Stavropol, renamed Togliatti in 1964, is a large city founded in 1737 by the efforts of Vasily Tatishchev. Initially, this settlement was conceived as a fortified city, intended for defense against raids of nomads. The coat of arms of Tolyatti is of interest to anyone who finds fascinating a science such as heraldry. The first symbol of the city was approved back in 1780, the modern version is significantly different from it.
Coat of arms of Togliatti: how it all began
The author of the first symbol of the settlement was the heraldry master Volkov. The emblem of Tolyatti, proposed by him (in those days the city was called Stavropol), completely arranged the Empress Catherine the Great. The ruler of Russia approved the project in December 1780. The drawing, invented by Volkov, claimed Stavropol in the status of a fortified city, and also symbolized the strengthening of Orthodoxy.
What did the first coat of arms of Tolyatti look like? During the existence of the Russian Empire, settlements of provincial subordination were traditionally endowed with coats of arms, divided into two parts. The symbol of the city was displayed at the bottom, the coat of arms belonging to the province was displayed at the top.
Until 1851, Stavropol was part of the Simbirsk province, so there was a tower in the upper part of the coat of arms. In the lower part you could see the fortress in the shape of a triangle, in the middle of which was a black cross. Why exactly the cross? The word "Stavropol" is borrowed from the Greek language, the name of the settlement is translated as "the city of the Holy Cross." The lower part of the field was made in gold, the upper part is painted in light blue. In 1857, the coat of arms of Tolyatti was first modified, as the city began to be attributed to the Samara province. The tower located in the upper part was replaced by a goat.
Coat of arms of the USSR
As you know, heraldry was not among the popular sciences during the existence of the USSR. The coat of arms of Tolyatti, approved by the tsarist government, was canceled. For a while, the settlement did not have an official symbol. Representatives of the authorities became interested in this issue only in 1979, which was associated with the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Stavropol. A competition was held for the best drawing, the participants of which were 30 people.
Only in 1982 did the city of Togliatti acquire its own emblem. The best option was recognized, the author of which was the artist Arsen Korzh. In the drawing proposed by this man, there was a reference to the former coat of arms. The current status of the settlement was taken into account.
In the lower part of the image there were four rhombuses in which the Kuybyshev hydroelectric station, a gear and a Zhiguli machine were drawn. In the upper part you could see the modern name of the city, as well as the date of its foundation. So the coat of arms of Tolyatti began to look, the photo can be seen above. The new symbol was approved by the government in April 1982.
New option
When the USSR officially ceased to exist, the question arose again regarding the emblem. The government could leave the current version, revive the coat of arms of 1857 or approve a new version of the symbol of the former Stavropol. It was decided to take the 1982 drawing as a basis and make certain changes to it, taking into account the requirements of heraldry.
The coat of arms of Tolyatti, the significance and appearance of which are considered in this article, has become a composition of three emblems. The background turned completely blue, the design was done in golden yellow tones. In the center was an expanded square, one of the parts of which was decorated with the image of a cross. Symmetrical rooks, which are easy to see, carefully looking at the drawing, serve as a reminder of the 17th-century Volga freemen. There is also a sign representing the Zhiguli massif.
Final version
Unfortunately, the new coat of arms of Tolyatti, a photo described above, was not to everyone's liking. The heraldic service, desperate to revive historical values, required certain changes to be made to the drawing. In 1996, the demands of its representatives were satisfied. The appearance of the symbol of the former Stavropol again underwent a series of changes.
The new version is a shield divided into four parts. The first and fourth backgrounds are made in blue; the version approved several years earlier is used as a drawing. In the second and third parts, the background became golden yellow; here, an overturned red triangle with a black cross in the middle is depicted.
It is interesting that the latest version of the coat of arms almost immediately acquired the status of “festive”, it is remembered only during celebrations. In everyday life, the inhabitants of Togliatti prefer a symbol approved after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which does not look so pretentious.
A few words about the flag
The coat of arms of Togliatti, the description and meaning of which is discussed above, was also used to create the flag. Interestingly, for more than two hundred years of existence, Stavropol did not have its own flag. It was decided to fix this at the beginning of the 21st century, when a competition for the most original sketch was organized. The competition was attended by over a hundred people who presented various options.
As a result, not a single sketch participating in the competition was approved. It was decided to borrow elements of the coat of arms when creating the flag. Of course, the shape of the shield was not used, while the other elements were reproduced exactly. The flag was officially approved in the second half of 2003.
Anthem of Togliatti
Speaking about the coat of arms and flag of the former Stavropol, it is impossible to ignore the anthem of the village. During the organization of the contest, the participants of which presented their vision of the flag drawing, the anthem was not forgotten. Having studied the proposed options, which also turned out to be more than a hundred, the jury again did not stop at any of them.
Thus, the official anthem in the city of Tolyatti is still missing and is unlikely to be selected in the near future. However, residents of the former Stavropol have long fixed this mistake, recognizing as such the famous composition of Oleg Mityaev, which is called "Listen, buddy!". Needless to say, the song is dedicated specifically to the city of Togliatti.