Another Russian city chose the image of an animal as the main character of its own heraldic symbol. The coat of arms of Samara demonstrates a slender, very graceful mountain goat. Moreover, the animal appeared on the coat of arms of the city a very long time ago, back in 1780.
Symbols of the elements and colors depicted
From the point of view of composition, the modern coat of arms of Samara is primitively simple, although a very deep meaning is read behind this simplicity. The French shield, one of the most popular in the Russian heraldic tradition, was chosen as the basis. The lower ends of the shield are rounded, the base is pointed.
The shield field is divided into two unequal parts - green and azure. The base on which the mountain goat is located is drawn in green. Green color, traditionally for heraldry, means abundance, wealth, prosperity.
The azure background actually conveys a cloudless sky, but at the same time it symbolizes beauty and greatness. The slender animal is depicted quite realistically, turned to the left (in heraldry - to the right) and standing on the base. The goat is painted with silver paint, which corresponds to white. The shade of the precious metal symbolized the purity of thoughts and actions, nobility.
Another important element appeared on the coat of arms of Samara in 1998. It is a precious crown above the shield and crowning the composition. It is made of gold, decorated with stones and a cross.
From the history of the coat of arms of Samara
The official approval of the first coat of arms of the city took place in 1780, its image was identical to the modern one. Historians claim that the main heraldic symbol that appeared, repeated, in turn, the image of the city emblem, which Christoph Munnich included in his "Znamenny Emblem".
In 1851, Emperor Nicholas I once again approved the coat of arms of Samara, this time a shield with the image of a mountain goat was crowned with the Imperial crown. In 1859, the mountain goat was mentioned in the description of the heraldic symbol, and the colors of its individual elements were specified: golden horns; scarlet eyes and tongue; black hooves. In addition, the Andreevskaya ribbon appeared, connecting the golden ears. This description remained in the form of a project.
During the years of Soviet power, firstly, the city itself was renamed Kuibyshev, and secondly, a new coat of arms with Soviet symbols was introduced. True, there was also a place for a historical symbol. The azure shield with a silver goat in a very reduced form was present on the coat of arms, until in 1992 it again became the main official symbol of Samara.
