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

Let's start with Chelyabinsk people. Now the main element of the coat of arms of this region and its capital is a camel. The image of the "ship of the desert" got on the heraldic shield as early as 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 is a loaded camel, as a sign that they are brought to this city with enough goods.” The authors had in mind that a caravan route passed through this Ural city from time immemorial, 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 "armored" camel is quite logical and justified.

What can not be said about the "hero of animal origin", who settled on the coat of arms of the city of Serpukhov. The peacock has been the heraldic symbol of this regional center near Moscow for more than 200 years! (I just want to send the slogan to the people: “Moscow region is the birthplace of peacocks!”)

Coat of arms of Serpukhov

But how did the exotic bird of paradise "make a nest" in our northern regions, on the banks of the Oka? It turns out when late XVIII century, by order of the already mentioned Empress Catherine, a campaign began in the country for the mass appropriation of coats of arms to cities, the then chief king of arms of the empire, Count Francisco Santi, sent out questionnaires to all corners of the country, wanting to find out which “exclusive” was in every city and town - so that he- then display on the coat of arms. In the answer received from Serpukhov, Santi’s attention was drawn to the phrase: “in a monastery alone peacocks will be born ...” (meaning the Vysotsky monastery, whose monks back in 1691, okolnichiy Mikhail Kolupaev, as a contribution, gave a peacock and a peacock, from which and the Serpukhov peacock clan began.) Such an insignificant remark in the questionnaire became the reason for the "accession" of the peacock on the coat of arms of Serpukhov.

However, a peacock - it at least "sounds proud." Some other settlements got birds much less "top". For example, the city of Yelabuga in Tatarstan, now known for its automobile production, was awarded a coat of arms 232 years ago, on which "... in the lower part of the shield in a silver field, a woodpecker sitting on a stump, hammering it, because there are many of this kind of birds."

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 feet and a flat, “fleshy” tail, like a beaver.

Coat of arms of Irkutsk

Where did this mutant come from? – We read the description of the coat of arms, approved in the fall of 1790: “In the silver field of the shield is a running tiger, and in his mouth he has a sable.” Well, there is nothing supernatural here, because in those ancient times in the east of the vast Siberian province, tigers were not rare. However, this name of the animal itself somehow did not take root among the Siberians, and instead of it, the locals called the mighty tabby cat the babr. The further development of events is easy to imagine: officials, far from the Siberian exotic, easily confused the local babr with the widespread "water 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, which holds a sable in its mouth. In order to somehow adjust the “picture” to this awkward description, the tiger from the Irkutsk coat of arms was painted with “beaver” hind legs and tail, the striped color of the skin was removed, replacing it with a plain black one.

I found among other coats of arms of Russia, equipped with images of animals, one very "sadistic". On the emblem of the Kargopolsky district of the Arkhangelsk region, according to the description approved in June 2004, “in an azure field is a silver ram with golden horns, lying on golden brands; everything is engulfed in a 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, even before the revolution, there was a “Lamb Sunday”, during which the peasants slaughtered a ram and sacrificed it to Elijah the Prophet.

Among the hundreds of Russian city coats of arms there are those, the image on which at the present time can be interpreted as forbidden propaganda.

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

Coat of arms of the village of Epifan

According to the ancient description of the coat of arms, it is a "shield, a silver field with black earth 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, 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 in order to obtain hemp from it for weaving strong ropes and healthy hemp oil.

The same “criminal” hemp is depicted on the coat of arms of some other territories where the cultivation of hemp for household 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 stalks are shown rolled into a green sheaf, and in In the 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 the heraldry. Here is the description of the coat of arms of the city of Derbent approved in March 1843 on the territory of present-day Dagestan: “... In the lower half of the shield, divided into two parts and having a silver field, on right side old fortress wall with gates...; on the left side are intertwined roots of a madder plant and several stalks of poppy tied with a golden rope, as a sign that the inhabitants are very successful in processing madder and cultivating poppy to make opium (shiryak) from it.

Coat of arms of Derbent

Poppy-opiate is also depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Karachev (present-day Bryansk region), which was approved in 1781. sow and sell 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 the 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 turned into a kind of abstract "gold bar with three visible faces - front, facing straight, top and left."

Coat of arms of the city of Shuya

By the will of the capital's kings of arms, the city of Sengiley (the current Ulyanovsk region) received a pumpkin. In the literal sense of the word: "... In the lower part of the shield there are two large pumpkins with branches in a silver field, meaning the abundance of this kind of fruit."

The names of old Russian settlements themselves sometimes became a “hint” to the creators of coats of arms. Here, for example, are two cities in the current Penza region - Upper and Lower Lomov. Here, there is no need to strain your imagination too much - in both cases, in the coats of arms of the city, in their lower part there are "five iron crowbars laid with a star, with sharp ends upwards, meaning the name of this city."

Come on, the smartest readers, guess how to illustrate the name Dukhovshchina on the coat of arms? For those who have not coped with such a 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: “... At the bottom of the shield in a white field, a rose bush producing a pleasant spirit.”

