Considering the modern coat of arms of Kronstadt and the historical heraldic symbol granted to the city in May 1780 by Empress Catherine II, you can play the game "Find so many differences", popular among children. Indeed, the symbols are very similar, despite the fact that they are separated by more than two hundred years. At the same time, there is a difference between them, the coats of arms differ in color scheme, as well as in the artistic manner of depicting certain elements.
Description of the heraldic symbol
In fact, the coat of arms of Kronstadt consists of a shield, the person who will name the form will not be mistaken - the French shield is traditionally used. It is divided by a vertical stripe into two equal fields, each of which has its own color and its own symbols that are important.
The left field (for the viewer, heraldically right) is azure, the right one is scarlet, each of the fields has a base that differs in color - in the left field - emerald, herbal, in the right - the color of silver. The symbols chosen for the coat of arms are also interesting: a lighthouse, shown in the form of a silver tower with black windows and a gold lantern, topped with a golden imperial crown (for the viewer - on the left); a black boiler installed on a green island.
On the historical coat of arms, the same symbols were located in the same way, the difference in the drawing of small details, as well as the color scheme. The symbol approved by the empress had a more restrained palette, for example, there was no green at all, the base for the tower and the island on which the cauldron was located were silver. The old coat of arms of Kronstadt still looks more stylish on color and black-and-white photos.
The meaning of the coat of arms
The precious headdress of the emperors testified that Kronstadt is both a fortress and a defense of St. Petersburg from external enemies from the West, and the capital of the Russian fleet. It is known that the city was founded by Peter I precisely for the construction of ships and the conquest of European sea spaces.
The lighthouse, another important symbol of the coat of arms of Kronstadt, appeared in these places long before the construction of the fortress. The cauldron is associated with the name of one of the islands that are part of the modern city - Kotlin.
According to legend, the island received this name, since the first soldiers who entered the island liberated from the Swedes discovered a cauldron that belonged to the enemy and was in a hurry forgotten by him. The color palette of the city's coat of arms matters, azure is a symbol of the sea, sea and air elements, scarlet is a symbol of courage.
