The resort city of Anapa is a municipality located on the northeast coast of the Black Sea. Where the dry Kuban steppe is gradually replaced by the mountain system of the Caucasus. Administratively part of the Krasnodar Territory of Russia. This article will focus on the official symbols of Anapa - the coat of arms and flag. What do they look like and what symbolism is in them? So let's get it right.
Flag
The modern flag (as, in fact, the coat of arms) of Anapa was developed and adopted relatively recently - in 2005. The author of the project is K. F. Mochenov.
Externally, the flag of Anapa is a standard rectangular cloth of azure color. Aspect ratio traditional: 2: 3. In the lower part of the canvas is depicted a yellow fortress wall with battlements (there are 11 in total). Immediately below it is a running blue wave. At the top of the flag is a golden shining sun with 25 rays.
Coat of arms
The main symbol of the resort town was officially approved on April 8, 2005. In the corresponding decision of the municipal council we find the following description of the coat of arms of Anapa: "On the azure shield there is a golden stone belt bounded above by fortified battlements and below by a traveling blue wave. The golden triera is depicted in the lower part of the shield, and the golden Sun in the upper part."
The reader may have a logical question: where did the ancient Greek battle ship - triera come from on the coat of arms of Anapa? Everything is very simple. The fact is that in the 4th century BC, on the site of the modern resort, there was an ancient Sindika policy, the inhabitants of which actively used similar ships.
As for the image of a stone wall on the coat of arms, the Turkish fortress of Anapa is meant here, which at one time caused a lot of trouble to the army of the Russian Empire. To this day, the Ottoman stronghold has not survived, with the exception of only a small fragment - the so-called "Russian Gate".
Anapa flag and coat of arms: meaning of symbols
In general, the set of elements on both characters is almost the same. With only one difference: there is no trireme on the city flag. Let's find out what all these emblematic figures mean:
- The sun is a symbol of light and heat. It is worth recalling that Anapa is a leader on the Black Sea coast of Russia in the total number of sunny days. 25 rays of the sun hint at 25 centuries of urban history.
- The fortress wall - emphasizes the strategic importance of the geographical location of Anapa, and also symbolizes the rich history of this settlement.
- Blue waves - a reference, of course, to the coastal location of Anapa. In addition, this symbol recalls the importance of maritime trade for the settlement for many centuries.
- Trier - again symbolizes the sea and recalls the extremely rich history of the city.
The two main colors on the coat of arms and flag of the resort city of Anapa are blue (azure) and yellow (gold). The blue color traditionally symbolizes fame, honor, devotion, as well as the blue of the vast expanses of water and heaven. Yellow color in heraldry is, first of all, a symbol of wealth, stability and prosperity.
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Until 2005, Anapa had a different coat of arms - the Soviet model. It was approved in 1973 according to the sketches of the artist B. I. Kamaev. How he looked, you can see below in the photo. The shield of the coat of arms was divided into four parts: two blue and two yellow (with white rays of the sun). A scarlet five-pointed star with three stylized tongues of red flame was placed in the center of the shield. A silver sailboat occupied the lower left corner of the coat of arms. In the upper right corner was a bunch of grapes.
Between 1999 and 2005, the city also had another flag. It was a rectangular white cloth with blue running waves in the lower part of the field. In the upper left corner (at the pole), a miniature city coat of arms was depicted, which is almost identical to the modern one.