Balashikha is an important industrial center of the Moscow region, one of the leaders in the region in terms of the pace of residential construction. For many, this city is attractive due to its excellent social infrastructure and geographical proximity to the capital. In the article we will briefly tell not only about the city itself, but also about its official symbols. What does the coat of arms and flag of Balashikha look like?
Balashikha: a brief portrait of the city
Balashikha is a city in the central part of the Moscow region, which directly borders Moscow. Its western line partially passes along the MKAD. Balashikha is one of the five largest cities in Russia, which are not the centers of the Federation. Today, about 430 thousand people live here.
Balashikha is located within the Meshchera lowland, surrounded by pine and mixed forests (forests are wedged in almost all urban areas). The settlement was founded in 1830 and for a long time remained the most important center of the textile industry in Russia. Today it is one of the most developed (in economic terms) cities of the Moscow Region. It produces cryogenic equipment, cranes, concrete mixing plants, plastic products, repair some types of aircraft and helicopters.
As for the origin of the name of the city, there are several versions. According to one of them, it is associated with the surname “Balash” of Turkic origin, and according to another, it is associated with marshworms (a plant whose dialect name is “balach”). Some researchers associate the name of the city with the name of the famous Russian general and landowner A. D. Balashov.
Symbols of the city
In the fall of 2015, everyone was officially presented with the updated flag and coat of arms of Balashikha. This update was primarily associated with the accession to the city of Zheleznodorozhny, a previously independent settlement. Accordingly, the new flag and the coat of arms of Balashikha combined the heraldic symbols of two cities - the abolished and now existing. It:
- compass;
- gear wheel (gear);
- tree branch;
- arch-arch with a bell;
- rising Sun;
- and railway track.
Developing a new concept of urban symbolism, the heraldists listened and took into account all the wishes and recommendations of local residents. In addition, they deeply studied the history and features of both settlements. That is why both the flag and the coat of arms of Balashikha came out extremely interesting and informative.
Flag of Balashikha
One of the official symbols of Balashikha is the flag. It is a rectangular panel of standard size, with a classic aspect ratio of 2: 3. The canvas of the flag is divided into four parts that are identical in shape and size. Two of them are red, and two are blue. In opposite parts of the flag, graphic elements (figures) are repeated.
In red fields historical symbols of Balashikha proper are depicted: a compass, a fragment of a gear and a tree branch. All these figures are yellow. In the fields of blue, a white horse arch with a bell and the rising yellow sun are depicted. These are the traditional symbols of the now abolished Zheleznodorozhny settlement.
The colors for the Balashikha flag are not chosen randomly. So, the red shade symbolizes labor and courage, yellow - wealth and generosity, and blue - sincerity, purity and rebirth.
Coat of arms of Balashikha - what does he mean?
The city coat of arms is a shield of the French type. It is also divided into four rectangular fields of the same size. In terms of color design and selection of graphic objects, the modern coat of arms of Balashikha practically does not differ from the flag of this city. There is only one distinguishing feature. On the coat of arms, in contrast to the flag, there is an additional figure - a railway track.
What do all the images that are present on the modern coat of arms of Balashikha carry in themselves? Everything is actually very simple:
- a compass is a symbol of local scientific and technological achievements;
- the gear represents the development of the city (primarily industrial);
- a tree branch hints that Balashikha is included in the so-called green zone of Moscow;
- the rising sun is a classic symbol of the pursuit of knowledge and development;
- the white track is an image of the railway laid here in 1862;
- the horse arch with a bell is a direct hint that the city is on the ancient route connecting Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.