Tver is an ancient city on the Volga, located near the capital of Russia. Coat of arms of Tver and its flag - what are they? When were they approved and what do they mean? We will talk about this in this article.
Tver: pages of the history of the city
Tver is a small homeland for the great Russian traveler Athanasius Nikitin. The city itself was founded in 1135.
Tver was the capital of a powerful state entity - the Principality of Tver, which lasted from 1247 to 1485. Due to the extremely favorable geographical position, this territory began to develop very quickly. The greatness and power of the principality is also evidenced by the fact that the Mongol-Tatars in 1293 did not dare to storm his capital.
In the Tver principality, architecture, icon painting and jewelry were actively developing. It even minted its own coin. The external relations of the principality were strengthened thanks to the numerous travels of Athanasius Nikitin. The era of the Principality of Tver ended in 1488, when it was annexed by Tsar Ivan III to Moscow.
In 1612, Tver was destroyed and devastated by the Polish-Lithuanian army. After this event, the city was recovering very slowly. Another misfortune befell Tver in 1763, when its entire center was almost destroyed by a strong fire. After that, the city was restored by a special team of architects on the orders of Catherine II herself. It was then that the Travel Palace was built - the iconic architectural landmark of Tver.
In the 30s, the city suddenly became Kalinin (in honor of the Soviet party leader). The same fate befell the region. The old name (like the historical emblem of Tver) was returned to the city only in 1990.
Today Tver is an important transport hub, a major scientific and cultural center of the country, in which 414 thousand people live.
The history of the coat of arms of Tver and its description
The former glory and rich history of the city are reflected in its symbols. The first coat of arms of Tver was adopted in 1780. It depicted a throne of gold, on whose pillow lay a golden crown. Although the same image was used as a symbol of the Tver land before. The crown was not chosen by chance here, because it was the Tver prince who first began to call himself king.
The coat of arms of the city of Tver in its modern form was officially approved in February 2000. At its core is a classic French red shield. In the center of the shield is a chair with a green pillow, on which lies a golden crown, with five teeth of the leaf-like type.
The value of the coat of arms of Tver
What does the emblem of Tver symbolize by itself?
The main element of the coat of arms is a golden crown with emerald inserts. It is not accidental that it is depicted on the city symbol, because the prince of the Tver principality called himself the king, equating to the kings of Western states. The crown on the emblem of Tver is, first of all, a symbol of state power.
The chair on the city emblem should not be taken literally. Indeed, in heraldry, it can symbolize some kind of possession or, in this case, a princedom. But the green color of the pillow on the chair focuses on the natural wealth of this region.
Each color in heraldic science means something. Thus, the red color of the coat of arms always symbolizes strength, courage and courage. It can also be considered in a religious context, as a symbol of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The golden color (crown and chair) personifies not only greatness and wealth, but also wisdom, nobility and harmony. In ancient times, the golden color has always been associated with the sun and truth. That is why in the Middle Ages the tradition was born to cover the domes of churches, icons and vessels with gilding. This indicated the divine root of the church as such.
In the heraldry of imperial countries, gold elements are found quite often - they symbolize the full power of the monarch (king or king).
Flag of Tver and its description
The flag of Tver is one of the official symbols of the city. It was approved in May 1999. It is based on the emblem of the city, approved by Catherine II at the end of the XVIII century. The author of the modern flag of Tver is V.I. Lavrenov.
The flag of Tver is a rectangular banner of standard size with three horizontal stripes: yellow at the top, red in the center (the widest) and yellow at the bottom. In the center of the canvas is a chair with a golden crown on top. The drawing exactly repeats the one that can be seen on the city coat of arms.
The colors of the flag stripes also matter. So, red color symbolizes courage, courage and readiness to protect one’s native land. Yellow color represents wisdom, wealth of the earth and wealth of the land.
