Lipetsk is a large and beautiful city in the central part of European Russia. This article will focus on the main symbols of this city. What does the emblem and flag of Lipetsk look like?
Lipetsk: a brief biography of the city
Lipetsk traces its history to the 17th century. Today it is a large city with a population of 500 thousand people, located 450 kilometers from the capital of Russia.
In place of modern Lipetsk back in pre-Mongol times, there was a powerful Slavic fortification. From almost all sides it was surrounded by steep slopes. From this settlement to our days only a fragment of the bulk defensive rampart has survived.
In the first half of the 17th century, the village of Malye Studenki Lipsky appeared on the site of the future big city. After almost a century, Peter I issued a decree on the construction of cast iron factories on this site . It was they who subsequently supplied the Russian army during the Northern War. Therefore, the year of foundation of the city is considered to be the 1703rd.
Lipetsk received the status of the city only in 1779 from Catherine II. Then a little more than six thousand people lived in it.
As for the name of the city, everything is extremely simple and obvious here. It comes from the name of the local small river Lipovka. That, in turn, was named so because a lot of limes have long been growing in this area.
In August 1781, the very first coat of arms of Lipetsk was established. And a broken linden tree was present on it even then.
Coat of arms of Lipetsk: description and symbolism
One of the main and official symbols of Lipetsk is its coat of arms. It is based on the French quadrangular shield with a traditional sharpening in the lower part.
The emblem shows a linden tree (with an asymmetrical crown), which grows on a natural, slightly convex hill. Both the leaves on the tree and the grass on this hill are the same emerald color. The coat of arms itself is depicted on a golden background.
Four authors collectively worked on the main symbol of the city. These are M. Medvedev, L. Kurakova, R. Pasynkov and B. Shalnev. The modern coat of arms of the city of Lipetsk was officially established in October 1996.
In the semantics of the coat of arms, the main figure is the linden. By itself, the image of a tree always symbolizes wealth, wisdom, consent and understanding. But specifically a linden tree is also a symbol of goodwill, warmth and cordiality. Thus, Lipetsk, through its coat of arms, as if invites everyone into its warm and welcoming embrace.
Lipa has long been a close friend to man. She hid people from the weather, gave them dishes and shoes, musical instruments. The tree has always helped to strengthen the health of Russian people. The healing properties of linden honey, as well as tea from the flowers of this tree is very difficult to overestimate.
That is why the linden on the coat of arms of the city of Lipetsk is not depicted by chance at all.
Coat of arms of Lipetsk: history
As mentioned above, the very first version of the city coat of arms was approved back in 1781. And it was then that Lipetsk got its main symbol - linden. The Tambov coat of arms was located in the upper part of the coat of arms of that edition (after all, the city was then part of the Tambov governorate). And at the bottom was a spreading linden tree on a gold background.
Interestingly, during the Soviet era, the emblem of the city adopted by the Russian Empire was practically not used. Although officially it was not canceled. It turned out that the city of Lipetsk did not have its own emblem at all. At the same time, Soviet ideologists did not cease to repeat that Lipetsk was no longer the one that many industrial plants appeared in it, and therefore the old coat of arms simply could not adequately reflect the identity of the city.
Nevertheless, in 1968 the new coat of arms of Lipetsk was approved: it depicted a gear, a ladle spilling steel, and ears of golden wheat. Of course, with such a "filling" the main symbol of the city has lost its face and its uniqueness.
Fortunately, in 1996, the city was returned to its original emblem. With only one difference - there was no Tambov symbolism on it. Nevertheless, some local historians suggest somehow emphasizing the historical relationship of Lipetsk with this region, depicting three Tambov bees on the coat of arms around the linden.
Flag of the city of Lipetsk
The official flag of the city is almost the same as its coat of arms. The same team of authors worked on it.
The flag of Lipetsk is a classic rectangular cloth of standard sizes (2: 3). On its golden background is depicted the very linden tree of a gentle emerald color. The height of the linden is 70% of the total width of the canvas.
When analyzing the flag of Lipetsk, special attention should be paid to its color scheme. So, the emerald color symbolizes spring awakening, nature and hope. The golden background of the banner is the color of the sun, joy, wealth and fertility.
Conclusion
The toponym "Lipetsk", obviously, comes from the name of a beautiful linden tree, which is often found in this region of the country. And it is precisely it that is present on the coat of arms and flag of this city.
The coat of arms of Lipetsk is quite unusual. The classic French shield shows a linden tree with emerald foliage. Linden in heraldic science personifies, in fact, life itself. It is a symbol of warmth and goodwill. On the whole, this sunny and cheerful city seems to be just that.