The

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 the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship,

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 populous ...

, consists of a white (silver)

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

, with a half of an

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, just ...

facing left, joined with a half of a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

facing right, both animals together wearing a yellow (golden) crown on their joined heads. It had been adopted in 2000.

Design

The coat of arms of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship is a white (silver) Iberian style

with square top and rounded base. It features a charge of Kuyavian Hybride, in the form of a half of a red

facing left, joined with a half of a black

facing right. Both animals together wear a yellow (golden) crown on their joined heads. The eagle has yellow (golden) beak, tongue and claws. The design and colours of the charge comes from the coat of arms of the

voivodeships A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...

of Inowrocław, and Brześć Kujawski, used from 14th to 18th centuries. The white (silver) colour of the escutcheon comes from historical coat of arms of the Chełmno Voivodeship, that also featured a white (silver) shield.

History

Kuyavia

The design of the coat of arms had originated as the symbol of the Kuyavia. The coat of arms included a charge used in the coat of arms, the Kuyavian Hybride, in the form of a half of a

, joined with a half of a

, both wearing together a crown on their joined heads. The design begun being used in the second half of the 12th century, by the dukes of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

controlling that area. The oldest known usage of that design in the area, comes from the 1268 seal used by duke Ziemomysł of Kuyavia, ruler of the

Duchy of Inowrocław The Duchy of Inowrocław ( pl, Księstwo Inowrocławskie) was one of the territories created during the period of the fragmentation of Poland. It was originally part of the Duchy of Kuyavia, but was separated by Ziemomysł and Władysław I the E ...

. Since 14th century, the charge, was used in the coat of arms of the

of Brześć Kujawski, Inowrocław,

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, pl, Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca; german: Lentschitza; he, לונטשיץ) is a town of 13,786 inhabitants () in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the ...

, and Sieradz. Both voivodeships of Brześć Kujawski, and Inowrocław, used the identical design, which featuring a black lion, joined with a red eagle, together wearing a yellow (golden) crown, placed on a yellow (golden) background. The Łęczyca Voivodeship used a coat of arms which featured a red lion, joined with a white eagle, together wearing a yellow (golden) crown. It was divided into two vertical fields, with red lion being placed on a white field, and eagle, on a red field. The

Sieradz Voivodeship Sieradz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship. A Voivodeship is an area administered by a voivode (Governor), and the Sieradz Voivodeshi ...

used a coat of arms which featured a red lion, joined with a black eagle, together wearing a yellow (golden) crown. It was divided into two vertical fields, with lion being placed on a yellow field, and eagle, on a red field. The voivodeship used their coats of arms until their disestablishment. Inowrocław Voivodeship was disestablished on 25 September 1772, while the rest, on 25 September 1793.

Chełmno Voivodeship

The voivodeship of Chełmno of the Kingdom of Poland was established in an 1454 order of king Casimir IV Jagiellon. It begun functioning in 1466, following the signing of the Second Peace of Thorn. The king had also established their coat of arms. There were two known versions of the coat of arms, that served as the symbol of the voivodeship. One depicted a black eagle, with a golden (yellow) crown on its neck, from which reaches a arm in silver armour, holding a sword above the head of the bird, turned to the viewer's left. It is placed on a white (silver) background. Other version depicted a white eagle, with a golden (yellow) crown on its neck, from which reaches a arm in silver armour, holding a sword above the head of the bird, turned to the viewer's left. It is placed on a red background.Dominic Szulc:
Pisma Dominika Szulca
', 1854, p. 197. Such coat of arms was also the symbol of the Malbork Voivodeship, and Royal Prussia. The Chełmno Voivodeship, ceased to exist in 1793, during the Second Partition of Poland.

Toruń Voivodeship

Prior to establishment of the

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrz ...

, within its current borders, from 1975 to 1998, existed the

Toruń Voivodeship Toruń Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Toruń. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * ...

.''Ustawa z dnia 28 maja 1975 r. o dwustopniowym podziale administracyjnym Państwa oraz o zmianie ustawy o radach narodowych.'', In: ''1975 Journal of the Laws'', no. 16, position 91.
''Ustawa z dnia 24 lipca 1998 r. o wprowadzeniu zasadniczego trójstopniowego podziału terytorialnego państwa'', In: ''1998 Journal of the Laws'', no. 96, position 603). Its coat of arms had been adopted on 12 May 1995, and remained in use until 31 December 1998, when the voivodeship ceased to exist. It consisted of the red Iberian-style

(shield), with square top and pointed bottom. It featured a white (silver) eagle with raised wings, and its head turned right. It had orange (golden) beak, tongue, and legs. On his chest was placed an orange (golden) crown, with his head going through it. From its back, on its right, was coming out a hand in the steel armor, holding a sword, over its head. They had grey colour.''Rozporządzeniem Nr 19/95 Wojewody Toruńskiego z dnia 12 maja 1995 r. w sprawie ustanowienia herbu województwa toruńskiego''. 12 May 1995. Toruń. In: ''1995 Journal of Laws of the Toruń Voivodeship'', no. 8, position 77. Toruń. 1995.

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship was established on was established on 1 January 1999. Its coat of arms had been adopted by the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Sejmik on 10 July 2000.
Uchwała Nr 444/2000 sejmiku województwa kujawsko-pomorskiego z dnia 10 lipca 2000 r. w sprawie ustanowienia wzoru herbu, flagi i sztandaru oraz innych insygniów Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego
', 10 July 2000. In: ''2000 Journal of Laws of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship'', no. 78, position 618. Toruń: Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Sejmik. 2000.

References

{{Heraldry in Poland Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship 2000 establishments in Poland Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship