The city of Oryol is located at a distance of 368 kilometers from the capital of Russia and is the regional center. Today it is a large economic, industrial and cultural object, in which more than 300 thousand people live. This settlement was founded in the XVI century, in its history there are many surprising and exciting facts. Of particular interest is the coat of arms of the city of Orel, which looks incredibly symbolic and majestic.
City Oryol: from the depths of centuries to the present day
This glorious city dates back to 1566, it was then that Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a fortress in the area to protect Moscow from the south.
The settlement owes its name to the Oryol River, which in the 18th century became officially called Orlik. Almost immediately after the foundation of the fortress, an administrative unit was also determined - Oryol Uyezd. An interesting historical fact - for some time this city was the residence of False Dmitry the First. Over time, the village lost its strategic importance as a security facility.
Under Catherine II, the coat of arms of the city of Orel was developed and approved. In the history of our state, the Oryol region is often referred to as one of the first to use new inventions; electricity, tram traffic and cinemas appeared here quite early on. During World War II, fierce battles took place in these places, the city was captured and seriously destroyed, but on August 5, 1943 he was freed.
The main symbol of the city
There is also a romantic legend telling about the origin of the name of the fortress.
At the beginning of the construction of the defensive settlement, the workers chopped a tall oak tree, located at the confluence of the Oka and Orel rivers, a great bird flew from this tree. “What was that?”, One peasant asked another, and he answered him: “And this is the owner of these places.” Upon learning of this story, the king gave the green light to the name of the city in honor of the proud eagle, hoping for the protection of a heavenly predator. However, this is only a beautiful legend. It is known for certain that the emblem of the city was approved on August 16, 1781. This is a heraldic French shield in blue. In its central part is a white walled city, standing on a green meadow. On the main tower crowning the entrance gate sits a black eagle with a golden crown on its head. What is noteworthy, over the years, the coat of arms of the city of Orel has not changed much. The modern symbol of this settlement is very similar to the original version.
Coat of arms of the city of Orel: description and history
In the 19th century, a reform was called for to decorate the official signs of settlements.
All emblems began to be supplemented by St. Andrew's or Alexander's ribbons, as well as oak sheets. This innovation was supposed to make the characters more beautiful and interesting. You can not underestimate the value of the coat of arms of the city of Orel, because we are talking about the sign of the center of the province, and today - the region.
During the development of the first city symbol, there was a rule according to which all settlements of the provincial subordination should have their own symbols. And an important element of these signs should be the emblem of the main city of the region. The emblem of the center of the Oryol region was changed in 1988. It was then that the official heraldic signs began to return, which were abolished in 1917. Since then, the city’s coat of arms is an eagle on a fortress without a crown, against the background of the azure sky and emerald field. The silhouette of the bird remained black, and the outline of the protective structure remained white.
New symbol
In 2002, an updated flag and coat of arms of the city of Orel was developed and approved.
The new version of the heraldic shield depicts a silver fortress with three towers and a gate in the middle, but the eagle became golden and double-headed with three crowns. The upper part of the coat of arms is azure, the lower is green. At the foot of the fortress lies an open book, framed on both sides by ears. The development of this symbol was carried out by artists Vladimir Blinov and Givi Kolmakhelidze. Someone likes the new sign of the region and its center, while someone believes that the old was better. Be that as it may, the emblem remains symbolic and understandable to everyone. It is unlikely that anyone will have the following question: "The emblem of which city is an eagle on a fortress in a field?" The proud bird remains the symbol and guardian of the region. And this is the most important thing.