book on the coats of arms of cities. The material can be used in a wide variety of forms: conversation, class hour, quiz, game hour, extracurricular event, virtual trip, etc. The material is designed to help any student answer such important questions as:
1) How and when did the distinctive signs of Russian cities appear?
2) What were the distinctive signs of medieval knights?
3) What personal insignia did noble people of Russia have?
Target: acquaintance with the distinctive signs (coats of arms) of Russian cities, creation of a short, colorful, interesting reference book about the coats of arms of cities.
Tasks:
1. Create a vivid figurative idea of ​​the era of medieval knights and Ancient Rus', contribute to the formation of ideas about the first insignia of Russian cities.
2. To arouse students’ interest in the history of Russia, expand their understanding of the history of Russia, develop a cognitive interest in reading, and instill a strong interest in books.
3. Cultivate a respectful attitude towards the spiritual and moral traditions of the Fatherland, pride in belonging to the roots of Russia.
Teacher:
The life of medieval knights was not easy. Wear heavy armor, endure the whims of your lady love, and endless tournaments. Don't miss it even if it's for a good reason! Suddenly everyone will think that he chickened out. They'll laugh again.

In the helmet behind the visor it is cold in winter, hot in summer and you can’t hear the squire. It was difficult to communicate in armor. One day someone came up with an idea: so that the knights would not be confused with each other and ordinary people would recognize them from afar, they decided to paint their shields. Each has its own design, its own figures, colors and identification marks. Such armor is far visible both in the tournament and on the battlefield.

Coats of arms of medieval knights

The design on the shield began to be called the “coat of arms”. The coat of arms was assigned to each knight, and they stopped being confused. Gradually, rules emerged according to which it was possible to come up with various new coats of arms. Many people liked the idea of ​​a personalized insignia. Noble people decorated their outfits, castle rooms, and carriages with their family coats of arms. The fashion for coat of arms came to Russia. But only nobles and ... cities received the right to have their own family coat of arms.

Remember, you probably saw the coat of arms of your city? Maybe it depicts a beautiful crown and anchors, or a horseman in armor who kills a snake, or maybe some other animal?
Even the simplest drawing-symbol can tell a lot. The main thing is to be able to “read” it.

Do you know what the color on the coat of arms means?

Red color called “scarlet” and serves as a symbol of bravery and courage, and also symbolizes the blood shed for the faith, the sovereign and the Fatherland.
Coat of arms of the city of Tula

Blue called “azure” and symbolizes beauty.
Blue- a symbol of beauty, greatness, loyalty, trust, impeccability, as well as the development of forward movement, hope, dreams.
Coat of arms of the city of Kolomna

Green– means hope, youth, joy, abundance, fertility, freedom, peace and tranquility.

Black- speaks of sadness, prudence and humility. In addition, it is a symbol of education, modesty, and caution.
Yellow and white– compared to precious metals – gold and silver. Gold most often symbolizes wealth, and silver – purity.

Violet- a symbol of royal or royal origin. Purple dye was obtained from very expensive and rare shells. Due to its high cost, it could only be used in royal and royal courts.

Coat of arms of the family of princes Trubetskoy

Coat of arms of the Potemkin family

Coat of arms- this is an emblem, a distinctive sign, passed on by inheritance, which depicts objects symbolizing the owner of the coat of arms (city, country, class, clan, etc.). Heraldry deals with the study of coats of arms.

What do the animals on coats of arms mean?

Bull- a symbol of labor and patience, fertility and cattle breeding.

Coat of arms of the city of Engels, Saratov region

Wolf-symbol of greed, anger and gluttony. Placed on coats of arms as a sign of victory over a greedy, evil enemy.
Coat of arms of the city of Volkovysk

Pigeon- a symbol of humility and purity, the holy spirit.
Coat of arms of the city of Blagoveshchensk

Snake- a symbol of wisdom, kindness and precaution.
Coat of arms of the city of Zmeinogorsk (Altai)

Wild boar- a symbol of fearlessness and power.

Wild cat-symbol of independence.
Coat of arms of Vologda

a lion- a symbol of power, strength, courage and generosity.
Coat of arms of the city of Vladimir

Coat of arms of the city of Belgorod

Bear- a symbol of forethought and strength.
The bear is depicted on the coats of arms of many cities: Yekaterinburg, Novgorod, Norilsk, Perm, Syktyvkar, Khabarovsk, Yaroslavl and many others.

Coat of arms of the city of Yaroslavl

Sheep- a symbol of meekness, kindness and rural life.
Coat of arms of the city of Evpatoria (Crimea)

Coat of arms of the city of Samara

Deer-symbol of a warrior in front of whom the enemy is running.

