Sterlitamak's coat of arms: history and meaning

Sterlitamak is a city in the Republic of Bashkortostan, located on the banks of the Belaya River. The city begins its history from 1766, when the Ashkadar salt pier was built here. Later, the pier was renamed Sterlitamak. In the same year, the history of the coat of arms of Sterlitamak begins. What was it like?

First coat of arms of the settlement

In 1781, the Ufa vicegerency was formed. It consists of the Ufa and Orenburg regions. It was in the Ufa region that the city of Sterlitamak entered, to which, in 1782, by the order of Catherine II, an official symbol was given. The first coat of arms of Sterlitamak, whose photo you see in the article, was created by adviser AA Volkov. The shield, divided into two equal parts, represented above the marten running along the silver field (this symbol was the coat of arms of Ufa at the time). On the lower half of the shield were three goose silver color on a blue background. Prior to the renaming of the Ufa province in the Orenburg province (that is, until 1796), this image was the official symbol of Sterlitamak.

Sterlitamak's coat of arms: the story continues

For a long time, Sterlitamak became a small provincial town of the Orenburg province. Not only his status was changed, but also the coat of arms. The new approved shield had a background of solemn-golden color. It was divided in half by a horizontal wavy line of blue. This line was a symbol of the river Sterly. In the upper part of the emblem was a symbol of the Russian Empire - a two-headed eagle. It is visible only up to the middle of the trunk. On the lower part of the shield, three swans swim - the old symbols of the settlement. By the way, the birds appeared on the coat of arms as a sign of their abundance in this area.

In 1865 the city again passes into the possession of the Ufa province. The official sign of it is changing again. The story turned back - it was decided to return to the previous image on the shield of a marten and three geese. In this form, the coat of arms of Sterlitamak lasted until 1917.

Symbol of the city in Soviet times

In the traditional form, the symbol of Sterlitamak lasted even in times of Soviet rule. True, there were attempts to change it, but they did not end in any way. On badges on souvenir products today are known the most popular sketches of the emblem at that time.

The first option - the golden field is intersected by a slightly darker gold line, on which the name of the city is written in black. On both sides of the line there is a gear: the top is red and without a notch, and the bottom is azure, with gold notches. At the very bottom of the shield, a mountainous area of azure color and golden silhouettes of plants are depicted.

The second option - the golden field of the shield contains a black line at the bottom. It symbolizes oil. From the bottom line up the golden pipes, then four apparatus. Crowns the composition of a gold gear, inside filled with azure.

The coat of arms of Sterlitamak, the description of which you read above, was to symbolize the industrialization of the Soviet era, the construction of plants, the development of the chemical and oil industry, and machine building. But still, the traditional image was decided not to change.

July-October 2006

On July 18, 2006, the city council decided to change the symbolism of the settlement. Previously, the existing coat of arms of Sterlitamak is being updated. In the lower blue field of the shield there are three floating goose of silver color. Their silhouettes are framed by gilded lines. In the upper field of the silver color is a marten of brown (natural) color. These fields on the shield sever three curved azure lines. This version of the symbol lasted only a few months in the official status. On the recommendation of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, it was canceled on November 1, 2006. At the same time, the new coat of arms of Sterlitamak was approved. The symbol of the Ufa viceroyalty - marten - is removed from it.

The current symbol of the city

For 225 years, the main symbols of the city remain recognizable. It's about proud birds - geese. The coat of arms is a symbol of the developing city, the inhabitants are proud of it. In the bright azure field of the shield with a reduced intersection in the form of four wavy lines of silver color, three silver goose swim, their beaks are scarlet - so today the coat of arms of Sterlitamak looks like. What does this symbol mean?

Three goose are associated with the high urgency of the issue of environmental protection, because today Sterlitamak is the industrial center of Bashkortostan.

The color of geese is a symbol of faith and nobility, spirituality and purity, sincerity of the inhabitants of the settlement on five rivers. The field of the coat of arms is filled with azure color not in vain, it is a symbol of greatness of a city, its beauty. It also means the desire of residents to preserve its ecological purity, which in our time becomes so difficult to do. The color of the beaks of steppe birds - scarlet - denotes the generosity, courage and courage of the townspeople. A wide silver belt symbolizes the abundance of water and rivers in Sterlitamak.

The version of the emblem with solemn registration

The coat of arms with solemn design is not always used, but it is necessary to know what it looks like. The shield is framed with a wreath of oak branches in golden color. The wreath is intertwined in the style of folk Bashkir ornament. On the wreath is a ribbon of blue color. The name of the city Sterlitamak is written on it in white letters. The crown in the form of a flower of the kuraya crowns the coat of arms from above. The image was approved on November 1, 2006. The coat of arms was framed on November 13, 2007. The day of the city's coat of arms is set on June 8 of each year.

At present, the city's coat of arms is of considerable importance in the process of educating youth in a patriotic spirit, in preserving the image of Sterlitamak and in shaping the worldview of its inhabitants.