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 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, Luhan ...
.
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 ( caduceus), 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. Fro ...
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 caduceus and a
cornucopia
In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...
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 roller chain, chain, Caterpillar track, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which radial ...
is visible above the shield, symbolising industry. Four stalks of rye, 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, ...
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 ...
and
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
.
The city of
Ragusa, Sicily
Ragusa (; scn, Rausa ; la, Ragusia) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with 73,288 inhabitants in 2016. It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valley ...
has similar heraldic combination (caduceus and cornucopia).
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 ...
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.