Coat of arms of the city of Nizhny Novgorod

Eagle- symbol of vigilance.
Coat of arms of the city of Orel

Bee- a symbol of hard work and tirelessness.
Coat of arms of the city of Tambov

Owl- a symbol of wisdom, ingenuity and efficiency.
Altai

On ancient reliefs you can see many different monsters: dragons. winged bulls and lions, people with the heads of crocodiles and hippos, mermaids with fish tails. But it was not the hydra, sphinx or griffin, but the double-headed eagle that became the symbol of Russia.
The image of a double-headed eagle appeared three thousand years BC. In the civilization of the ancient Sumerians who lived at that time, an eagle with two heads was a divine symbol.
It is generally accepted that the double-headed eagle appeared on the coat of arms of Russia immediately after the marriage of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III and Princess Sophia (Zoe) Palaiologos, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI. Sofia Paleolog brought with her some regalia with the image of a double-headed eagle. Thus, Ivan III inherited not only the royal title, but also the coat of arms of the Palaiologan dynasty.

The country's coat of arms is a double-headed eagle
Spread his wings proudly.
Holds the scepter and the orb,
He saved Russia.
There is a red shield on the eagle's chest.
Dear to everyone: you and me.
A handsome young man gallops
On a silver horse.
Confirms the ancient coat of arms
Independence of the country.
For the peoples of all Russia
Our symbols are important.

STATE EMBRACE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

We are so accustomed to the coat of arms of Moscow with the image of St. George the Victorious on a horse, slaying a serpent. How and when did he get to Russia? St. George the Victorious is a common Christian saint, revered in many countries.

Which of our settlements was “sent to the soap”, and which one “received the pumpkin”?

With the approval of the leadership of the Chelyabinsk region, a competition was organized there for the best idea to immortalize the day when a meteorite exploded over the region. Among the most “creative” proposals from citizens is changing the region’s coat of arms, on which it is proposed to place a meteorite next to a camel.

Coat of arms of Chelyabinsk.

MK studied the strangest coats of arms of Russian regions and cities. What we didn’t find there: from a Negroid tiger to a sacrifice, an opium poppy and fragments of cellulose.

Let's start with the Chelyabinsk residents. Now the main element of the coat of arms of this region and its capital is the camel. The image of the “ship of the desert” appeared on the heraldic shield during the time of Empress Catherine the Great. The description of the coat of arms of Chelyabinsk, approved on July 6, 1782, says: “In... the lower part of the shield there is a loaded camel, as a sign that they are brought to this city with goods.” The authors meant that from ancient times a caravan route passed through this Ural city along which goods from Mongolia and China were delivered to the European part of the country. So, from a historical point of view, the existence of the Chelyabinsk “coat of arms” camel is quite logical and justified.

The same cannot be said about the “hero of animal origin” who settled on the coat of arms of the city of Serpukhov. The heraldic symbol of this regional center near Moscow has been the peacock for more than 200 years! (I just want to spread the slogan among the people: “The Moscow region is the homeland of peacocks!”)

Coat of arms of Serpukhov

But how did the exotic bird of paradise “build a nest” in our northern regions, on the banks of the Oka? It turns out that when at the end of the 18th century, by order of the already mentioned Empress Catherine, a campaign began in the country to massively assign coats of arms to cities, the then chief herald of the empire, Count Francisco Santi, sent out questionnaires to all corners of the country, wanting to find out which “exclusive” was available in each city and town. “- so that it can be displayed on the coat of arms. In the response received from Serpukhov, Santi’s attention was attracted by the phrase: “in one monastery peacocks will be born...” (This meant the Vysotsky Monastery, to whose monks back in 1691 the okolnichy Mikhail Kolupaev gave a peacock and a peacock as a contribution, from which the Serpukhov peacock family began.) Such an insignificant remark in the questionnaire became the reason for the “enshrinment” of the peacock on the coat of arms of Serpukhov.

However, a peacock at least “sounds proud.” Some other settlements received much less “top” birds. For example, the city of Elabuga in Tatarstan, now famous for automobile production, 232 years ago was awarded a coat of arms on which “... in the lower part of the shield in a silver field there is a woodpecker sitting on a stump, pecking at it, for there are many birds of this kind there.”

But Irkutsk acquired an animal on its coat of arms, which in reality does not exist at all. This unique specimen is a “Negroid” tiger, equipped with webbed paws and a flat “fleshy” tail, like a beaver.

Coat of arms of Irkutsk

Where did such a mutant come from? – We read the description of the coat of arms, approved in the fall of 1790: “There is a running tiger in the silver field of the shield, and a sable in its mouth.” Well, there is nothing supernatural here, because in those ancient times, in the east of the vast Siberian province, tigers were not uncommon. However, this very name of the animal somehow did not catch on among the Siberians, and instead of it, the locals called the mighty tabby cat babr. It’s easy to imagine the further development of events: officials, far from Siberian exoticism, easily confused the local babr with the widespread “aquatic animal” - the beaver. So it turned out later, according to official documents, that the inhabitants of Irkutsk have a running beaver (!) on their coat of arms, holding a sable in its mouth. In order to somehow fit the “picture” to this awkward description, the tiger from the Irkutsk coat of arms was painted with “beaver” hind legs and tail, and the striped coloring of the skin was removed, replacing it with plain black.

