On the territory of modern Poland, many ancient cities and settlements have survived, the age of which is approaching a millennium, most of them are located on the Baltic coast. The surviving monuments and architectural sights speak of their respectable age and long history. Another group of "witnesses" is heraldic symbols, for example, like the coat of arms of Gdansk.
Description of the official city symbol
The coat of arms of Gdansk has a fairly long history, built according to the classical canons. But over the centuries, the heraldic symbol has changed its appearance more than once, in its image separate elements have disappeared or appeared. The modern city symbol contains the following important parts:
- a shield with the image of two Greek crosses and a royal crown;
- supporters in the images of stylized lions;
- a ribbon at the base of the composition with the written name of the city.
The color palette is quite bright, two colors are used, most of all gold, in which the lions and the base are painted. The second place is taken by the scarlet color, which is used for the shield. Crosses are depicted in silver.
A journey through the pages of the history of Gdansk
Historians, based on information from various sources, believe that the city was founded in 1227. They also put forward a version that in the same year the first city seal appeared, the prototype of the modern coat of arms of Gdansk.
True, artifacts confirming this version have not yet been identified, and the earliest document with the image of the seal dates back to 1299. Also in the museum collections are kept coins, the place of which was minted in Gdansk. They depict an oblong shield with a cross, a cross and a weapon, somewhat very reminiscent of the modern appearance of the city's coat of arms.
In 1400, there was an attempt to move away from this heraldic symbol, so the new municipal seal contained an image of a ship with a waving flag, on which the already familiar crosses were depicted. The same scarlet banner was used by the troops of Gdansk during the Battle of Grunwald.
So gradually the Greek crosses settled on the heraldic symbol of the city, taking a central place. Above the composition was crowned with a royal crown. In 1457, King Casimir, by his decree, under the pretext of "renewal and improvement", supplemented the coat of arms of Gdansk with shield holders.
In 1577, the townspeople revolted against King Stephen, written evidence has been preserved that, refusing to obey the Polish monarch, they showed the coat of arms of Gdansk without a crown.
