The emblem of Syktyvkar is an identification and legal symbol, which was approved in accordance with all the rules of heraldry. It serves (along with the flag and anthem) as an officially recognized sign of the city of Syktyvkar in the Komi Republic. What is this symbol, what is its history? Read the article below.
The first coat of arms of Ust-Sysolsk
In the year of the foundation of the settlement of Ust-Sysolsk (the former name of Syktyvkar), Catherine II approved his first coat of arms. An event occurred in 1780. The shield, like all coats of arms in those days, was divided in half by a horizontal line.
In the upper field was the symbol of the Vologda governorship. It was a hand coming out of a cloud and holding a scepter and a sword. In the lower field was a bear in a den on a blue background. There were a lot of bears in the vicinity, so the beast became their symbol. The coat of arms served the city for almost a century and a half. However, with renaming it to Syktyvkar, it lost its power.
Coat of arms of Syktyvkar 1978
When the city from the county became capital, the coat of arms lost its significance gradually. Repeated attempts were made to create a new symbol, but they did not end in success. On the eve of the bicentennial of the approval of this settlement, a sketching contest was announced in the city. In May 1978, the City Council approved a new sketch of the official symbol of Syktyvkar. Its author was the honored artist V.V. Polyakov. The new coat of arms of the city of Syktyvkar successfully reflected the changes in the life of the settlement. The artist departed from the usual “French form” of the shield, replacing it with the silhouette of a national ornament at the bottom of the shield. In the center of the coat of arms was a bear emerging from a den. He symbolized the awakening of the land, its transformation. Wavy lines divided the shield into three fields, which were painted in the colors of the flag of the RSFSR. The upper field of red color contained a spruce in a white gear wheel. This symbol reflects the modernization of the city, the industrial orientation that appeared in it. In the lower part of the shield were spruce trees against a blue background, as a symbol of the region’s forest wealth. Zigzag lines dividing the emblem into zones form a forked cross - this is a symbol of the location of the city (at the mouth of Sysola when it flows into Vychegda).
Coat of arms of 1993
After the transformation of the area into the Komi Republic, a new symbol was again needed. In the 1993 competition, the artist A.I. Neverov wins.
His coat of arms had a silver background. On it were located the overturned broken truncated rafters of azure, green and silver colors (it was repeated three times), a golden bear and a green sprout. All elements are stylized as a local folk ornament. In the upper part of the coat of arms was another golden symbol of folk ornaments, personifying the sun.
The current symbol of the city
The coat of arms of Syktyvkar, based on a sketch by Neverov, continued to serve the city for almost two decades, then some changes were made to it. But the essence of symbolism remained the same. The Heraldic Council, together with the artist Neverov, chose a new version of the official symbol and settled on its stylish and laconic execution, abandoning the northern lights.
The shield field has azure and emerald colors. There are three symbols of heraldry on it:
- Golden bear in a golden den. He is the guardian of the city, his protector.
- Silver spruce on an emerald background.
- Silver star on a azure background.
All elements of the coat of arms, as in 1993, are stylized. The coat of arms of Syktyvkar, a photo of which is present in the article, also gives a heraldic justification for the colors used in it. The silver shade is a symbol of snow, purity, nobility. The golden hue was often used in embroidery and ornaments of national creativity. It means sunlight, splendor.
In 2008, another change occurred. The emblem of the city decided to return to the traditional "French" form.