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 the town of

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

West Pomeranian Voivodeship The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

depicts the head of a red griffin with a yellow (golden) beak, and a yellow (golden) crown, place on the white (silver) background.

Design

The coat of arms is a white (silver) Iberian style escutcheon with square top and rounded base. It depicts a head of a griffin with red feathers, a symbol of

house of Griffin The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty (german: Greifen; pl, Gryfici, da, Grif) was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been take ...

, a dynasty that ruled in

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

during the Medieval Ages. The animal wears yellow (golden)

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

, and has yellow (golden) beak, with a red tongue put out of its mouth.

History

The griffin is a traditional symbol of the

West Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Weste ...

, used since 12th century. Between 12th and 13th century, the griffin become the symbol of the

House of Griffin The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty (german: Greifen; pl, Gryfici, da, Grif) was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been take ...

, that ruled in that area. Subsequently, the red griffin on the white background had become the symbol of the Duchy of the Pomerania-Stettin. In the 1730s, that design had become the symbol of the entire

. In 1321, the town of

, was incorporated into the city of Szczecin.''Encyklopedia Szczecina''. vol, 2, P-Ż. Szczecin:

University of Szczecin The University of Szczecin ( pl, Uniwersytet Szczeciński) is a public university in Szczecin, western Poland. It is the biggest university in West Pomerania, with 33,267 students and a staff of nearly 1,200. It consists of 9 faculties: # Facul ...

, 2000, p. 101. ISBN 83-7241-089-5. As such, it had adopted the coat of arms of the city, which was the head of a red griffin with a yellow (golden) beak, with its red tongue out of its mouth, placed on the blue background. Originally, the coat of arms depicted the animal without a crown, however later, a yellow (golden) crown on its head had been added. Police became an independent town again in 1808. In 1994, the town had established the new, current design of its coat of arms, different from the one used by the city of Szczecin. In that year, it had also established a flag, that features the coat of arms as part of its design.''Encyklopedia Polic''. Police: Town Council of Police, 2015, p. 83. ISBN 978-83-64665-00-4. Since 1999, the coat of arms is also used by the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Flag of Police

The flag of the town of

was established, together with the coat of arms, in 1994. Since 1999, it is also used by the

. It is divided into three stripes, from top to bottom, red, yellow (golden), and white (silver). The top and bottom stripes have the aspect ratio of height to width of 2:5, and are twice as high as the middle stripe, that has the aspect ratio of height to width of 1:5. In the middle of the top stripe is placed the coat of arms of the town.

References

{{Heraldry in Poland

Police, West Pomeranian Voivodeship Police, coat of arms Police, coat of arms

1994 establishments in Poland