What other symbol could take the main place on the heraldic sign of this Russian city, if not the beautiful linden tree. The coat of arms of Lipetsk, on the one hand, seems primitively simple, since it contains only one element. On the other hand, the image of a tree carries a deep philosophical meaning and is important.
Symbolic tree
The main heraldic symbol of the city of Lipetsk depicts a single element - linden, and the tree is shown quite young. It has a thin trunk and a beautiful spherical crown. The color palette of the coat of arms is very laconic, only three colors are used, perfectly in harmony with each other:
- gold color for the background of the shield;
- rich emerald for the crown and herbaceous base;
- light brown to convey the color of the tree trunk.
Why was the linden tree chosen for the main official symbol of Lipetsk? There are many answers to this question. First, it symbolically indicates the name of the city. Secondly, linden trees are among the most common inhabitants of the flora kingdom in the region.
Thirdly, linden has long been used in human economic activity, it gives wood, leaves that can be eaten. In addition, in the old days, bast was actively used, the lower layer of the bark, from which bast shoes were woven. Linden honey is both a favorite delicacy of many people, and a source of vitamins, nutrients, and a real helper in the fight against colds.
From the history of the heraldic symbol
The first coat of arms was approved in August 1781, while Lipetsk was a small district town, which was part of the Tambov governorship. The linden tree was already in the spotlight at the very first heraldic sign. But, besides him, in the upper part of the shield was the coat of arms of the governorship (this is a common practice of those times).
It is not known why this coat of arms, with a completely neutral image of a linden tree, of Soviet power, did not please, but in 1968 a new official symbol of the city was approved, the author of the sketch was a local artist Nikolai Polunin.
In the new coat of arms, only the golden color of the shield was preserved, and completely new elements appeared. Naturally, they were associated with the idea of an alliance between industry and agriculture, which was popular in Soviet times. Therefore, a ladle pouring steel was depicted as a symbol of heavy metallurgy, and a golden wreath of ears of wheat in the symbolic meaning of the abundance of lands.
