The coat of arms of Kharkov is the main heraldic symbol of the first capital of Ukraine. When was its modern look approved? What is depicted on it and how many times has the coat of arms changed? You will find answers to these questions in our article.
Kharkov (Ukraine): general characteristics of the city
This city is often called the "first capital" of Ukraine. Indeed, Kharkov twice in its history played the role of the capital, but in relation to the Ukrainian SSR: from 1919 to 1934, and also in 1943 (temporarily). What is a city today?
Kharkov (Ukraine) is the largest industrial and scientific center, the second most populated city in the country. Today, at least one and a half million people live here.
The city was founded in 1654 on the site of an ancient settlement of Russians of the XI century. Kharkov today is the most important industrial center of Ukraine, which produces tanks and turbines. In addition, the city is the most "educated" in the country: there are 142 research institutes and 45 universities in which at least 220 thousand students study.
Kharkov is located in Eastern Ukraine, 25 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border. Orographically, it is located within the Central Russian Upland (the average absolute height of the city is 134 meters).
The city has the largest market in Eastern Europe (Barabashova) and a sleeping area (Saltovka). Kharkov is also interesting in that it enriched the Ukrainian and Russian languages with such words as “trempel”, “handelik” (beer bar), “ampoule”, “snake” (fastener in clothes), “tyu” (interjection) and some others.
The city, of course, has its official symbols: flag and coat of arms. This article will focus on the latter. Coat of arms of Kharkov - what is it and what does it mean?
History of the Kharkov city coat of arms
Over the entire history of the city, the emblem of Kharkov has changed six times. The first of them dates from the end of the XVII century, the latter was approved in 1995. Moreover, the last (sixth) option is similar to the second and fourth.
No one knows for sure what the very first coat of arms of the city looked like. There is only evidence that he depicted a bow on a gold background. But in which direction he was turned, and how much his bowstring was pulled, is unknown. But on the second city coat of arms (from 1775 to 1878) the caduceus and cornucopia are already appearing - the same symbols that are present on it now.
The third coat of arms of Kharkov was decorated with a black horse's head, and on the fourth again the cornucopia and caduceus were returned. The face of the main urban symbol in Soviet times changed dramatically. So, completely new elements appeared on it: a gear wheel (a symbol of industry), a wheat ear (a symbol of agriculture and prosperity), and also three orbits with electrons (it was Kharkov scientists who split the atomic nucleus for the first time in the USSR).
Description of the modern coat of arms of Kharkov
On September 14, 1995, the emblem of Kharkov in its modern form was approved. It was a symbol adopted in 1775, but in computer processing S.A. Didenko.
The coat of arms is based on a classic French shield, pointed at the bottom, green with a yellow frame. The main heraldic figures - the golden caduceus entwined with two silver snakes, as well as the cornucopia filled with fruits (apples, pears, apricots, plums and grapes) act as the conditional diagonals of the shield.
Coat of arms of Kharkov: value
As mentioned above, the main city symbol of Kharkov depicts a caduceus - an attribute of the god Hermes (patron saint of trade), as well as a cornucopia - a symbol of wealth. The green background color of the shield symbolizes wealth and hope for a brighter future in heraldry.
But how to explain the connection of these two elements on the emblem of the city? What is the point of this?
If you delve into Greek mythology, then it was the horn of Amalfei that the god Zeus was fed. Therefore, according to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, the sacred cornucopia is something akin to our self-collected tablecloth - he gave his lucky owner everything he could wish for.
Caduceus is the rod of the god of commerce and travel of Hermes. However, he is considered an archaic deity, that is, one that already existed long before he was considered to be the pantheon of Olympus. And in those ancient times, Hermes was a god of knowledge and sacred light.
Thus, the coat of arms of the city of Kharkov contains two ancient symbols. And their combination symbolizes the desire of the city to achieve prosperity and prosperity through science and enlightenment.
Some interesting facts about the Kharkov coat of arms
Finally, a few more interesting facts about the main city symbol of Kharkov:
- the intersection of the caduceus and the cornucopia gives us the letter "X" - the first in the name of the city;
- in 2010, the city coat of arms was slightly changed, in particular, a new fruit was added to the cornucopia - apricots;
- the coat of arms of the Russian city of Ulan-Ude is almost identical to Kharkov;
- all historical coats of arms of Kharkov can be seen on the wall of the underground passage of the metro station "Historical Museum";
- in occultism, the caduceus represents the key that locks the door between good and evil.