Rostov-on-Don, coat of arms of the city: history, description

In the Russian Federation, the rules for the compilation and use of official symbols are established by the Heraldic Council under the President. In order for the use of the city coat of arms or flag to be legitimate, it is necessary to coordinate it in the council and enter it into the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation. To date, not all the symbols have passed such a registration. There is no official symbol and the largest city in the south of Russia - Rostov-on-Don. The coat of arms of the Rostov region is entered in the register at number 214, but the symbols of its administrative center do not have such registration. The reason in the complex history of its creation and use in different historical periods.

Southern outpost of the empire

The protection of Russia's southern borders, the struggle for access to the Black Sea, have long been an important task for Russian autocrats. During the Azov campaigns of Peter I (1695-1696) the history of the city began, which became one of the main centers for the development of the southern territories of the state. The official date of foundation of Rostov-on-Don is the decree of Catherine II on the establishment in the estuary of the tributary of the Don River of the Temernik customs to collect duties for goods exported to the southern countries, and for imported, mostly Turkish.

Defensive citadel and a center for the collection of trophies and trade duties - this appointment originally had Rostov-on-Don. The arms of the city became the expression of these functions. At the beginning of the XIX century, Rostov was a member of the Yekaterinoslav vicegerency and among its other subjects received the highest approved coat of arms. His image, entered in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, was reproduced in 1899 by the famous Russian heraldist Pavel Pavlovich von Winkler in the album "Coats of arms of cities, provinces, provinces and districts of the Russian Empire."

Historical coat of arms of Rostov-on-Don

August 2, 1811, within the framework of the administrative reform carried out by Alexander II, the highest coat of arms was approved Rostov-on-Don. Description (in the heraldic practice the term blazon was adopted) contained elements that denoted the main purpose of the city. On the azure (blue) field was a two-tiered fortress tower with closed gates at the bottom and two loopholes above, topped by the St. Andrew's flag fluttering to the left. It meant an obstacle from the raids of southern neighbors. In the scarlet (red) field - the trophies won in battles with them: a helmet and chain mail against the background of crossed fighting bow and spears.

The description was not entirely unambiguous, which subsequently gave rise to several informal options. For example, it took banners for the regiments that had the place of deployment Rostov-on-Don. The coat of arms, compiled by historian AA Skalkovsky, which was used in them, was significantly different from the version of 1811. In it, the vertical dissection of the shield was replaced by a transverse intersection, the pattern and arrangement of the tower and armor changed. On the shield appeared the symbol of Ekaterinoslav province - the monogram of Empress Catherine II surrounded by stars. The coat of arms was complemented by a tower crown and ears, twisted with a red Alexandrov ribbon.

Change Status

At the beginning of the 20th century, among other large settlements of Russia, Rostov-on-Don received the rights of a separate city government. His coat of arms was changed in accordance with the new status. According to the rules developed by the prominent herald-master Baron Bernhard Köhn, the shield crowned the ancient Tsar's crown, framed his golden oak branches that adorned the red ribbon of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

In 1904 the improved coat of arms was approved. Uncertainty remained in the inscriptions of the tower and trophies, in their color solution. In this form it existed until 1917 and became the basis for the Rostov coat of arms, restored by the city authorities in 1996. In Soviet times, a completely different symbol was used.

One of the best Soviet coats of arms

Deprived of, like all Soviet cities, pre-revolutionary symbols Rostov-on-Don found a new one only in 1967. After the announced competition, a variant developed by artists BM Shanibov and VM Kozhemyakin was put into effect. From the old city symbol, which was suggested as a basis, the Soviet coat of arms of Rostov-on-Don inherited only a vertical division into a blue and red field, a tower and the presence of weapons, which acquired a completely different meaning.

The new city emblem was actively used in practice and was considered one of the most expressive in the Soviet era. The coat of arms, the photo of which was decorated with numerous tourist materials, was well known to residents and guests of the city. The main element of the coat of arms was a circle formed from stylized ears on the left and part of the gear on the right. In the center of the circle is a crenellated tower, transferred from the historical coat of arms. In the lower part of the circle there is Budyonovka on the background of crossed sabers. The lower part of the shield is intersected by two wavy lines, embodying the main river of the region - Don.

Recovered character

In 1996, the city authorities restored the coat of arms of the 1904 model. But the description approved by the City Duma contained a number of deviations from the historical version, which does not allow to coordinate it in the Heraldic Council. This refers to the color of oak leaves - according to the rules of heraldry, they can be green, as in the accepted description, only according to the special instructions for the type of City Governance granted to the city at the beginning of the century, a more acceptable solution is golden color.

Refinement requires the inscription and color of the main elements - towers, chain mails, weapons that fill the Rostov coat of arms. The photo of the symbolism used in practice shows how an incorrect description can be interpreted in different ways.

The city, which has left a notable mark in the history of the country, plays a big role in the development of its southern region, deserves a more careful attitude to its symbols.