The Coat of arms of Kharkiv is the official

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of both

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast ( uk, Харківська́ о́бласть, translit=Kharkivska oblast), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna ( uk, Ха́рківщина), is an oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhans ...

. It is also a historical flag of

Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine (literally: Borderland of free frontier guards; uk, Слобідська Україна, Slobidska Ukraina), or Slobozhanshchyna ( uk, Слобожанщина, Slobozhanshchyna, ), is a historical region, now located in Northeas ...

History

The oldest arms of the city, known from the early 17th century, showed a bow and arrow. These arms, of unknown meaning or origin, were used until 1781. On September 21, 1781, the city was granted new arms, showing a horn of plenty (cornucopia) and a staff of

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

(

caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; la, cādūceus, from grc-gre, κηρύκειον "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also ...

), symbols for agriculture and trade. On July 5, 1878 the arms were replaced. The new arms showed a horse-head, symbol for the famous stud farms in the city, with in the chief two coins and a star (see above). The coins symbolised trade and wealth, the star the new university. These arms were, at the request of the nobility, replaced by the old 1781 arms again on May 21, 1887. The arms with the staff and cornucopia remained in use until 1918. During Soviet times the city had no official arms until December 26, 1968. The new arms were a typical example of Soviet heraldry, showing a wheel for industry, an atom for knowledge and a wheat-ear for agriculture, as well as the name of the city. Finally, on September 14, 1995, the city council adopted the arms from 1878 again as the new city arms. File:Perszyj herb Charkowa.svg, The first Kharkiv coat of arms File:Герб Харькова основной исторический.png, Coat of Arms of Kharkov 1781 File:Coat of Arms of Kharkov Governorate (1878-1887).png, Coat of arms of

Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: �xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From ...

File:1978USSRKharkovHerb.jpg, The Soviet coat of arms of Kharkov (1968-1995) File:SovietHerbOfKharkov2.svg, An unofficial version of the Soviet coat of arms

Description

The coat of arms consists of a verdant shield with gold trim. A

and a cornucopia are crossed on it. The caduceus symbolises commerce, while the cornucopia, also called the "horn of plenty", emphasises an abundance of food. The shield is wreathed with golden oak leaves tied with a blue ribbon. The upper half of a

sprocket A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel with teeth that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which radial projections engage a chain passi ...

is visible above the shield, symbolising industry. Four stalks of

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

, two on either side of the sprocket, symbolise agriculture. The sprocket is surmounted by an open book with an

atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, and ...

ic symbol, symbolising

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. The city of Ragusa, Sicily has similar heraldic combination (caduceus and cornucopia).

External links

Description of the Kharkiv coat of arms
Coats of arms of cities in Ukraine Ukrainian coats of arms

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.