Among other Russian coats of arms, equipped with images of animals, there was one very “sadistic” one. The coat of arms of the Kargopol district of the Arkhangelsk region flaunts, according to the description approved in June 2004, “in an azure field, a silver ram with golden horns, lying on golden brands; everything is engulfed in scarlet (red) flame.” That is, the process of roasting a ram is actually depicted - uncut, right in all its naturalness. The explanation for the appearance of such a “horror” on the coat of arms is that the ritual of sacrificing a ram has been widespread in the Russian North since pagan times. In some villages of the Kargopol district, “Ram Sunday” even existed before the revolution, during which peasants slaughtered a ram and sacrificed it to Elijah the Prophet.

Among hundreds of Russian city emblems, there are some whose images, in modern times, can be interpreted as prohibited propaganda.

On the coat of arms of the village (formerly a city) Epifan in the Tula region you can see the drug - hemp.

Epifan village coat of arms

According to the ancient description of the coat of arms, it represents “a shield, a silver field with black soil below, from which three hemp epics grow, showing that the surroundings of this city, among other works, abound in hemp.” It is clear that our great-grandfathers, when drawing hemp on the coat of arms of Epifani, did not even think about the narcotic properties of this “weed”. In those days, this plant was actively cultivated to obtain hemp from it for weaving strong ropes and useful hemp oil.

The same “criminal” hemp is depicted on the coat of arms of some other territories where the cultivation of hemp for economic needs flourished in the past - the Kimovsky district of the Tula region and the city of Novozybkov in the Bryansk region (in this latter case, hemp stems are depicted rolled into a green sheaf, and in 1980s, when hemp was already on the “black lists”, instead of a sheaf they began to draw a more “harmless” heraldic element - a cannon).

Another narcotic “object” also made its way into heraldry. Here is a description of the coat of arms of the city of Derbent, approved in March 1843, in what is now Dagestan: “...In the lower half of the shield, divided into two parts and having a silver field, on the right side there is an old fortress wall with a gate...; on the left side are the intertwined roots of a madder plant and several stems of poppy, tied with a golden rope, as a sign that the residents are processing madder with great success and breeding poppies to make opium (shiryak) from it.”

Coat of arms of Derbent

The opiate is also depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Karachev (present-day Bryansk region), which was approved in 1781. “...In the lower part of the shield of the coat of arms there is in a silver field a bunch of blossoming poppies tied with a golden rope, of which there are quite a few in the fields around this city they sow and trade with it.”

Some coats of arms are “equipped” with rather unexpected elements. For example, in the old (1781) description of the coat of arms of the city of Shuya (Ivanovo region) it is written: “... In the lower part of the shield there is a bar of soap in a red field, meaning the glorious soap factories located in the city.” True, in the modern version of the coat of arms, approved in 2004, this bar of soap has turned into a kind of abstract “golden bar with three visible sides - the front, facing straight, the top and the left.”

Coat of arms of the city of Shuya

By the will of the capital's kings of arms, the city of Sengilei (present-day Ulyanovsk region) received a pumpkin. In the literal sense of the word: “...At the bottom of the shield are two large pumpkins with branches in a silver field, signifying the abundance of this kind of fruit.”

Sometimes the very names of old Russian settlements became a “hint” to the creators of coats of arms. Here, for example, are two cities in the current Penza region - Verkhniy and Nizhny Lomov. Here you don’t need to strain your imagination too much - in both cases, in the city coats of arms, in their lower part, there appear “five iron crowbars placed in a star, with sharp ends up, meaning the name of this city.”

Come on, most savvy readers, guess how to illustrate the name Dukhovshchina on the coat of arms? For those who did not cope with this task, we quote a fragment from the description of the coat of arms approved in 1780 for this city in the territory of the present Smolensk region: “...In the lower part of the shield in a white field there is a rose bush producing a pleasant spirit.”

Of course, the creativity of the inventors of coats of arms “from the time of the construction of developed socialism in the country” has moved away from all this archaism. In the USSR, cities and towns received “propaganda” coats of arms – in the spirit of propaganda posters. They depicted power plants, factories, turbines, icebreakers, steel ladles, gears (well, the heraldic element was very popular!), pipes, ears of corn, hammers... On the coat of arms of the city of Bratsk, approved in 1980, where the largest pulp mill was built paper mill, among other things, even “stylized fragments of the chemical formula of cellulose” were depicted.