Bordeaux, the "little Paris", is the capital of the Gironde department, as well as the capital of the region as a whole. According to the French themselves, it is one of the most romantic cities in the country. Like many European cities, Bordeaux boasts a long and glorious history, in which the relationship with the British Kingdom has played a huge role. Moreover, these relationships played such an important role that it was even reflected in the official symbols of the city. And to be convinced of this, you just need to look at the photo depicting the coat of arms of Bordeaux.
Although the interaction of Bordeaux with English culture can be seen, as they say, with the naked eye, since the city surprisingly combines French pretentiousness and the desire for beauty and comfort with the relaxed, amusing atmosphere of English towns.
Description and history of the coat of arms
The coat of arms of Bordeaux is made according to the classical canons of European heraldry. The composition contains the following elements:
- crossed shield;
- stylized lilies;
- walking lion;
- fortress wall;
- tower crown;
- shield holders - antelopes in chains;
- crescent.
As you can see, the creators of the composition made sure that it was as informative as possible. It was compiled, according to historians, back in the XV-XVI centuries, shortly after the end of the Hundred Years War.
As already noted, the coat of arms was drawn up in full accordance with the traditions of that time, which is confirmed by the presence of such elements as a tower crown, a fortress wall and a walking lion. In this hypostasis, the lion symbolizes, first of all, courage and courage, and a large tower crown with five teeth is a symbol of the provincial center with a large population (more than 50 thousand people).
The presence of a lily on the coat of arms is also very interesting. Initially, it was a symbol of the Virgin Mary, but later turned into an obligatory attribute of the royal arms.
The original element is antelope in chains. It can be noted right away that it was quite acceptable for European heraldry to depict antelope with large horns, fangs, lion tails and other unexpected attributes. Therefore, antelopes in this case are a symbol of strength and readiness to withstand dangers.
As for the symbols specific to Bordeaux, it is a crescent moon reflected in the river that runs through the city.
