Let it not seem strange, but the inhabitants of the capital of Bulgaria turned not to the eminent artist or designer to create the main official symbol of the city, but to the student of the Drawing School Kh. Tachev. A talented young man created the coat of arms of Sofia in 1900, the same image is used today. The reason was the participation of the Bulgarian capital in the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where the emblem of the city was required to decorate the festive hall.
During the life of the country under socialism, the Sofia coat of arms was supplemented by the most famous Soviet symbol - a red star. After gaining the opportunity to choose the path of development themselves, the Bulgarians decided to remove this symbol from the coat of arms of Sofia.
Only sunny colors
Such associations are evoked by the palette of colors used to create the Sofia heraldic sign. First of all, this concerns the shield and the large shield, painted in bright, saturated colors.
The Lesser Shield is painted in a heraldic scarlet color, which is sometimes shown as purple or violet. The large shield is divided into four fields, three of them are colored scarlet, yellow, azure and contain symbolic elements. The fourth field is a mountainous landscape.
Composition and symbolism
Photos of the coat of arms convey the brightness of colors, scientists in the field of heraldry look more closely at the elements depicted in one or another field of the large shield and on the central shield. The following elements are presented:
- stylized image of a lion, the symbol of Bulgaria (on the shield);
- the image of the goddess of wisdom - Sophia (in profile);
- the basilica erected in honor of St. Sophia;
- temple of the god Apollo;
- the landscape of Vitosha, the favorite mountain of the Bulgarians, a witness to many historical events.
In addition, there are three more important elements that are quite often found in the heraldic signs of states or cities. Two of them are made in the traditional style - a tower crown, which crowns the coat of arms and the motto of the capital, written on a silver ribbon in Bulgarian. The inscription is translated simply: "Growing, but not aging."
The most interesting elements in the coat of arms of Sofia are laurel branches, they do not form a wreath, as can be seen on many heraldic symbols, they are not part of the frame. They are full-fledged shield holders that support the shield and serve as a support for the tape. True, the symbolic meaning remains the same, the laurel acts as a symbol of victory.
