Poland is a country with a rich, often warlike past. Its flag and coat of arms are quite simple to execute. But what does the Polish heraldic eagle mean? And why is her flag made up of these colors?
Coat of arms of Poland: description, meaning
The official state symbols of the Polish state include the flag, coat of arms and anthem. The coat of arms of Poland was approved in 1997. On the red shield is a figure of a white or silver eagle. The shield narrows slightly downward. On the head of an eagle a golden crown. Its beak and claws are also golden.
The image of an eagle is often used in heraldry, only a lion competes with it. In ancient times, an eagle represented a monarch or deity. Often in Greece, the bird was a symbol of Zeus, and in Rome - Jupiter. According to one version, the figure of an eagle adorns the coat of arms of Poland as a symbol of power and strength.
There is also a more fabulous version of the image of the eagle. She refers to the legends about three brothers: Cech, Lech and Rus - the ancestors of the Slavic peoples. According to one legend, three brothers wandered with their people in search of a place to settle, but then decided to split up. So, brother Rus decided to go east, and brother Czech to the west towards Bohemia, until he reached Mount Rzhip. Lech decided to go north. On the way, Lech met a white eagle flying over a nest on an oak tree. The eagle flight in the rays of the setting sun delighted Lech so much that he decided to settle in this place, and he chose the eagle as a symbol on his coat of arms. He called his city the Nest.
Coat of arms of Poland: photo, history
Everyone loves beautiful and romantic stories, but officially the eagle has not been depicted on the Polish coat of arms for a long time. Initially, he was present on the personal decals of Przemysl II in the 13th century, and only after his coronation did the figure of the white eagle become a symbol of the whole state. The silver eagle especially meant a lot to the Polish people: being an image of not only strength but also purity, it symbolically opposed the black two-headed German eagle - a sign of the German Empire, which was hostile at that time . With all its appearance, the coat of arms of Poland showed superiority over German, and the red background additionally signaled its readiness for the struggle.
The appearance of the coat of arms changed when the Commonwealth formed. Then he took the form of a shield, and his composition included the Lithuanian coat of arms. The shield space was divided into four parts: a Polish white eagle was placed in the upper left and lower right corners, and a Lithuanian knight on a horse was placed in the upper right and lower left.
In the period from the 18th to the 19th centuries, due to the frequent change of power, the crown on the head of the bird was often absent, and in 1943 it was officially removed. The crown was present only on the coat of arms of the exiled Polish government (supporters of the king).
At the end of the 20th century, a new, democratic path of development begins in Polish politics. In confirmation of this, the form of the coat of arms changes again, and the eagle regains its crown.
Polish flag
A symbol no less important for the Polish Republic than a coat of arms is a flag. His canvas is divided into two identical horizontal stripes. The upper strip of the flag is white, which often in symbolism means purity, spirituality, integrity. On the Polish flag, this color is also a symbol of the eagle depicted on its coat of arms. In the center of the white strip is a thumbnail of the coat of arms. The bottom strip of the flag is red. Usually this is the color of aggression, militancy, courage and is correlated with the image of fire. The red stripe on the flag of Poland, as well as the white one, corresponds with its coat of arms.
In the Middle Ages, on the white strip of the flag was an image of a coat of arms with an eagle. Later, another red stripe appeared on the flag above. And at the time of Jan Casimir, the flag consisted of four stripes.
The modern look of the flag was officially approved in 1980.
Conclusion
The coat of arms of Poland often changed, but the figure of a white eagle always remained on it. Recalling the legendary historical past, the eagle personified the purity and strength of the Polish state, supporting the spirit of the people.