The current coat of arms of

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

was adopted in 1995 and modified in 2009.

Description and symbolism

The shield is divided into two parts by a horizontal line ( parted per fess), and the upper half is further divided into two equal parts by a vertical line ( parted per pale). On the heraldic right (viewers' left) of the upper part, on a crimson field, over natural waves, a double-arched silver bridge built of hewn stone ( Trajan's Bridge) is represented, from which a golden lion emerges. The golden lion is the historical symbol of

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...

, as depicted on the coat of arms of Banat and Oltenia designed in 1921 by . On the left side (viewer's right), on a

sky blue Sky blue is a shade of light blue comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. The term (as "sky blew") is attested from 1681. A 1585 translation of Nicolas de Nicolay's 1576 ''Les navigations, peregrinations et voyages faicts en la Turquie'' i ...

field stands a stone

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

over a body of water, with double cornices, two round windows upstairs and a gate revealing an iron

water wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or bucket ...

downstairs. The tower symbolizes to be an 18th-century construction, providing water to the city from the Bega Canal. On the tower are two flags: the historical flag of Timișoara and the flag of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 that started in the city. The red flag with a silver cross is also the

flag of Savoy The Duchy of Savoy ( it, Ducato di Savoia; french: Duché de Savoie) was a country in Western Europe that existed from 1416. It was created when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The duc ...

, as used by

Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th and 18th centuries. He ...

– the man who liberated Timișoara from the Turks. The addition of the tricolor flag commemorates both the importance of the city in the revolution and the death toll suffered by the city during the events, for which it has been proclaimed by law a martyr city. In the bottom part of the shield lies the image of the medieval city with its public and industrial buildings, surrounded by the citadels of the former fortress and the Bega Canal. Above the city are an anthropomorphic

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

and a waning

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

(symbol of the Turks defeated by the Christians), a common symbolism in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

and especially in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

and

. Until the changes in 2009, since the coat of arms from 1995 was not approved by the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

, the larger shield featured a smaller shield, divided party-per-cross, with the first and fourth quarter

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...

, and the second and third sable. This is the insignia of the Royal House of

Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ( en, Nothing without God) , national_anthem = , common_languages = German , religion = Roman Catholic , currency = , title_leader = Prince , leader1 ...

, the ruling dynasty of Romania until the abolition of monarchy in the coup of 1947. Above the shield is a silver

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 ...

, symbolizing the status of the city as county seat municipality.

History

The city's first recorded coat of arms dates back to 1781, when Timișoara was proclaimed a

royal free city Royal free city or free royal city (Latin: libera regia civitas) was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és városok Magy ...

with the right to its own coat of arms and seal. The shield has remained relatively unchanged in history – the only changes since the 19th century have been the replacement of a baroque cartouche with a shield, the replacement of a gold crown with diamonds with a mural crown, the removal of the supporters (two sable horses) and addition of the Romanian revolutionary flag after 1989. File:Historical Timisoara CoA 1781.jpg, As a

(1781) File:Historical Timisoara CoA 1919 version.jpg, After the union of Banat with Romania (1919) File:Interbelic Timisoara CoA.png, In the interwar period File:RSR Mun Timisoara.png, Under the

Socialist Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the state was known as the Romanian Peop ...

File:ROU TM Timisoara CoA.svg, Until 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat of arms of Timisoara Timisoara Timișoara Timisoara Timisoara Timisoara Timisoara Timisoara