The coat of arms of Kharkov: history, description, meaning

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? The answers to these questions can be found in our article.

Kharkov (Ukraine): general description of the city

This city is often called the "first capital" of Ukraine. Indeed, Kharkiv played the role of the capital twice in its history, but in relation to the Ukrainian SSR: from 1919 to 1934, and also in 1943 (temporarily). What is the city today?

Kharkov (Ukraine) is the largest industrial and scientific center, the second largest city in the country. To date, there live at least one and a half million people.

The city was founded in 1654 on the site of the ancient fortification of Rusys of the 11th century. Kharkov in our days is the most important industrial center of Ukraine, in which tanks and turbines are produced. In addition, the city is itself "educated" in the country: there are 142 research institutes and 45 universities, where at least 220,000 students study.

Kharkov is located in Eastern Ukraine, 25 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border. In orographic terms, it is located within the Central Russian Upland (the average absolute height of the city is 134 meters).

The city is the largest market in Eastern Europe (Barabashova) and the sleeping area (Saltovka). Kharkov is also interesting because it enriched Ukrainian as well as Russian with such words as "trempel", "gundelik" (beer bar), "ampoule", "snake" (clasp in clothes), "tu" (interjection) and Some others.

The city, of course, has its official symbols: the flag and the coat of arms. In this article we will talk about the latter. The coat of arms of Kharkov - what is it and what does it mean?

History of the Kharkov city emblem

During the history of the city's existence, the coat of arms of Kharkov changed six times. The first of them dates back to the end of the XVII century, the latter was approved in 1995. And the last (sixth) version is similar to the second and fourth.

For certain nobody knows what the very first coat of arms of the city looked like. There is only information that he portrayed a bow on a gold background. But in what direction he was turned, and how tightly his string was stretched - it is not known. But on the second city coat of arms (from 1775 to 1878) there are already caduceus and cornucopia - the same symbols that are present on it and now.

The third coat of arms of Kharkov was decorated with the black head of the horse, and on the fourth the cornucopia and the caduceus were again returned. Cardinally changed the face of the main city symbol in the Soviet era. So, absolutely new elements appeared on it: a cogwheel (an industry symbol), a wheat ear (a symbol of agriculture and prosperity), and also three orbits with electrons (it was the Kharkov scientists who for the first time in the USSR split the nucleus of an atom).

Description of the modern coat of arms of Kharkov

September 14, 1995 the coat of arms of Kharkiv was approved in its modern form. It was a symbol adopted in 1775, but in the computer processing of S.A. Didenko.

At the heart of the coat of arms - a classic French shield, pointed at the bottom, green with a yellow frame. In the role of the conventional shield diagonals are the main heraldic figures - the golden caduceus, entwined with two silver snakes, and also the cornucopia filled with fruits (apples, pears, apricots, plums and grapes).

Kharkiv's coat of arms: value

As already mentioned above, the main city symbol of Kharkov is depicted as a caduceus - the attribute of the god Hermes (patron of trade), and also the cornucopia - a symbol of prosperity. The green background color of the shield symbolizes in heraldry welfare and hope for a bright future.

But how to explain the combination of these two elements on the city's coat of arms? What is the meaning of this hidden?

If you go into Greek mythology, it was the god of Zeus who was nourished by the horn of Amalfa. Therefore, according to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, the sacred horn of plenty is something akin to our tablecloth-self-tattoo - it gave its lucky owner everything he could wish for.

The Caduceus is the rod of the god of trade and travel of Hermes. However, he is considered an archaic deity, that is, one that existed long before he was included in the pantheon of Olympus. And in those ancient times Hermes was the 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 city's desire to achieve prosperity and prosperity through science and enlightenment.

Some interesting facts about the Kharkov coat of arms

Finally, some 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 that of Kharkiv;
• All historical coats of arms of Kharkov can be seen on the wall of the underground passage of the metro station "Historical Museum";
• The caduceus in the occult represents the key that locks the door between good and evil.