In 2008, Voronezh was awarded the title "City of Military Glory", which marked the enormous contribution of the defenders and residents of the city to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. But this city has been a Russian stronghold in the southern direction since ancient times and has made a huge contribution to the development of the Fatherland at various stages of its history.
Perhaps the eventful past has caused a very complex and slightly confused heraldic history of the city. The coat of arms of Voronezh changed with almost every change in the state system of Russia, and the current version was approved after long discussions.
Power Outpost Southerly
The origin of the name of the city by linguists, linguists, historians is not fully coordinated and has several options. In addition to a clear association with the ancient and wise bird, there is a theory about the source of the name of the river and the city from the adjective "black" - black, which also came from the name of the bird. Scientists have established a connection between the name of the city and the Mordvian word "sup" - the forest and Iranian "varu" - wide.
The military history of the city begins in 1586, when a fortress on the Voronezh River was built to protect the southern borders of the Russian state from raids by the Crimean and Nogai Tatars . The governor of the fortress, which lasted several years, was entrusted to the governor Semyon Fedorovich Saburov. One of the misunderstandings related to the Voronezh heraldry is connected with this. At one time, souvenirs were issued, decorated with the emblem of the governor Saburov, which depicts a silver arrow, a golden peak and an eagle paw holding a curved saber. This emblem was presented as an old coat of arms of Voronezh of the 17th century, although it was not
Homeland of the Russian fleet
After the first, unsuccessful Azov campaign in 1695, it became clear to Peter I that without his fleet, gaining access to the southern seas, and for a start - to capture the fortress of Azov - would not work. Voronezh was chosen as the place of construction of rowing and sailing warships. Within a few months, under the personal guidance of the king, shipyards and housing for workers were built, timber harvesting and shipbuilding began.
From the moment the construction of ships began, the city was given over to the Admiralty Order, and soon the local naval department, the Voronezh Admiralty, was organized. This period of the city’s history was also reflected in heraldry: a sailboat was depicted on the press, which was used for correspondence. It was the actual coat of arms of Voronezh at that time. The naval theme was also present in numerous projects of the city coat of arms in the future, right up to the Soviet and post-Soviet times.
Banner of the Voronezh Regiment
Many coats of arms for Russian cities that were introduced under Catherine the Great were developed on the basis of military banners and standards of military units formed in this city, or were named after them.
To develop such military attributes, the collection “Symbols and Emblem” was widely used. This album, created by Peter's personal order in 1705, contained images of heraldic elements, mottos, allegorical figures - all the best that was in Western European publications of this type.
The banner of the Voronezh Regiment of 1712 depicted a composition developed with the help of a popular guide: two copper guns on a red background in a gold shield. One of them depicts a white single-headed eagle with outstretched wings.
Coat of arms created by decree of Catherine the Great
The collection “Symbols and Emblem” was also useful for the coat of arms of Voronezh, created as part of the heraldic company, which was held for all significant settlements of Russia by decree of Empress Catherine II. From it was taken the plot of Aquarius with a jug, from which a water stream erupts.
In the interpretation of the famous heraldmeister of that time, who proposed the draft of the Voronezh coat of arms - Alexander Andreevich Volkov, it looked like the Voronezh river flowing from a jug. This motif was subsequently repeatedly used in a variety of ways, and in general terms has been preserved to this day.
Special privilege
The coat of arms of the city of Voronezh, approved by the Empress’s highest decree in 1781, contained another crucial element. The coat of arms was divided into two parts: in the lower part on a red background was an overturned silver jug lying on a golden mountain with a stream flowing out of it of the same color, and in the upper part, on a gold field, a two-headed eagle - an all-Russian imperial symbol.
The inclusion of a heraldic sign of national importance in the city emblem was unusual, and the coat of arms of Voronezh was an exception to the practice of that time. This was explained as a special reward to the city, which has done so much to protect the southern borders of the state and to develop its naval forces.
Later, in the new edition of 1881, instead of the imperial eagle, a golden tower crown with three teeth appeared.
Soviet options
In 1969, the official emblem of the city of Voronezh was approved, which was a mixture of classical heraldmeister traditions and modern ideological settings. The shape of the coat of arms in the form of a shield was a classic, and in the upper part a fragment of the RSFSR flag was depicted, in the center on a gold background there was a combination of the usual - ears of wheat - and the latest symbols - the half gear and the sign of the semiconductor triode. Below, against the background of the battlements of the fortress wall, which is a symbol of the military heroism of the Voronezh people during the defense of the city, a red square with a white sailing boat was visible. This is a symbol of the cradle of the Russian fleet.
Before that, a more concise and modern version was used for some time, containing a graphically restrained image of golden ears, electron orbits and a white boat in the scarlet shield. The motive of the homeland of the Russian fleet also entered the approved Soviet coat of arms of Voronezh. Which means the presence of ears and electronic orbits was also clear: the city always had a powerful industrial, agricultural and scientific potential.
Symbols of modern times
With the end of the era of the dominance of communist ideology, the time has come for a new heraldry. The coat of arms of Voronezh, restored in 1994, the description of which completely coincided with the symbol introduced more than a century ago, turned out to be inadequate both in form and in content. It was decided to hold a competition to develop new options for urban symbols.
During the time elapsed from the creation of the competition committee (September 2006) until the regional legislature approved the new emblem and flag of Voronezh (September 2008), several options for different semantic content and visual style were considered.
Three versions
According to the current Regulation, the use of the coat of arms is permitted in three versions: in full, medium and small. It is based on the canonical plot proposed by A. A. Volkov, and the coat of arms of Voronezh created on its basis back in the 17th century. The coloring and components of the shield are fully consistent with the option with the "premium" double-headed eagle.
A shield with canonical content is a "small" version of the coat of arms. The only novelty is the order ribbons on the bottom of the shield, symbolizing the awards received by the city in Soviet times. The middle coat of arms is complemented by a golden brick crown - also a familiar element.
Two knights
The full version of the coat of arms complements the middle with two elements - green earth, on which are the figures of the shield holders - two ancient Russian knights, symbolizing the military valor and heroism shown by the inhabitants of the city since its foundation.
Impressive graphic and color scheme distinguish the official emblem of Voronezh. Photos of him, voluminous and planar constructions with him look, although unusual from the point of view of classical heraldry, but modern and not overloaded, despite the great ideological content. They are actively used in formal or informal ceremonies.
Since October 2008, the coat of arms of Voronezh has been included in the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation.