The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Belgrade is the official symbol of the City of Belgrade and is stable in three levels - as Basic or Small, Medium and Large. The history of heraldic representation of Belgrade is long and goes back to the time when the city first became the

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

ian capital during Despot Stefan Lazarevic when this symbol was first indirectly mentioned in '' Life of Despot Stefan Lazarević''. The first known heraldic shaped coat of arms of the city appears in the sixteenth century and is probably of Hungarian origin. But like the history of the city itself, so did its coat of arms. As the city passed from hand to hand of the various invaders, so did its heraldic representation change - whether the city did not have its coat of arms as under the Ottomans at all, or that it got a whole new one under the

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

. The history of the coat of arms of Belgrade, which is in use today, began in 1931 when it was officially elected, following a competition that won the work of

Đorđe Andrejević-Kun Đorđe Andrejević-Kun (; 31 March 1904 – 17 January 1964) was a Serbian painter and academic. He designed the Coat of Arms of the City of Belgrade and reputedly designed the Coat of arms of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and ...

. In the socialist era, the coat of arms was neglected, and after the democratic changes of the 1990s it would undergo a re-affirmation, and since the 2000s it would be reorganized to three degrees, which is still in use today. The use of the coat of arms of Belgrade is governed by the City Statute and special city regulations, which regulate and sanction the use of the coat of arms in various occasions and places in detail.

History

The original coat of arms was commissioned in 1931 by Belgrade mayor Milan Nešić. The winning proposal was sketched by

. The arms remained in continued use until the conclusion of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Between 1946 and 1991, it included a red star on top to symbolize communist rule. The use of the arms was amended and regulated in 2003.

Symbolism

The arms contain the Serbian

national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

(red, blue, and white). The red ground symbolises blood split over the city during its many conflicts. The blue sky symbolizes hope and faith in a better future. The white walls and tower symbolise the "white city" (Belgrade – Beograd literally means "the white city). The white rivers below represent the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

and

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

and the primordial beginning of Belgrade while the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

trireme A trireme( ; derived from Latin: ''trirēmis'' "with three banks of oars"; cf. Greek ''triērēs'', literally "three-rower") was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean S ...

refers to its antiquity. The open gates of the city represent free communication and commerce with the world.

Modern use

Small coat of arms

The small (or lesser) coat of arms is the original design by Đorđe Andrejević-Kun. It features a simple escutcheon.

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

of Basic Coat of Arms:

Middle coat of arms

The middle (or medium) coat of arms is identical to the small, but with the addition of a golden

mural crown A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later ...

placed above the escutcheon. The crown features five

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s, and a

diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', " ...

with five gems (

rubies A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

s, emeralds). According to the standards of Serbian Heraldry Society, this wall crown with five indents belongs only to the capital city, and the diadem with jewels belongs to the historical capitals.

Greater coat of arms

The greater coat of arms consists of a silver (white) bicephalic eagle, with gold talons and beak. The

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

is a symbol of the Serbian state, and is consistent with the national coat of arms of Serbia. On the eagle's chest are the coat of arms of Belgrade, which emphasis the status of capital, and above the eagle's heads is the wall crown of the medium coat of arms. Underneath the eagle are two

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

branches, which represent civic virtues, and over the point where they cross is the first known coat of arms of Belgrade, which represents the heraldic history of the city. The sword and the olive branch on the large coat of arms represent readiness to fight in war, and to cooperate in peace. Over the oak branches are decorations given to Belgrade, in their natural colours, and with appropriate ribbons. They stand for the glorious past and merits of the citizens of Belgrade. The medals are: #

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, founded on May 19, 1802, by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

, and is given as fifth grade and is the highest decoration of France. It was awarded to Belgrade in 1920, by Franchet d'Espèrey, French marshal, and honorary Field marshal of Serbian army. Only four cities outside France have received this medal: Belgrade, Liège,

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, and Stalingrad. Awarded to Belgrade in recognition of the glorious defence of city during World War I. #

Order of the Karađorđe's Star Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, awarded to Belgrade on May 18, 1939. The order was founded in four grades King

Petar I of Serbia Peter I ( sr-Cyr, Петар I Карађорђевић, Petar I Кarađorđević; – 16 August 1921) was the last king of Serbia, reigning from 15 June 1903 to 1 December 1918. On 1 December 1918, he became the first king of the Serbs, ...

on January 1, 1904. #

Order of the People's Hero The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; sl, Red narodnega heroja, mk, Oрден на народен херој, Orden na ...

, awarded to Belgrade on October 20, 1974 (on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

) # Czechoslovak War Cross, awarded to Belgrade on October 8, 1925, founded by the

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

n government. It was given for courage, and valour in fighting the enemy during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

References

External links

City of Belgrade official website
{{Authority control 1931 establishments in Serbia Belgrade Belgrade Culture in Belgrade 1930s in Belgrade Belgrade Belgrade