Coat of arms of Yakutsk: description and photo

Yakutsk - a city located on the left bank of the Lena - is the capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Russia. Since 1632 the history of the settlement begins to count. The modern coat of arms of Yakutsk in 2013 was included in the State Heraldic Register. What does the modern symbol of the city look like and what is its history? Read in the article below.

How did the history of the Yakutsk symbolics begin?

The coat of arms of Yakutsk originates in 1632. It was at this time that the prison of the same name was formed. In the documents of 1635 you can find a description of the seal of the prison. Babru (or Amur tiger) in the mouth carries a sable, around them there are mountains and grass - this is how the first symbol of the city looks like. According to the documents of 1682 it is clear that the seal has changed. Now it depicts the river Lena and the mighty eagle that caught the sable.

Symbols of the Yakut regiment

Since 1711, the Tobolsk regiment is being formed in the city. Already in 1720 he is part of the Siberian garrison. Since 1727, the regiment is known as the "Yakut Garrison Regiment". A year later, the Supreme Council issues a decree on the need to appoint a new symbol of the city. The garrison needs regimental banners decorated with city and state symbols, which would be officially recognized. This was to maintain the fighting spirit of the soldiers.

Soon General BK Miniyev and artist A. Baranov make up the "Znamenny Heralayas". In the spring of 1730, the new coat of arms of Yakutsk was approved. He looked like this: on the red background stood a white throne, on which lay the golden gospel. This image did not take root, and when in 1790 work began on the compilation of the first coat of arms of the city (and not the symbol of the regiment), it was temporarily decided to return to the symbolism of the press.

By the way, the arms of 1730 were obliged to place not only on regimental banners, but also on seals governor and governors.

The first official coat of arms of the city of Yakutsk

In 1790 (when the increased interest in heraldry begins in the Russian Empire), Empress Catherine II approves the city's first official coat of arms. We remind you that before that Yakutsk did not have an official symbol, but had only the seal and coat of arms of the regiment.

Together with other settlements of the Irkutsk vicegerency, Yakutsk received its shield. He looked like this: an eagle was flying in a silver field, holding a sable in the clutches of a sable.

In 1875 the heraldic reform of Ken was carried out, and the coat of arms slightly changed the appearance. The shield remained silver, and the eagle changed color, becoming black. In his paws, he still holds a scarlet sable. The crown crowned with three prongs crowned the shield. The coat of arms of Yakutsk (as well as almost all the emblems of that time) is surrounded by oak leaves and Alexander's ribbon. This option was not officially approved as a symbol of the city. But it became the official emblem of the Yakut region.

Symbol of the city in the Soviet years

In September 1967, the Soviet government decided to change the coat of arms of Yakutsk, whose photo is presented in the article. Now the shield is divided into four fields and has an additional field right in the middle. This fifth shield has a silver background. It houses the tower of the Yakut prison (as its main symbol) and the date of the founding of the settlement (1632). The first and fourth quarters have red fields, in which a protein and a theodolite of silver are depicted. In the second and third quarters of the blue color there is a crystal and a snowflake.
The author of the sketch of the new coat of arms was the architect DI Savvinov.

At the meeting of city deputies in 1995, this coat of arms was again confirmed as the official symbol of Yakutsk. At the same meeting, its significance was again confirmed. A quadrangular shield sharpened from below (the so-called French one) is taken as a basis, since it is canonical. The squirrel is a symbol of the rich fauna of Yakutia and its uniqueness. A diamond is a symbol of the underground riches of the area, a snowflake on the coat of arms of Yakutsk speaks about the harsh climate of the city, and the theodolite - about the transformations of the republic. This coat of arms has not been included in the official state register of the Russian Federation, since it has numerous heraldic violations.

Attempts to create a new coat of arms

In 2006, a competition was announced for the best sketch for the new coat of arms of the city. The contest did not give any results, so it was held again in 2009. Androsov's team was recognized as the best. A shield was proposed, bordered by the landscape of the city. He was crowned by a national jug called choron. In the center of the field there was an eagle, above it - crystals. They were recognized to say about the main wealth of the earth - the mining of diamonds. This option has not received official recognition.

In 2010, R. Akhmadulin tries to recreate the old symbol of Yakutsk. On the first sketch he crowned the coat of arms with a tower crown and a laurel wreath. On the second proposed sketch, the shield was crowned with an ornament of diamonds. They are stylized as folk art of the republic. This project, too, has not received official recognition.

What does the city's new coat of arms look like?

In the summer of 2012 the project of the artist M.O. Chernikov was accepted for consideration. He put the historical coat of arms of 1790 into the basis of the symbolism. In September of the same year, the full coat of arms of Yakutsk was approved. How does he look?

Four representatives of the fauna adorn the modern coat of arms of the city of Yakutsk, a photo of which you can see below. Two animals adorn the very box of the coat of arms, and two are his shield bearers. They are not unusual: the eagle, horses and sable are frequent guests of the city symbols. True, the friendly position of the sable is unusual in relation to the eagle - he sits in his claws (whereas usually an eagle carried sables in claws). The full version of the emblem includes:

• Silver shield, which depicts an eagle and sable.
• Tower crown with two hoops as a crown of composition.
• Shchitoderzhateli: Yakut powerful horses (their tongues are scarlet) and scarlet cult pillars of Yakutia (sergė).
• Base: green grass and water source.
• A ribbon of silver color with the motto of the city "The focus of the eight-fold earth".

Symbols of the coat of arms of Yakutsk

The coat of arms of Yakutsk, the description of which is in the article, of course, has its own symbolism. The main figures of the shield are the eagle and sable. The eagle in heraldry designates power and domination. On the shield of Yakutsk he also means generosity, because he keeps the sable gently, carrying him high. Sable is a symbol of the rich fauna of the city. The eagle flies to the left, one of its wings is lowered, and the other is elevated to the sky. The sable has a tail lowered down.

What is the meaning of heraldic colors in heraldry?

• Silver is the purity of thoughts and spirituality of the inhabitants.
• Chervlen - courage and courage.
• Gold is wealth and generosity.
• Black color is modesty and stamina.
• Greens are fertility and freedom.
• The blue color is clarity and beauty.

The coat of arms of Yakutsk is filled with positive symbols only. However, this did not help him not to be criticized by the residents of the city. Some of them considered that the coat of arms is untenable from the official heraldry, has a "non-national" color of the shield. Many did not like the drawing of his main characters. Despite the attacks, the coat of arms continues to be the official symbol of Yakutsk to this day.