Coat of arms of Riga

Last updated

Coat of arms of Riga
Greater Coat of Arms of Riga - for display.svg
Versions
Coat of Arms of Riga small.svg
Middle coat of arms of Riga
Lesser coat of Arms of Riga - for display.svg
Lesser coat of arms of Riga
Two crossed black keys - Coat of Arms of Riga.svg
The two crossed black keys in the coat of arms of Riga, commonly used as a symbol for the city.
Adoptednot later than 1225, current version in 1925, readopted in 1989 [1]
Earlier version(s)before 1925, various versions existed [1]

Coat of arms of Riga is one of the official symbols of Riga, along with the flag of Riga.

Contents

Blazon

The blazon on the greater, middle, and lesser coat of arms of Riga, on the Riga City Council Binding Regulations No.181, states that: [2]

Greater coat of arms of Riga

On the silver field there is a stand-alone red brick wall with two towers and a roof between them. Below the roof, there is a gate with a raised grid facing the golden lion's head. Above the roof there are two crossed black keys, a golden cross, and a golden crown, respectively above each others. The supporters are two golden lions with red tongues and turned heads that stands on a grey plinth.

Middle coat of arms of Riga

On the silver field there is a stand-alone red brick wall with two towers and a roof between them. Below the roof, there is a gate with a raised grid facing the golden lion's head. Above the roof there are two crossed black keys, a golden cross, and a golden crown, respectively above each others.

Lesser coat of arms of Riga

On the silver field there are two crossed black keys, and a golden cross above them.

Symbolism

Colors

For display

The colors of the coat of arms for display are regulated in the Riga City Council Binding Regulations No.181. [2]

Silver
Pantone 877C
#8a8d8f

Gold
Pantone 873C
#866d4b

Red
Pantone 186C
#c8102e

Gray
Pantone Cool Gray 6c
#A7A8AA

Black
Pantone Black
#000000

For branding

The colors of the coat of arms for branding is regulated in a document that has been confirmed by the chairman of the Riga City Council, numbered 128-r. In this version, the field and the plinth had the same gray color. [4]

Silver
N/A
n/a

Gold
Pantone 873C (gold)
#a09669

Red
Pantone 186C
#ba323c

Gray
Pantone Cool Gray 4c
#c8c8c8

Black
Pantone Black
#000000

Usage

The greater, middle, and lesser coat of arms of Riga should conform to their heraldic descriptions and samples. Coats of arms of Riga with shield holders, coats of arms of Riga, Riga's small coats of arms can be used in heraldic colors, black and white, or in monochrome colours.

The coat of arms usage in the forms and business cards can only be used by the Riga city municipal institutions, institutions, structural units and municipal corporations.

The coats of arms of Riga can be used without the permission of the Symbolic Commission in posters, publications, advertisements and events which was financially supported or/and organized by the Riga City Municipality, or organizers that had signed a cooperation agreement with the Riga Municipality.

Individuals and legal entities can use the coat of arms of Riga, with the heraldic elements, upon obtaining the permission from the Symbolic Commission, for: [2]

History

It is known that from 1225 to 1226, from 1330 to 1340, a city wall with open gates and two towers, the middle of which is located on the cross pole, can be seen in the city stamp, but on each side along the key. The walls of the medieval towns' marble with the gates were a common heraldic element that symbolized the city's independence, significance and power. [5]

In 1297-1330 when the Livonian Order became the Riga City Council, a new seal was created. The walls with the raised gates and the crossed keys remain from the old version, but with a different location. New heraldic elements, such as cross of the Livonian Order was inserted into the coat of arms to symbolize symbolising the dominance of the Livonian Order in Riga, and replaced the crossed staves. Other new element, a lion in the raised stone gates of the city, was added, which symbolises to the prowess of the townspeople and the growing independence of the citizens of Riga. This coat of arms was created in 1347 and has been preserved in a 1349 document stamp and is considered to be the basis for development of the Riga coat of arms. [1] [5]

In 1554, the coat of arms of the city of Riga was supplemented with a new heraldic element, lions, as the shield holders of the coat of arms. [5]

In 1656, the city acquired the right to place the Swedish crown in its coat of arms as a form of gratitude from the for the heroic defense of the city during the siege of Russia. The color of the white coat of arms was changed to blue, but the order of the cross red color - with gold. Such coat of arms was kept in the Riga stamp seal until 1889. [5]

