The emblem and flag of the Altai Territory accurately and capaciously reflect the historical past of this region. How do they look? And what is the symbolism in them?
The land of cornfields and emerald lakes
About three thousand kilometers from Moscow, on the southeastern edge of Western Siberia, is the incredibly beautiful Altai Territory. It directly borders with the Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions, the Altai Republic, and Kazakhstan in the south. The administrative center of the region is the city of Barnaul.
The relief of the region is very diverse. Here you can see mountain ranges and vast areas of plowed steppes. The south and east of this region are distinguished by mountainous terrain, and the west and center are characterized by the flat nature of the surface. In terms of landscapes, the Altai Territory is no less diverse. The fertile steppe here is replaced by a forest-steppe with ribbon pine forests, and mountain ranges alternate with classical taiga.
According to the total reserves of fresh water resources, the region is one of the first places in Russia. There are about 17 thousand rivers and at least 13 thousand lakes. The largest and most famous reservoir in the region is Kulundinskoye Lake.
The region is famous for its natural resource potential, primarily mineral reserves. Its interior contains a considerable amount of polymetallic and iron ores, nickel, cobalt, brown coal, marble and granites, as well as some precious metals. In addition, the region boasts a high level of development of its agriculture. The emblem of the Altai Territory displays both of these features. We will talk about him further.
Coat of arms of the Altai Territory: description and history
The coat of arms is based on a traditional French shield, divided into two identical parts. The top is blue (azure) in color, and the bottom is red. The shield is surrounded by a massive wreath of golden wheat ears, which is entwined with a blue ribbon 16 times.
At the top of the shield is a working 18th century blast furnace. In the lower field there is a stylistic image of the Big Kolyvan vase. This work of art from jasper weighing 19 tons is now stored in the Hermitage. The masons worked for about 15 years (from 1828 to 1843) to create the “Queen of the Vases”.
The current coat of arms of the Altai Territory was adopted by the relevant law of June 1, 2000. Interestingly, the image of the blast furnace on it was borrowed from the main urban symbol of Barnaul.
Coat of arms of the Altai Territory and its symbols
Let's try to figure out what is the meaning of the symbols depicted on the emblem of the region.
The steaming blast furnace represents the metallurgy of the region. As early as the middle of the 18th century, the first copper smelters were established in the region. The “queen of vases” depicted below, in turn, focuses our attention on the fact that the Altai Territory remembers its history and honors its traditions.
A few words are worth saying about the color design of the coat of arms. Red color traditionally symbolizes courage and courage, azure - greatness, and yellow - wealth and fertility.
The wheat ears that frame the shield symbolize agriculture - one of the key industries in the region. It was originally planned that the number of turns of ribbon on the wreath should be twelve (in the total number of cities in the region). However, later they decided to abandon this idea so as not to overload the coat of arms with excessive symbolism.
Flag of Altai Territory
Like the coat of arms, the flag of the region was officially approved in 2000. Looking at it, it is easy to guess that it was based on the banner of the RSFSR of the 1954 model.
The flag of the Altai Territory is a rectangular panel with a rather rare aspect ratio of 1: 2. Most of it has a red tint. The flagpole has a vertical strip of blue, occupying 1/6 of the total length of the flag. It depicts a yellow ear of wheat - a symbol of the developed grain economy of the region.
The emblem of the Altai Territory is placed in the center of the red flag field in an exact and unchanged form. There is also a wreath of ears framing the heraldic shield of the coat of arms.