Of course, the work of the inventors of the coats of arms "from the time of the construction of developed socialism in the country" has gone 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, hammers ... On the emblem of the city of Bratsk, approved in 1980, where they built the largest pulp mill paper mill, among other things, even “stylized fragments of chemical formula cellulose."

Animals in the coats of arms of Russian cities

In a silver field on the azure extremity, burdened with two pairs of silver fish, one above the other, supported on the sides by two black bears, a golden armchair with a red cushion and a back crowned with a golden candlestick with three silver candles burning with scarlet flames; a crossed golden scepter crowned with a cross and a cross are placed on the pillow.

Approved on August 16, 1781. Description of the coat of arms: In the upper part of the shield is the coat of arms of Vladimir. At the bottom - two hares sitting in a green field, which animals are abundant in the vicinity of this city.

The coat of arms depicts two golden herrings in a black field “as a sign that this smoked fish is haggling”.

The Rybinsk coat of arms is a red shield divided into two parts. At the top - a bear with an ax coming out from behind the river, showing that the city belongs to the Yaroslavl region. In the lower part there are two sterlet, indicating the abundance of water and fish. From the water to the hill there are two stairs, indicating the pier.

The peacock has been the heraldic symbol of this regional center near Moscow for more than 200 years! At the end of the 18th century, by order of the already mentioned Empress Catherine, a campaign began in the country for the mass appropriation of emblems to cities, the then chief king of arms of the empire, Count Francisco Santi, sent out questionnaires to all corners of the country, wanting to find out which each city and town had a special one - to then display on the coat of arms. In the answer received from Serpukhov, Santi’s attention was drawn to the phrase: “in a monastery alone peacocks will be born ...” (meaning the Vysotsky monastery, whose monks back in 1691, okolnichiy Mikhail Kolupaev, as a contribution, gave a peacock and a peacock, from which and the Serpukhov peacock clan began.) Such an insignificant remark in the questionnaire became the reason for the "accession" of the peacock on the coat of arms of Serpukhov.

Approved on September 21, 1781 Description of the coat of arms: In the upper part of the shield - the coat of arms of Voronezh. At the bottom is a small animal, called a ferret, in a golden field, of which there are a lot in the vicinity of this city.

The silver shield is crossed diagonally by a blue-blue baldric ribbon, on which three flying partridges are depicted. The coat of arms was approved in February 1992 by the City Council of People's Deputies.

Approved on January 8, 1780. Description of the coat of arms: In the first part, the coat of arms of Kursk. In the second part of the shield, an animal called a ferret is in a golden field, for the reason that there are many of them in the vicinity of this city.

LGOV, in Kursk region, regional subordination, district center, 85 km west of Kursk. Located in the southern part of the Central Russian Upland, along the banks of the river. Seim (a tributary of the Desna).

A black fox in a golden field is a sign that the inhabitants of that city are practicing catching those animals. Approved October 2, 1781

Black sable and marten

Gold shield holders - a bear and a sable with squirrel fur collars, with a silver druse of five crystals. The bear is a symbol of the European part of Russia, the sable is the Asian one. Under the Demidovs, sable was a brand of Ural metal.

In a silver field on green ground, a black stump with a branch with green leaves extending to the right, on a stump - a scarlet woodpecker sitting with wings upraised and turned to the left, having golden eyes and a beak

Coat of arms of Cheboksary. At the top of the shield is the coat of arms of Kazan. At the bottom - five wild ducks flying in a golden field, as a sign that in the vicinity of this city these are very abundant. Highest approved 10/18/1781

Marten. Often marten furs were used by the population to exchange with the southern tribes for iron and other necessary things.

Description (1785) The coat of arms of Tobolsk is in the upper part of the shield. At the bottom, in a golden field, is a bundle of different animal skins, on which lies the Mercury rod: as a sign that in this city there is a main fur trade, to which merchants come from all places.

The silver bear is a symbol of natural wealth, the boundless lands surrounding the city, containing many "metals, salt mines, multi-colored marbles and other stones" and "full of forests", in which "there are a considerable number and various kinds of wild animals"

Each city in Russia and even small towns and villages have their own distinctive sign - the coat of arms, which is a kind of drawn "passport" of the territory. The word "rowing" itself has Polish roots, and in translation means "heritage". Indeed, coats of arms are passed down from generation to generation and without the need to make changes to them.
The coat of arms eloquently tells the history of the city, reveals its past. However, some coats of arms are puzzling: why exactly THIS is depicted on it? We present to your attention the most unusual and interesting, in our opinion, coats of arms of Russian cities.

Chelyabinsk

Chelyabinsk is the cast-iron capital of our country. It would seem, where does the camel? But it is this two-humped handsome man that is depicted on the coat of arms of the city, and this has its own rationale. Many centuries ago, the route of the “ships of the desert” passed through Chelyabinsk, along which goods from Asia were delivered to the capital and cities of the European part of our country.

Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk region

Everyone is familiar with Malevich's Black Square. But not everyone saw the Black Triangle depicted on the coat of arms of Magnitogorsk. The description of the coat of arms is very laconic: “There is a black pyramid in a silver field.” The image can be interpreted in different ways: it is both a tent in which the first builders of the city lived, and Magnitnaya Mountain, and a reminder that Magnitogorsk is the center of ferrous metallurgy.

Serpukhov, Moscow region

But in Serpukhov everything is much more joyful and cheerful: on the coat of arms of the city, a handsome peacock has spread its tail. In the 18th century, Empress Catherine ordered "all cities to have a coat of arms", and a small questionnaire was sent to each, where it was necessary to indicate the exclusive and unique feature of the settlement. From Serpukhov came the answer: "peacocks will be born in the monastery alone ...". As it turned out later, a pair of these outlandish birds, from which the entire Serpukhov peacock family descended, was presented to the Vysotsky Monastery as an offering. However, this minor note was the reason for the appearance of a tailed bird on the main symbol of the city.

Shuya, Ivanovo region

The first acquaintance with the coat of arms of Shuya can be confusing. What is it: a brick in honor of the builders or a parallelepiped, putting down geometry and regular shapes? Everything is much simpler - this is a bar of ordinary soap, "meaning the glorious soap factories of the city." But the current description of the coat of arms is much more prosaic: the soap bar turned out to be just “a golden bar with three edges.”

Irkutsk

Many coats of arms contain animals, and all of them are easily recognizable. But what kind of animal on the coat of arms of Irkutsk is difficult to figure out: an African-American tiger with webbed paws and a beaver tail, holding a dead sable firmly in its teeth? Initially, a tiger was indeed depicted on the coat of arms, but it was rarely seen in those places, and the very name “tiger” did not take root among Siberians, and a strong striped cat was called “babr”. Over time, officials who did not shine with knowledge in the field of exoticism confused the babr with the beaver and “painted on” the hind legs and tail like a beaver to the Irkutsk tiger, and repainted the striped skin black.

Snezhnogorsk, Murmansk region

Perhaps the most "cute" can be called the coat of arms of Snezhnogorsk. It features a somewhat cartoonish seal as a symbol of the local shipyard of the same name. On the other hand, this coat of arms is a real classic in heraldry: snowflakes speak directly about the name of the city, thus making the coat of arms “semi-vowel”.

Epifan village, Tula region

The coat of arms of Epifani by modern standards can be compared with forbidden propaganda: hemp is depicted on it. Based on an old description, on the coat of arms "you can see a field from which three hemp epics grow like a shield." Naturally, our ancestors did not suspect the intoxicating properties of these "epics", and hemp was cultivated exclusively for the manufacture of ropes and oil.

Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory

A bear breaking an atom... Sounds strong and even menacing. However, such a bear is painted on the coat of arms of Zheleznogorsk. According to the description, it is a symbol of the unity of the forces of nature and human thought.

For the creators of coats of arms, the name of the city often serves as a “hint”. It is not difficult to guess what the coats of arms of the two cities of the Penza region of Upper Lomov and Nizhny Lomov look like.

And now try to imagine for yourself what you would draw on the coat of arms of the city of Dukhovshchina, which is located in the Smolensk region? Naturally, "in an open field, a rose bush with a pleasant spirit"!

The coat of arms is a visiting card of any city, its face and, in modern terms, a barcode. Some of them are real works of art, while others sometimes look funny and unusual, but this does not detract from their significance for residents.

Everyone knows the emblem and flag of our vast country. But with the coats of arms of the regions, difficulties may arise, because they are different for each region. We have collected the most unusual ones that may surprise you. And so that there are no questions left, let's decipher the meaning.

Russian bear breaks the atom. However, the authorities decided that they could show the fusion of nature, strength and thought there.

If this coat of arms belonged to some Arab city, then there would be no questions. But the meaning is simple - the city has a lot of goods, and it itself is open to trade, on which it depends.

Elephant under the scorching sun. However, the Yakuts have their own idea of ​​these animals, and it is not for nothing that their images are often found in this region.

It was near this city that the most martens were found. And their wool used to even pay taxes.

This symbol arose from a misunderstanding of history. Previously, tigers were called the word "babr" in the region. But contemporaries decided that we were talking about a beaver - they depicted him with a sable in his mouth. The designers had to work hard on the creation, but it still turned out to be some kind of non-existent beast.

A ram on a fire is a memory of northern sacrifices.

This is hemp, so it is strange that the coat of arms is still valid. In the old days, it was a valuable plant, but then they did not even know about modern use.

Since ancient times, the inhabitants have been engaged in soap making. A piece of this indispensable item for care has been immortalized.

Snow and seals - that's the whole north. However, the animal's head is a symbol of the city's main enterprise.

The center of metallurgy is a black triangle.

Have you ever thought about the meaning of city symbols? Tell your friends - repost!