The coat of arms of the city of
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
features a golden lion beneath a city gate in a blue field. The current version of the symbol was adopted by the city council in 1990. Based on the principles of the
blazoning it features a lion passant Or, beneath a castle gate Or, in an azure field.
History
The lion was a traditional symbol of the city throughout the ages. The first such depictions occurred on 13th-century seals of dukes
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
and
Leo of Volhynia, rulers of medieval
Ruthenian duchy of
Halych-Volynia. The earliest known emblem of the city features a
lion passant through a city gate pointed with three towers. It was featured on a city council seals, used by the magistrate in 1359 and later.
In 1526 Polish king
Sigismund the Old of Poland formally accepted the coat of arms. To underline that the city belongs to the crown, a royal crown was added in the coronet. In later ages, although the colours and shapes of all the
charges
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
varied, their number remained the same. In 1586 bishop
Jan Dymitr Solikowski
Jan Dymitr Solikowski (1539, in Sieradz – 27 June 1603, in Lwów, Poland) was a Polish writer, diplomat, Archbishop of Lwów.
He was since 1564 secretary of King Zygmunt II August. He participated in the rebuild of structures of the church ...
, royal diplomat and a bishop of Lwów, as the city was then called, was accepted on an audience by the
Pope Sixtus V. In the effect, the city was granted with a privilege of adding the papal coat of arms to its own. Thus the shape of the lion was modified. The lion passant was replaced with a
lion rampant
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Chr ...
, with the papal emblem (three helmets and an 8-pointed star) in one of the legs. During the
partitions of Poland, after the city got annexed by
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, on November 6, 1789, the coat of arms was again confirmed by the highest authorities - this time by Emperor
Joseph II of Austria
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...
.
During the
Galician period the city emblem remained unchanged. After the
Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919-1920, the city became once again a part of Poland. After the
Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918, the city was awarded with the
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...
medal, the highest Polish military decoration. Since 1936, the medal was also featured in the emblem's compartment. In addition, the city's motto
semper fidelis was also featured.
After
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 ...
the city was annexed by
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. On July 15, 1967, a new, simplified coat of arms was approved by the Soviet authorities. It featured a lion rampant Or, below a three-towered city gate proper, with a
hammer and sickle in the centre Or, on azure.
After
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
declared independence, on 5 July 1990 the city council passed a new coat of arms, modelled after the initial emblem from the times of Ruthenia. The new coat of arms was designed by
Andriy Grechylo, Ivan Svarnyk, Ivan and Volodymyr Turetskyi.
Gallery
file:Lviv_1359.jpg, Seal of Lviv City (14th century)
file:Lwów CoA 1526.png, Coat of arms, from the View of Lviv, designed by Abraham Hogenberg (1618)
file:Lviv coat avst.png, Historical coat of arms, used during the Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n period (1789-1918)
file:POL Lwów COA.svg, Historical coat of arms, used during the Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
period (1936-1939)
file:Lviv coat sov.png, Historical coat of arms, used during the Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
period (1967-1990)
References
* Grechylo A. Herb Lvova: geneza, tradytsiyi, vidrodzhennya. In: Istoriya Lvova. Vol. 1 (1256-1772), p. 38-44. Lviv, 2006. (Coat of arms of Lviv: origins, traditions, revival. In: History of Lviv, vol. 1)
* Grechylo A. Pechatky mista Lvova XIV-ХVІІI st. (Seals of Lviv City (14th-18th c.)) Lviv, 2010.
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Coats of arms of cities in Ukraine
Coats of arms with buildings
Coats of arms with lions
Culture in Lviv
Coats of arms with swords