Coat of arms of the Chelyabinsk region: history

Once upon a time in the territory where Chelyabinsk is now, there was a fortress with the same name. Some time after the Iset province appeared, the village of Chelyabinsk became its center. Then less than half a century passed, and on this place a district town appeared, located on the territory of the Ufa province. At that time, the cities of the Chelyabinsk region existed autonomously, but history changed everything.

First strokes

The dream to acquire its own coat of arms was realized in early June 1782, when Catherine II issued a special decree. The document contains its description. On the background of the shield at the bottom was an image of a camel with bales on its back. Caravans with these pack animals regularly moved through the territory of the Orenburg province and went to Chelyabinsk. The space of the upper part of the image was occupied by the coat of arms of the Ufa viceroyalty: the silhouette of a marten, which rushes swiftly in a silver field. So, the arms of the Chelyabinsk region received their first outlines.

Changes in symbols

The result of administrative reform was the release of Chelyabinsk from the Ufa province, but, in the end, everything returned to its places: the former status of the district town remained unchanged until 1919.

At the beginning of the XX century there was a reference book with a description of Chelyabinsk and its environs, dated 1782. The text also says that the upper part of the shield is occupied by the city coat of arms with a sable pattern.

As a result of administrative reforms undertaken by the Soviet authorities in 1934, the Chelyabinsk Region appeared on the map of the region, and from the middle of the last century it acquired contours that remained unchanged to the present day. Since these times the flag and the emblem of the Chelyabinsk region have been formed.

In the period between the October Revolution and the end of the 60s, the design of the Chelyabinsk coat of arms was not paid attention. To reflect on the question of a new kind of symbolism of the city that corresponds to the spirit of the time, two events stimulated the preparations for the celebration of the 230th anniversary of Chelyabinsk (1965) and the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. The local edition of the Chelyabinsk Worker placed on its pages a description of the coat of arms in almost the same form that the Empress Catherine once proposed. A year later this text appeared in the city guide. The coat of arms of the Chelyabinsk region for a long time could not become permanent, it was supplemented and changed by new leaders and officials.

Competition for the best state symbols

On the eve of the half-century anniversary of the revolution, local authorities announced a competition for the creation of a new coat of arms. He set the following goal: the symbol of the city must embody the achievements of the working people and the victorious procession of socialism. In general, many elements of the symbolism were contained in the Moscow coat of arms of 1924. The list included the following elements:

• Red flag;
• gear;
• tractor;
• Factory chimney;
• blast furnace;
• The muscular arm of a toiler;
• High-voltage poles of power lines;
• Book and so on.

Almost all cities of the Chelyabinsk region offered their own version of the state symbols. The jury analyzed all the options submitted for consideration, but it was not worthy of the contender for the award. The contest, one of the organizers of which was the weekly "Evening Chelyabinsk", decided not to stop.

It lasted almost ten years. During this period, the publication raised the issue of the rules of heraldry. But in all the drafts of the arms presented industrial symbolism was not well combined with its historical elements. As a result, it was not possible to choose the most acceptable emblem of the Chelyabinsk region.

The same fate befell the contest, announced in the mid-80s, before the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the city.

Flag

This state sign was approved in 2001, on December 27. The flag has the form of a red cloth (2: 3), on which a yellow strip is located on the bottom, occupying the sixth part of the flag. If you look at the symbols of the Chelyabinsk region, you can see a large red space, along which there is a narrow yellow strip. In the center was a white camel with luggage.

Each city of the region has its own national symbol: there are only 26. There are many animals and birds depicted on them: a swan, a sable, a horse or a bear. Predominant colors: green, blue, yellow and red. But some cities differ from neighboring regions by their heraldry. For example, one of the largest cities in the Chelyabinsk region - Magnitogorsk has a very original flag. It shows a black triangle with a vertex upward. This canvas symbolizes the richness of this ore region. But in Zlatoust a more romantic flag was established: with the image of a golden pegasus flying on a scarlet background.

Continuation of work on the project coat of arms in the 90s

The leadership of the local administration returned to the question of the coat of arms in 1994. In this connection, a corresponding decree was signed. In December 1996, a referendum was held. The result of the people's will was the adoption of the charter and the coat of arms of Chelyabinsk. The symbolism was returned to the original appearance of the XVIII century with some changes, including the removal of martens. In the image of the arms were present:

• Tower crown over the shield of arms;
• Alexander's tape around the shield;
• Gold hammers from both sides testified to the highly developed industry of the regional center.

The following year, the regional Legislative Assembly announced a competition to determine the draft flag, the emblem and the anthem of Chelyabinsk. The most successful works were presented at an exhibition organized in December 1998. But this time the coat of arms of the Chelyabinsk region was not chosen.

Final touches

The epic with the design did not end. It was proposed to supplement the silver shield with the following elements:

1. The fragment of the fortress wall should serve as confirmation of the fact that Chelyabinsk was a southeastern border outpost.
2. A loaded camel, painted in yellow. It is turned to the right side. The animal symbolizes trade relations and friendship with neighboring states.
3. The camel stands on the green field, which represents prosperity, a positive attitude and belief in a brighter future.

The St. Andrew's ribbon around the shield and the golden crown from above indicate that this is Russia. Chelyabinsk Region is a subject of the Russian Federation.