Coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod: origin and meaning

In the place of the union of the two great rivers of Russia Oka and Volga, the ancient city of Nizhny Novgorod is located. This beautiful city in 1221 was founded by Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich. Initially, it was a reference point for defense against Cheremis, Tatars and Mordvins. After the Tatar yoke ended, Nizhny Novgorod became the political and economic center of North-Eastern Russia.

Symbols of the city of Nizhny Novgorod

Like any other city in our country, Nizhny Novgorod has its own symbols, which every inhabitant of this metropolis and the entire Nizhny Novgorod region knows. Official symbols of the former city of Gorky - the flag and the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod. They have their own history and have changed more than once.

Nizhny Novgorod State Emblem

The basis for the present coat of arms was the coat of arms of the province of Nizhny Novgorod, ratified on August 16 in the distant 1781. The coat of arms of the city of Nizhny Novgorod is made in the form of a quadrangle, its lower ends are rounded, and the ends of the heraldic shield in the center are sharp. On all sides it is framed by a red ribbon of the Order of Lenin.

Explanation of symbols

The crown represents a high development, achievements of an ancient city. It gives information that Nizhny Novgorod is a city district, the administrative center of the region.

The deer symbolizes wisdom, sublimity, purity, life and greatness. This is one of the most beloved emblems of the heraldists. The deer is a symbol of a warrior, embodying the victory of light forces over the dark. The city, on the arms of which this noble animal flaunts, is simply doomed to prosperity.

The ribbon that surrounds the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod, says that the city has a reward in the form of the Order of Lenin.

What are the colors of the coat of arms

The cherry color on the coat of arms implies energy, courage, maturity, courage and fearlessness.

Silver color symbolizes purity, nobility and perfection.

Black color means honesty, prudence, humility and wisdom.

The modern coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod, whose photo you see, was approved in 2006, on December 20. This happened after the country's leadership decided that all crowns of cities, which are administrative centers, should be depicted the crown.

Origin

The history of the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod and the symbols depicted on it is still considered controversial. Some historians argue that in the XVI-XVII centuries. On the coat of arms was drawn elk moose, and in the XVIII century was changed by heraldmasters to deer. Other experts believe that the deer on the Nizhny Novgorod coat of arms was present already in the XVII century. They base their assumptions on "The Painting of All the Tsar's Seals" of 1626, which was compiled after the fire in Moscow in 1626. It is said in it: "The seal of the Nizhny Novgorod: the deer, the ground beneath it."

S. V. Afon'shin in his "Tale of a furious deer" writes that during the era of Ivan the Terrible, many elk deer lived in the Nizhny Novgorod forests. Their meat inspired the warriors to a victorious battle. Tsar Ivan the Terrible learned to hunt them and, having obtained the meat of a brave and beautiful moose, conquered the city of Kazan. After that, he gave the decree that the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod adorn the elk, but the officials mistakenly drew a horned deer.

Another version of the appearance of a deer instead of an elk: in the old days moose was often called "elk deer", that is, showed that its powerful horns resemble the Russian plow. And if you imagine that the coat of arms was painted by a Fryazh artist (a painter from another country), then most likely he did not understand what a "elk deer" is and how it looks and drew a noble deer habitual for Europeans.

There are also rumors that Empress Catherine the Great, at the time when she herself came up with all the arms of the cities, thought that the deer still looks more elegant than the mighty moose, and ordered to give the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod subtlety.

An interesting fact is that, as the hunters of the Nizhny Novgorod region remember, the only deer seen in the local forests was northern, inexplicably found in the southern latitudes. Perhaps it was he who was placed on the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod.

Heraldic deer

The noble deer is considered a symbol of masculinity, nobility and brave warrior. Especially popular was his image as an emblem in Germany and England. According to the ancient beliefs of the peoples of Germany, a deer can only make its snake run away with its scent. It is this ability that has become the basis for using this beautiful animal as a symbol of fighting ill-wishers, a symbol of a brave warrior, strong not only physically, but also spiritually, and moral foundations, ideas. An animal like a deer can be seen on the arms of many cities in the world. Noble and elegant appearance made him very popular in heraldry.

The deer is most often shown in profile, but it is depicted either as jumping, running, or important, but peacefully standing. As an exception, an animal can be a resting person lying. Occasionally they draw only one head of a deer and its beautiful horns. In addition to the semantic load, these differences are necessary in order not to confuse images of the noble animal, which belong as symbols to different countries, peoples, territories, lands and even separate kinds of people. In addition to the differences in the drawn figures or parts of the animal's body, there are differences in color. For example, the coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod, a picture with which you have already seen, is adorned with a bright red deer, the emblem of the Rostov principality depicts a silver deer. In Poland, they draw a white deer with a golden crown.