The sea-griffin (German: Fischgreif; Polish: rybogryf, gryf morski) is a heraldic charge in form of an aquatic griffin with the head, upper-half, wings, and talons of an eagle and the lower-half of a fish. [1]
The symbol originates from the region of Lands of Schlawe and Stolp in Pomerania, Central Europe. It was used in the coat of arms of the Swienca family, which hold powerful offices in the area from 13th to 14th centuries. Following them dying out in around 1316, the area went back under the direct rule of the House of Griffin, which continued to use the sea-griffin in the regional coat of arms. [2]
The sea-griffin was one of the nine charges present in the coat of arms of the Duchy of Pomerania introduced around 1530. [3] [4] It was a white (silver) sea-griffin facing viewer's left and placed within a red field. It was meant to represent the island of Usedom, despite it never being used as its symbol before. [5] [6] [2] It is also present in the coat of arms of the Puttkamer family, which, according to some historians, is related to Swienca family, although such statement remains debated. [2] [7]
Today, the sea-griffin if used in various municipal coats of arms in Pomeranian and West Pomeranian Voivodeships in northern Poland. It include the cities of Darłowo, [8] Łeba, [9] Sianów, [10] and Sławno, [11] as well as the coat of arms of the counties of Sławno, [12] and Tuchola, [13] and the gminas (municipalities) of Gniewino, [14] Potęgowo, [15] Sławno, [16] Trzebielino, [17] and Tuchomie. [18] It is also present in the coat of arms of commune of Trouville-la-Haule in Normandy, France. [19]
The Zielona Góra Voivodeship was a voivodeship (province) of the Polish People's Republic from 1975 to 1989, and the Third Republic of Poland from 1989 to 1998. Its capital was Zielona Góra, and it was centered on the southern Lubusz Land, in west-centre part of the county. It was established on 1 June 1975, from the part of the Zielona Góra Voivodeship, and existed until 31 December 1998, when it was incorporated into then-established Lubusz and Greater Poland Voivodeships.
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.
The coat of arms of the city of Gdańsk, in its current form, dates back to 1410 and Banderia Prutenorum. The coat of arms is very similar to the flag of Gdańsk. It depicts two silver crosses on a red shield above each other, above which hovers a golden crown. The greater arms also has two lions as supporters and Gdańsk motto.
LGBT-free zones are municipalities and regions of Poland that have declared themselves unwelcoming of LGBT "ideology", in order to ban equality marches and other LGBT events. By June 2020, some 100 municipalities (map) and five voivodeships, encompassing a third of the country, had adopted resolutions which have been characterized as "LGBT-free zones". In September 2021, four of the voivodeships withdrew the measures, after the EU threatened to withhold funding. Poland's Human Rights Ombudsman challenged several LGBT-free zone resolutions and on 28 June 2022, a top Polish appeals court upheld lower court rulings that had annulled these resolutions, abolishing them in four municipalities. Supporters argue that the zones defend traditional family values, while opponents argue that the zones undermine the rights of LGBT people.
The flag of Poznań is a rectangular piece of white material with the coat of arms of the city placed in the middle. It was adopted in 1997.
The coat of arms of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland features a white (silver) eagle with its head turned left, and raised wings, that has a yellow (golden) beak, legs, stripes on its wings, and a ring on its tail. The charge is placed in a red Heater style escutcheon with square top and acute base. It was adopted in 2000.
The coat of arms, that serves as the symbol of the Opole Voivodeship, Poland, features a yellow (golden) eagle wearing a yellow (golden) crown, placed on a blue background. It was adopted in 2001.
The coat of arms, that serves as the symbol of the Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, features a yellow (golden) eagle on a blue background. The current version of the coat of arms was adopted in 2001, and based on the historical coats of arms of Upper Silesia.
The Lublin coat of arms is one of the city symbols of Lublin, Poland. The coat of arms was established by the Lublin City Council on 8 July 2004.
The flag of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland is a tricolour rectangle, with three horizontal stripes: red, white, and black, with white stripe in the middle being twice the size of the other ones.
The coat of arms that serves as the symbol of the city of Szczecin in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland depicts the head of a red griffin with a yellow (golden) beak wearing a yellow (golden) crown, placed on the blue background.
The civil flag of the Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland is a rectangle divided into 4 stripes, which are, from top to bottom, yellow (golden), white, (silver), red, and green. Top and bottom stripes are twice the size of the 2 middle stripes. The state flag features the design of the civil flag, with the coat of arms of the voivodeship placed in the centre. It was adopted on 26 June 2000.
The coat of arms of Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland, features an Iberian style escutcheon divided vertically onto two sides, of which, the left side has red background, with left side of a white (silver) eagle, with yellow (golden) crown, legs, a ring on its tail, and a przepaska on its wing, while the right side, has green background with two yellow (golden) six-pointed stars, placed vertically. It was established in 2000.
The flag of the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship, Poland is red with a white boundary on its top, bottom, and right sides, and with the head of a white (silver) eagle, with yellow (golden) beak, and an eye, wearing a yellow (golden) crown, located on its left side. It was adopted in 2002.
The flag of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland is a rectangle divided into four parts. Its left part features a yellow vertical stripe, which wight equals to 1:4 of the wight of the flag. Its right part is divided into three horizontal stripes, that are, from top to bottom: blue, white, and red. In the middle of the white stripe is placed the coat of arms of the voivodeship. The first version of the flag had been adopted in 2001, and current version is used since 2013.
The coat of arms and the flag that serve as the symbols of the Warsaw West County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland.
The coat of arms of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, consists of a white (silver) escutcheon, with a half of an eagle facing left, joined with a half of a lion facing right, both animals together wearing a yellow (golden) crown on their joined heads. It had been adopted in 2000.
The coat of arms that serves as the symbol of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, consists of the Iberian style escutcheon (shield), with square top and rounded base, that is divided in the 2 by 2 chessboard pattern. The top left field features a yellow patriarchal cross. The top right field features a white eagle with yellow crown, beak, legs, stripes on its wings, and a ring on its tail. The bottom left field features eight yellow six-pointed starts, placed in three rows, each with three stars, with the exception of the bottom row, that only had 2 stars, placed to the left.
The historical coat of arms, that served as the symbol of the Sandomierz Land, and the Sandomierz Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland, from 14th to 18th centuries, was divided into two fields, with the left field consisting of six stripes, that were alternatining either between red and white, or red and yellow colours, and with the right field consisting of several yellow six-armed stars, which number altered between seven and nine.
The coat of arms of the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship, Poland consists of a red Iberian style escutcheon (shield) that is divided horizontally into two parts. The top part features a white eagle with a yellow (golden) crown on its head. The bottom part is divided vertically into two fields. The left bottom field depicting a Lamb of God, in a form of a white (silver) sheep with a yellow (golden) circular aureola behind its head, holding in its right hoof, a yellow (golden) cross with a white (silver) banner with red cross on it, attached to it, and bleeding from its chest, with the red drops of blood falling towards a yellow (golden) chalice placed in front of it, between its legs. The right bottom field depicts a black eagle with a yellow (golden) crown put on its neck, and a capital letter S placed on its chest.