The Republic of Karelia is a subject of the Russian Federation and is located in its northwestern part. The area of the territory is 172.4 thousand sq. Km.
Republic of Karelia: general characteristic
Features of natural conditions and population density conditionally divide the Republic into southern and northern parts. The northern part extends along the northern shores of Segozero and Vygozero and the mouth of the Sumy River. Southern Karelia is mainly covered by spruce and birch forests, while pine prevails in the north.
The most famous historical monuments are the native places of the folk epos of Kalevala - the villages of Ladvozero and Kaskol, the Marcial Waters Museum-Reserve, located in the village of Palaces. Of the natural objects, Lake Keret, an island in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, should also be noted. The central part of southern Karelia is occupied by the territory of the Kivach reserve, whose area is 10,000 ha.
History of Karelia
The territory of modern Karelia was inhabited in the 7th millennium BC. The ancient inhabitants were mainly engaged in hunting and fishing. The emergence of the rudiments of livestock and agriculture dates back to the 1st millennium BC. At the same time, iron production was established.
The first information about the ethnic composition of the population dates back to the 5th century. Then Finno-Ugric peoples, Karelians, Vepsians, Sami tribes lived on the territory of Karelia. And from the 6th to the 9th centuries, the modern republic existed in the form of a medieval state-territorial formation and was called the Karelian Principality. In the XII century, the territory of the principality became part of the Novgorod feudal republic. It is known that in 1227, the Prince of Novgorod, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, converted the Karelians and Vepsians to the Orthodox faith.
In the course of the struggle against the crusaders, part of the West Karelian territory on which they built the Vyborg fortress was withdrawn by the German and Swedish feudal lords. Through the efforts of one of the Valites (rulers) of that time, Karelia freed itself from the Swedish invaders. But the confrontation between the two countries over these lands did not stop there. Several centuries later, in the XVII century, after a six-month siege, the Swedish troops managed to take the city of Korela. As a result of the loss of the Karelian Isthmus, a stream of refugees moved into the Russian state, most of which settled on the territory of the Tver region. As a result, an ethnic group of Tver Karelians was formed.
Over time, the development of metallurgy began on the territory of Karelia. At the same time, the main labor force was peasants, whose labor was practically not paid, it was considered conscription. Numerous wars of that time required a large number of weapons, which were delivered from this northern region. The working conditions of the peasants were tightened even more, which led to a popular uprising. The number of protesters reached 40 thousand people. After the uprising was suppressed, a series of mass arrests and repressions began.
Events of the beginning of the 20th century, such as the advent of Soviet power and the separation of the Olonets Republic, became prerequisites for new unrest. In the early 1920s, an uprising broke out in Karelia against the Bolsheviks. It was suppressed by the prevailing forces of the opposing side. It was then that the first flag of Karelia was created, a description of which can be found below. There were several options for this state symbol; they varied depending on the form of statehood and sovereignty of the modern Republic.
The flag of Karelia: history in the first half of the 20th century
The very first flag of Karelia was the option proposed by the Finnish artist Jonas Heiska in 1918 with the image of the constellation Ursa Major on a blue canvas. The constellation was located in the upper left corner. Data on the recognition of this flag option as official does not exist.
In the short period of proclamation in the Karelian land of the Ukhta Republic (1920), the Finnish artist Axeli Gallen-Kallela created another flag of Karelia (photo below), on which the relationship with the Finns was obviously imposed. The substantial resemblance to the flag of Finland was obvious, only the colors differed: a green background, on which there is a black "Scandinavian cross" with a red edging.
Having become part of the Soviet Union, Karelia for some time managed without a flag. And in 1937 the XI Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of the
Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic approved a new symbol of the republic. It consisted of a red canvas, on which in gold letters in Russian and Karelian languages it was written: "RSFSR" and "Karelian ASSR"
Further changes in state symbols date back to when the KASSR was transformed into the Karelian-Finnish SSR, which entailed the restoration of the statehood of the
Finnish language. The flag of Karelia of that time was very similar to the flag of the USSR, differing only in the inscription "Karelian-Finnish SSR", made in two languages (Russian and Finnish).
Flag of the Republic of Karelia in the second half of the 20th century
Later, in 1953, significant changes took place in the design of state symbols. Compared with previous options, the flag of Karelia now looked completely different. The meaning of the colors of the blue and green stripes that appeared in the lower part was reduced to indicating the beauty, grandeur and significance of the forests and lakes of the Republic. But most of the flag was painted red, and at the very top (near the pole) were images of the sickle and hammer.
The transformation of the KFSSR into the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic entailed new changes. The flag of the Republic of Karelia also became different: the blue and green stripes disappeared again, but abbreviations of the name of the republic appeared in Karelian and Russian. In 1978, a new constitution was adopted, according to which the abbreviations on the flag should be replaced with full names.
Currently, the flag of Karelia consists of only three stripes: red, blue and green. All labels are canceled. Any indication of regional or separatist affiliation is not visible. And the colors only symbolize the richness of nature, cultural traditions, consanguinity and family ties.
Flag description
The flag of Karelia is the state symbol of the Republic. 02.16.1993 it was adopted by the Parliament of Karelia. The developer is A.I. Kinner. The modern flag is based on a copy that was in force from 1953 to 1956 during the time of the Karelian-Finnish SSR.
The flag of Karelia, the photo of which is shown below, is a rectangular cloth with three horizontal stripes of the same size: red, blue and green. The ratio of width and length is 2: 3.
Coat of arms of Karelia until the 20th century
The first mention of the coat of arms of Karelia dates back to 1562. Then Russia and Sweden were in a state of constant struggle for these lands. The coat of arms reflected this struggle. It depicted two hands, one of which is dressed in armor (of a Swedish warrior), and the other - in chain mail (of a Russian warrior). And at the top was a golden crown.
When part of Karelia was conquered by Russia, this emblem began to be used in these territories. However, now both hands were in chain mail.
The prototype of the modern coat of arms
It is known that the Ukhta government in the spring of 1920, together with representatives of the northern volosts, decided to separate from Russia and declare the independence of Karelia. A few days later, on March 29, 1920, a new coat of arms was approved. It depicted a black bear holding a “vesuri” (delimbers) in its paw, wearing a shield interspersed with scarlet and greens. The shield was crowned with the traditional headdress of lumberjacks. Aurora borealis was visible above the bear’s figure, and below it was a chain.
Modern coat of arms
When the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was renamed the Republic of Karelia in November 1991, work began on the development of a new coat of arms. A competition was announced, as a result of which three sketches were in the lead. The first of them was developed by Andrey Litvin. It was created on the basis of the Olonets coat of arms, and on it were depicted the Karelian bear, Russian guys, elk and horse. The author of the second sketch, S. Lebedev, suggested using a running moose as the main figure. The project of Yu. Nivin contained elements of the historical coat of arms and the coat of arms created by the Ukhta government.
The approval and refinement of the coat of arms took some time, and on September 28, 1993 the Supreme Council of Karelia approved the variant of Yu. Nivin.
According to the provisions on the coat of arms, it looks as follows. The background is a three-lane canvas, the same as the flag of Karelia. The emblem itself has the appearance of a shield, which is rounded at the bottom and bordered by a gold stripe. The central element of the shield field is a bear made in black. The figure of a bear is in a standing position in profile. The top of the shield is crowned with an eight-pointed radiant golden star. A distinctive feature of the coat of arms is that on both sides it is framed by stylized tree branches: spruce and pine.
Thus, the flag and coat of arms of Karelia symbolize the courage and strength of the people, as well as the natural wealth of the Republic (forests and water resources).