Sverdlovsk region is often called the support of the country. What is her flag talking about? Which animal is headed by the coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region and why? This will be discussed later in our article.
A bit about the area
Sverdlovsk region is the largest region of the Urals. It is called the support of the state because of the huge number of industrial enterprises. There are several thousand metallurgical and machine-building plants, they mine and process minerals. In addition to industry, the region is famous for the extraction of precious and semiprecious stones. In terms of emerald deposits, this region competes with only two countries of the world: Canada and Colombia.
In Soviet times, the region was inaccessible to foreigners, precisely due to industrial specialization. Repressed and dispossessed citizens were sent to the region to build industry titans, and prisoners of war were sent here in the war years. The number of foreign prisoners of war amounted to more than eighty thousand. Some of their descendants still live in the Sverdlovsk region. According to the 2010 census, the number of German population in the region is 14,914 people, which is 0.3%.
In 1993, a referendum was held at which it was proposed to change the status of the region to the Ural Republic. The majority (87%) of the population voted positively, but the Ural Republic lasted only five months.
Area flag
The flag and coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region are officially recognized and approved symbols. The flag was approved in 2005. The rectangular panel is divided by four horizontal lines. Colors of the lines from top to bottom: white, blue, white and green. The two upper broad lines are symbols of the Middle and Northern Urals. The two lower lines are much narrower, they are symbols of deposits of minerals and metals. The lower lines also repeat the colors of the historical coat of arms of the city of Yekaterinburg.
Coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region: description
There are two options. This is a full coat of arms and a small coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region. The full coat of arms version was adopted and approved in 2005. On a shield of red or scarlet color on two paws there is a silver sable. With his front paws, he holds a golden arrow, dropping it with the tip down. At the top of the heraldic shield is the imperial golden crown. On the sides are griffins of gold color. With one paw they hold the shield, and with the other they hold the flagpoles of the flag of the region. Golden cedar branches and a scarlet ribbon curl at their feet, on which the main characteristic of the region - the “support edge of the state” is written in silver.
In the early version of the coat of arms there were no griffins. Cedar leaves edged it from below and from the sides. The crown crowning the coat of arms was scarlet, and a blue ribbon peeked out from under it, falling on its sides and interwoven with cedar leaves. On the red ribbon at the foot of the shield was an inscription - "Sverdlovsk region." Sable, holding the arrow, looked in the opposite direction from it. In the modern version, the animal looks at the arrow.
The small coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region is only a red shield depicting a sable with an arrow and a crown above the shield. Griffins, cedar branches and a red ribbon with a gold border are absent.
Coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region: value
Previously, the region was part of the Siberian kingdom, as evidenced by the sable depicted on the coat of arms. The animal exactly repeats the figure of a sable on the coat of arms of the Verkhotursky district in 1783. The sable on the coat of arms of Verkhoturye changed its color several times. In 1862 it was red, and in 2002 it turned black. Thus, continuity is expressed in the Sverdlovsk sable. The symbolic meaning of the animal is not so much in hunting as in independence and purity.
Elements that include the emblem of the Sverdlovsk region, symbolize all its advantages and fully characterize the region. The leaves and branches of cedar symbolize the richness of forests in this region and indicate the predominance of coniferous plantings.
The figures of griffins date back to the time of Aristeus. There is a version that the mountains, which, according to legend, are called upon to protect the griffins, are the mountains of the Ural Range. Herodotus griffins guard gold. Holding the emblem in their claws, they are a symbol of the wealth of the region, full of deposits of emeralds, gold, ore and beryllium.
The image of griffins on the arms often indicates power and strength. In this case, the griffins report on the military and industrial power of the region.
Flags that hold the griffins report on involvement in the Russian army. Images of the banners were taken from the family coat of arms of the family of V.N. Tatishchev. These elements speak of the recognition of the contribution of V.N. Tatishchev to the development of the Ural region, as well as the courage and feats of the inhabitants of the region during the Second World War.
The phrase on the red ribbon at the bottom of the shield is taken from the poem of A. T. Twardowski.
Finally…
The flag and coat of arms of the Sverdlovsk region report on the historical past of the region, linking it with Verkhoturye and Yekaterinburg. At the same time, all of their elements report the wealth and power of the region.