After the Northern War, when Riga was taken over by the Russian Empire, the Russian Tsarina Catherine II approved the coat of arms of Riga on 4 October 1788. The shield holders of the lions were replaced by the symbol of the Russian Empire - the two-headed eagle's, and the crown of the monarch of Sweden with the Russian imperial crown. [5]

On October 31, 1925, with the approval of the President of Latvia, Riga received a new coat of arms, the description of which is as follows:

Red brick walls on a silver background with two towers and raised gates in which a gold lion’s head is displayed, and on the upper part of the shield between the towers and beneath a gold crown stand crossed gold paws and two crossed black keys. The shield holders are two golden lions with red tongues and turned heads on two grey cornices supported by a stylised leaf. [5]

In the years of the Latvian SSR, there was little attention to the coat of arms of Riga, and the new coat of arms was approved on 15 February 1967, designed by Ivars Strautmanis. It had a coat of arms with a golden border in the color of the flag of the Latvian SSR, with a 2-tower-shaped silhouette of the city gate (the silhouette was added more details in 1987). Above the gate is 2 crossed keys and a yellow star. The establishment year of Riga, "1201", was added later in 1968, and was deleted in a 1987 revision, and was changed with the lions below the gate in 1988. [5]

Current coat of arms

After Latvia regained independence, Riga regained its historical coat of arms, and the approval in 1925 was renewed in 1988. [3]

Governorate of Livonia

Republic of Latvia (1918-1940)

Latvian SSR

From 1988 until 1990, there was no official version of the coat of arms. There was a restoration of the coat of arms, but the restored version is unknown. The first version is based on the 1967 coat of arms, created by artist I. Strautmanis. The other version is based on the 1925 coat of arms, created by artist Y. Ivanov.

Republic of Latvia (since 1990)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Belgium</span>

The coat of arms of Belgium bears a lion or, known as Leo Belgicus, as its charge. This is in accordance with article 193 of the Belgian Constitution: The Belgian nation takes red, yellow and black as colours, and as state coat of arms the Belgian lion with the motto UNITY MAKES STRENGTH. A royal decree of 17 March 1837 determines the achievement to be used in the greater and the lesser version, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina</span>

The coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing the previous design that had been in use since 1992 when Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence. It follows the design of the national flag. The three-pointed shield is used to symbolize the three major ethnic groups of Bosnia, as well as allude to the shape of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Bulgaria</span> National coat of arms of Bulgaria

The coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden lion rampant over a dark red shield; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical crown. The shield is supported by two crowned golden lions rampant; below the shield there is compartment in the shape of oak twigs and white bands with the national motto "Unity makes strength" inscribed on them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Ukraine</span>

The coat of arms of Ukraine is a blue shield with a golden trident. It is colloquially known as the tryzub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags and arms of cantons of Switzerland</span>

Each of the 26 modern cantons of Switzerland has an official flag and a coat of arms. The history of development of these designs spans the 13th to the 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Finland</span> National coat of arms of the Republic of Finland

The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured human arm brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws. The Finnish coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Romania</span>

The coat of arms of Romania was adopted in the Romanian Parliament on 10 September 1992 as a representative coat of arms for Romania. The current coat of arms is based on the lesser coat of arms of interwar Kingdom of Romania, which was designed in 1921 by the Transylvanian Hungarian heraldist József Sebestyén from Cluj, at the request of King Ferdinand I of Romania, it was redesigned by Victor Dima. As a central element, it shows a golden aquila holding a cross in its beak, and a mace and a sword in its claws. It also consists of the three colors which represent the colors of the national flag. The coat of arms was augmented on 11 July 2016 to add a representation of the Steel Crown of Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Poznań</span> Polish coat of arms

The coat of arms of Poznań consists of white city walls with three towers. On the left (heraldic) tower stands Saint Peter with a key and on the heraldic right one stands Saint Paul with a sword. In the gate there are two golden crossed keys with a cross above. Over the middle tower, which contains a single window and is topped by a battlement, there is a gothic shield with a white eagle in crown. On the sides of the two saints there are golden crescents and stars. All of those elements are on a blue field. Over the shield there is golden crown. Author of modern version of coat of arms is Jerzy Bąk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Malta</span>

