One of the Russian hero cities, located in the north of the country, could not ignore its specific geographical position, a special role in the economy and not use them in heraldic symbols. The coat of arms of Murmansk is drawn up in the spirit of the best traditions of European heraldry and is the main official symbol of the city.
Description of the Murmansk coat of arms
The black and white photo conveys the stylishness and laconicism of the heraldic sign of Murmansk, the color image demonstrates the high aesthetics and serious work of the authors of the sketch on the color palette.
Two colors have been chosen for the coat of arms of the city - azure and gold, each of them has a special meaning. Azure corresponds to the sea, the sky and the long, polar night, gold, respectively, is the color of the sun, aurora borealis, the richness of the sea.
The coat of arms of this large sea and military port city is a French shield traditionally chosen for the heraldic symbols of the new Russia. The field of the shield is divided into two parts, the upper is azure, the lower is golden, respectively, the following elements are presented in a different color in each of the fields:
- in the upper part - the silhouette of a ship, reminiscent of modern trawlers;
- Above the ship there is a schematic representation of the northern lights;
- in the lower part - a representative of the sea kingdom.
Both the ship and the fish are a direct allusion to the geographical position of Murmansk on the map of Russia. In addition, each of the elements present on the heraldic symbol has its own role. Thus, the image of fish "speaks" of the innumerable riches of the depths of the sea, fish and seafood, which are supplied to all regions of the Russian Federation and abroad. The vessel, which has a rather modern look, presents Murmansk as one of the largest Russian ports.
From the history of the coat of arms
It is clear that the modern official symbol of the city is not so many years old, as, indeed, and Murmansk itself. The city's coat of arms appeared in 1968 as a result of a competition. The winner was a sketch presented by local architect Nikolai Bystryakov.
Later, in 2004, changes were made to the image of the coat of arms, concerning non-heraldic details. In particular, the blue color suggested by the author of the sketch has been replaced by the heraldic azure color. The name of the city "Murmansk", which was located in the upper half of the shield, also disappeared. Information appeared that in 2012 the authorities announced a new competition for the image of the main heraldic symbol.
