Coat of arms of Belgrade
Encyclopedia
History
The small coat of arms was sketched by Đorđe Andrejević Kun in 1931, and was officially adopted the following year. In July 2003, medium and large coats of arms were adopted. They were designed by the Serbian Heraldry Society "White Eagle" . The basic (small) coat of arms is intended for wide public usage, and is the only one that may be used for commercial purposes. The medium coat of arms is used by the city administration, its organizations, and at significant events. The large coat of arms is used for presenting the city of Belgrade, and only the top city officials may use it. Occasionally, with the permission of officials, citizens may use it. The coat of arms has recently been changed to include name of the city and URL of its official website.Small coat of arms
The small coat of arms has the shape of a shield, and consists of the three Serbian national colors (red, blue, white). The blue sky symbolizes hope and faith in a better future. The red colour of the ground is a symbol of the suffering of the Serbian people in the struggle for freedom. The rivers (Sava and DanubeDanube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
) symbolise the strength of Belgrade, and they are white according to the rules of heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
. The white walls and towers are marks of a white city (Београд / Beograd is Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
for "White City"). The walls represent a city of trade, the tower and open gate represent an open market and hospitality. The ship, a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
trireme
Trireme
A trireme was a type of galley, a Hellenistic-era warship that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans.The trireme derives its name from its three rows of oars on each side, manned with one man per oar...
refers to the antiquity of the city.
Medium coat of arms
The medium coat of arms is the same as the small one, but has a golden mural crownMural crown
-Usage in ancient times:In Hellenistic culture, a mural crown identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna...
placed above the shield. The crown has five visible merlon
Merlon
In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
s, and a diadem
Diadem
Diadem may refer to:*Diadem, a type of crown-Military:*HMS Diadem was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line in the Royal Navy launched in 1782 at Chatham and participated in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1787...
with five gem
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s (rubies, sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s, emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
s). According to the standards of Serbian Heraldry Society, this wall crown with five indents belongs only to the capital city, and the diadem with jewels belongs to the historical capitals.
Large coat of arms
The large coat of arms consists of a silver (white) bicephalic (two-headed) eagle, armed gold, with golden legs and tongue. The eagleEagle (heraldry)
The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Parts of the eagle's body such as its head, wings or leg are also used as a charge or crest....
is a symbol of the Serbian state, and is consistent with the coat of arms of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. On the eagle's chest are the coat of arms of Belgrade, which emphasis the status of capital, and above the eagle's heads is the wall crown of the medium coat of arms. Underneath the eagle are two oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
branches, which represent civic virtues, and over the point where they cross is the first known coat of Belgrade, which represents the heraldic history of the city. The sword and the olive branch on the large coat of arms represent readiness to fight in war, and to cooperate in peace. Over the oak branches are decorations given to Belgrade, in their natural colours, and with appropriate ribbons. They stand for the glorious past and merits of the citizens of Belgrade. The medals are:
- Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords, given to the Belgrade on May 18, 1939. The order was founded in four grades King Petar I of Serbia on January 1, 1904.
- Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, founded on May 19, 1802, by Napoleon Bonaparte, and is given as fifth grade and is the highest decoration of France. It was awarded to Belgrade in 1920, by Franchet d'Espèrey, French marshal, and honorary duke of Serbian army. Only four cities outside France have received this medal (it is not given to cities anymore): Belgrade, Liege, LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, and Stalingrad (because of the famous Battle of StalingradBattle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
). Belgrade is awarded with Legion of Honour because of the glorious defense of Belgrade in World War I (1915), when Major Dragutin GavrilovićDragutin GavrilovicDragutin Gavrilović was a notable Serbian and, later, Yugoslav military officer.Gavrilović was born in Čačak, Serbia, in 1882. After his graduation from the military academy in Belgrade in 1901, he took part in every war the Serbian army fought until World War II.He is remembered in Serbian...
gave his famous speech to the defenders of Belgrade. - Czechoslovak War Cross, given to Belgrade on October 8, 1925, founded by the CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n government. It was given for courage, and valour in fighting the enemy in WWI. - Order of the National Hero, given to Belgrade on October 20, 1974 (on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of Belgrade's liberation in World War II)