The coat of arms of Syktyvkar: national motives and their meaning

The Syktyvkar coat of arms is an identification and legal symbol that was approved in accordance with all the rules of heraldry. It serves (along with the flag and anthem) officially recognized as a sign of the city of Syktyvkar in the Republic of Komi. What is this symbol, what is its history? Read in the article below.

The first coat of arms of Ust-Sysolsk

In the year of the founding of the settlement of Ust-Sysolsk (formerly Syktyvkar), Catherine II approved his first coat of arms. There was an event in 1780. The shield, like all the arms in those days, shared a horizontal line in half. In the upper field was a symbol of the Vologda governorship. He represented a hand emerging from the cloud and holding a scepter and a sword. In the lower field was a bear in a den on a blue background. Bears in the vicinity was very much, so the beast became their symbol. The emblem served the city for almost a century and a half. However, with the renaming of it to Syktyvkar, it lost its force.

The coat of arms of Syktyvkar, 1978

When the city became a metropolitan from the district, the coat of arms lost its importance gradually. Repeated attempts were made to create a new symbol, but they did not end successfully. On the eve of the bicentenary of the approval of this settlement in the city, a sketch competition was announced. The City Council in May 1978 approved a new sketch of the official symbol of Syktyvkar. Its author was the honored artist V. V. Polyakov. The new coat of arms of the city of Syktyvkar successfully reflected changes in the life of the settlement. The artist retreated from the usual "French form" of the shield, replacing it with the silhouette of the national ornament in the lower part of the shield. In the center of the coat of arms was a bear that emerged from the den. It symbolized the awakening of the province, its transformation. Wavy lines divided the shield into three fields, which were painted in the colors of the RSFSR flag. The upper field of red color contained a spruce in a gear wheel of white color. This symbol reflects the modernization of the city, the industrial orientation that has appeared in it. In the lower part of the shield there were spruce trees on a blue background, as a symbol of the region's wealth of forest. Zigzag lines dividing the coat of arms into zones form a viloose cross - this is a symbol of the location of the city (at the mouth of Sysola at the confluence of the Vychegda).

Coat of arms of 1993

After the transformation of the area into the Republic of Komi, a new symbol was again needed. In the 1993 competition, the artist AI Neverov wins. His coat of arms had a silver background. It housed an overturned broken truncated rafter of azure, green and silver flowers (it was repeated three times), a golden bear and a green sprout. All elements are stylized as folk ornament of the area. In the upper part of the emblem was another golden symbol of folk ornaments, personifying the sun.

The current symbol of the city

The coat of arms of Syktyvkar according to the sketch of Neverov continued to serve the city for almost two decades, then some changes were made to it. But the essence of the symbolism remained the same. The Heraldic Council together with the artist Neverovo chose a new version of the official symbol and settled on a stylish and laconic performance, abandoning the northern lights.

The shield field has an azure and emerald colors. There are three symbols of heraldry on it:

• A golden bear in a gold den. He is the guardian of the city, his protector.
• Silver fir on an emerald background.
• Silver star on the azure background.

All elements of the coat of arms, as in 1993, are stylized. The coat of arms of Syktyvkar, whose photo is present in the article, gives a heraldic justification for the flowers used in it. Silver shade is a symbol of snow, purity, nobility. The golden shade was often used in embroidery and ornaments of national creativity. It means sunlight, splendor.

In 2008, another change occurred. The city's coat of arms decided to return the traditional "French" form.