The inhabitants of this small European state assure that they are ready to celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the appearance of the main state symbol. The coat of arms of Austria, indeed, appeared already in the 15th century. A surviving silver coin from the time of Frederick Barbarossa depicts the image of an eagle on a shield.
True, the minted coin was with a single-headed eagle, and until 1806 a bird with two heads became the imperial symbol. In general, a beautiful bird of prey was a frequent visitor on the coats of arms of various states of Central Europe, the heirs of the Holy Roman Empire.
A bit of history
The eagle on the main emblem of Austria appeared and disappeared, then lost its second head, then again became two-headed. Over the years of its existence, the Great Austro-Hungarian Empire used various coats of arms, historians name in this series the symbols of the Austrian Archduchy, the heritage of the Habsburg dynasty (coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire in 1605), Emperor Franz Joseph I.
From 1915 to 1918 the middle coat of arms of Austria was in effect, where the black eagle again had two heads, crowned with one crown. Then a completely new symbol appears, retaining only national colors (gold, black, red). It consists of three elements of a black tower, red hammers and golden ears, symbolizing the unification of the bourgeoisie, workers and farmers. It was created in haste, was subjected to harsh criticism, and a year later it remained in history, and the eagle took its permanent place.
In 1938, Austria was annexed to Germany, the country was deprived of its sovereignty and, of course, all its state symbols. The newfound freedom raised the question of the coat of arms, the authorities decided to return to the model that operated in these territories from 1919 to 1934. The only change concerned the appearance of broken chains on the bird's legs.
Modern Austrian coat of arms
The predatory formidable eagle still occupies a central place on the main symbol of the country. On his chest there is a shield in the colors of the national flag. Somehow the Austrians could not decide on its form, the changes were quite frequent. Currently, the heraldic form of the shield is used, no changes are expected.
The eagle has a golden crown on its head, reminiscent of a castle tower, wings are spread, a red tongue sticks out, in general, everything looks quite frightening. In his paws he holds a hammer and sickle. In addition, the paws were, as it were, bound by a chain, but it was torn. This symbol appeared after the victory over Germany in World War II, and means liberation from the brown plague.
