The official symbol of the German capital today is the black bear. The coat of arms of Berlin, the main heraldic symbol, was approved by the city authorities only in 1954. However, historians claim that the image of a formidable predator has been used in this capacity for many centuries.
Description of the official symbol of Berlin
The coat of arms of the city, like the symbols of many other famous capitals of Europe, has a fairly simple compositional structure. The main element is the formidable predator - the bear.
The image has some peculiarities, in particular, the animal is colored black, and not brown, which is natural for it. In addition, the predator is presented standing on its hind legs, with a bared mouth and protruding tongue. The color of the tongue and claws is scarlet, one of the most common in heraldic practice. The bear is depicted on a white shield, which corresponds to silver in heraldry.
Another element to crown the composition is the crown. On its rim, you can see the masonry of a castle or a tower with a closed gate in the central part. The crown has five teeth shaped like leaves of carved leaves.
Looking back
German scientists have proven that the earliest depiction of the coat of arms of Berlin dates back to 1280. It can be seen on the seals of ancient documents preserved in the archives. There is one main difference from the modern symbol of the German capital - the presence of two bears on the seal, and one of them is painted in the usual brown color, and the second in black.
Other important elements of the city's symbol at that time were the eagle, a well-known heraldic element, and the Margrave helmet, which emphasized the historical roots and the inviolability of power.
There is another explanation for the appearance of a helmet and a bear on the coat of arms of Berlin, this is a kind of tribute to the memory of Margrave Albrecht I of Brandenburg (c. 1100 - 1170), also known by the nickname Albrecht the Bear. Under his leadership, the eastern territories were actively developed, which became a German colony.
By the middle of the 15th century, one of the bears disappeared, but the second remained in the company of the eagle. The bird of prey symbolized the dynasty of the Brandenburg electors, since it was present on their family coat of arms.
Since 1588, the Berlin magistrate allowed himself to use a seal depicting one bear, without an eagle. In 1709, the situation changed dramatically - the bear stood on its hind legs, and the number of birds doubled, which became a symbol of the unification of Brandenburg and Prussia.