The coat of arms of Malta is the national coat of arms of the country of Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Belgrade</span>

The coat of arms of Belgrade is the official symbol of the City of Belgrade and is stable in three levels - as Basic or Small, Medium and Large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Denmark</span>

The coat of arms of Denmark has a lesser and a greater version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Greece</span>

The coat of arms of Greece or national seal of Greece comprises a white Greek cross on a blue escutcheon, surrounded by two laurel branches. It has been in use in its current form since 1975. Prior to the adoption of the current coat of arms, Greece used a number of different designs, some of which were not heraldic; the first heraldic design was introduced in 1832 and its main element, the blue shield with the white cross, has been the base for all other national coats of arms since then. The design is a heraldic representation of the Greek national flag adopted in 1822, which featured a white cross on a blue field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Timișoara</span>

The current coat of arms of Timișoara was adopted in 1995 and modified in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Tallinn</span> Coat of arms of Tallinn, Estonia

Coat of arms of Tallinn represents Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attributed arms</span> Coats of arms given to a person retrospectively

Attributed arms are Western European coats of arms given retrospectively to persons real or fictitious who died before the start of the age of heraldry in the latter half of the 12th century. Once coats of arms were the established fashion of the ruling class, society expected a king to be armigerous. Arms were assigned to the knights of the Round Table, and then to biblical figures, to Roman and Greek heroes, and to kings and popes who had not historically borne arms. Individual authors often attributed different arms for the same person, although the arms for major figures eventually became fixed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs</span> Coat of arms

The heraldic ensigns of the Ministry of Internal Affairs consist of the following elements: large blue shield with a crusader golden eagle, having its head turned to the right, red peak and claws, open wings, holding a silver sword in its right claw; the green olive branch, symbolizing peace and order, replacing the mace from the coat of arms of the country; the small shield, placed on the eagle's chest, having five sectors which symbolize the most important structures of the ministry; at the bottom of the external shield, on a white scarf, the motto of the ministry is written in black: Latin: PRO PATRIA ET ORDINE IURIS, meaning "For the country and for the lawful order". The first sector represents the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police, the second sector includes the heraldic ensigns of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the third sector contains the ensigns of the General Inspectorate of Border Police, the fourth sector represents the General Inspectorate of Romanian Gendarmerie, the fifth sector represents the Administration, and the sixth sector contains the emblem of the National Archives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the Holy See</span>

The coat of arms of the Holy See combines two crossed keys and a tiara, used as the official emblem of the Holy See, and by extension the wider Catholic Church. These forms have origins attested from the 14th century. The combination of one gold and one silver key is a somewhat later development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German heraldry</span> Tradition and style of heraldic achievements in Germany and the Holy Roman Empire

German heraldry is the tradition and style of heraldic achievements in Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, including national and civic arms, noble and burgher arms, ecclesiastical heraldry, heraldic displays and heraldic descriptions. German heraldic style is one of the four major broad traditions within European heraldry and stands in contrast to Gallo-British, Latin and Eastern heraldry, and strongly influenced the styles and customs of heraldry in the Nordic countries, which developed comparatively late. Together, German and Nordic heraldry are often referred to as German-Nordic heraldry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Riga</span> City flag

The flag of Riga is one of the official symbols of Riga, along with the coat of arms of Riga. The flag consists of a horizontal bicolour of blue and white, with the coat of arms of Riga in the middle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Yekaterinburg</span> Official municipal symbol

The coat of arms of Yekaterinburg is the official municipal coat of arms of Yekaterinburg, Russia. The current symbol was adopted on 23 May 2008 and consists of a French shield divided horizontally into two fields, with a white mine shaft and a white furnace within the top field, which is green, and a blue wavy bend within the bottom field, which is gold. A gold bear and gold sable are located to the left and right of the shield, respectively. A gold crown with a gold laurel wreath is located above the shield and a gold ribbon is located below the shield. A grey druse is located at the bottom center of the shield.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rīgas ģerbonis". Letonika.lv. Enciklopēdijas. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "About the symbols of Riga". July 3, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "The Symbols of Riga". Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. "The identity of the Riga City municipal corporation" (PDF). April 17, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The History of Coat of Arms of Riga". Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2018.