Orenburg is a large city in the south of the Urals with a population of 460 thousand inhabitants. The article will focus on the symbols of this settlement. Coat of arms and flag of Orenburg - what are they? And what is their meaning?
Orenburg: a brief biography of the city
The first mention of the city on the banks of the Ural River dates back to 1735. It was then that the Orenburg fortress was founded here.
All researchers agree that the name of the city comes from the phrase "fortress on the Ori" (just at the place where the Ori flows into the Urals, the city was founded). Most likely, this name was given to Orenburg by I. Kirilov, the initiator of the beginning of the development of this region. He argued that in this place it is simply necessary to build a city in order to open the way to Central Asia and India.
Orenburg, in fact, tried to found three times. At first, it seemed to V. Tatishchev (the leader of the exploration expedition) that the chosen area was flooded too much by spring floods. As a result, the construction was moved to another place - to Krasnaya Gora. However, it turned out that the territory there was completely treeless, with stony soil. And the new head of the expedition laid the city for the third time, in another place (it is there nowthe old town is located).
However, it was decided not to change the original name "Orenburg".
It is curious that in the middle of the twentieth century, under Soviet rule, the city was called Chkalov for some time - in honor of the famous pilot. Despite the fact that Valery Chkalov himself had never been to Orenburg, on the embankment of the Ural River, in the center of the city, a six-meter bronze monument was erected to him in 1956.
Coat of arms of Orenburg: description and history
At the heart of the modern coat of arms of the city is a shield of classical shape, pointed downwards. On a golden background, a double-headed eagle topped with a large imperial crown is depicted. It seems to come out of the blue waves, under which there is a blue St. Andrew's cross.
Obviously, the blue ribbon on the coat of arms is the local river Ural. The eagle, symbolizing state power, is black, with golden beaks and red tongues. In total, three imperial crowns can be counted on the coat of arms of Orenburg - two on the heads of an eagle and one on the top of the shield.
The first coat of arms of the city of Orenburg was approved back in 1782. Before that, the settlement withstood the five-month taxation of the corral by Emelyan Pugachev. For the fact that Orenburg withstood the onslaught of a large army, Catherine II awarded him the St. Andrew's Cross - the highest order of Tsarist Russia. That is why this cross is present on the coat of arms of Orenburg.
Talented artists and designers from different regions of the country worked on the reconstruction of the city emblem of Orenburg. Among them are Mikhail Medvedev, Konstantin Mochenov, Olga Salova.
Coat of arms of Orenburg and its meaning
The modern coat of arms of the city is a confirmation of the huge contribution of Orenburg residents to the development of the country. Throughout the history of Orenburg, they have shown themselves to be both reliable defenders and hard workers. And the double-headed eagle flaunts on the city coat of arms is not at all accidental. So the people of Orenburg were thanked for their great services to the Motherland.
What do the colors of the symbol of Orenburg symbolize? The golden background of the coat of arms is, first of all, a sign of prosperity, stability and we alth of the region. The blue color represents high spirituality, pure thoughts and nobility of the inhabitants of Orenburg.
Red symbolizes strength, selflessness and courage, while black is a symbol of deep wisdom and modesty at the same time.
Flag of the city of Orenburg
The official flag of the city is not much different from its coat of arms. This is a standard rectangular canvas with dimensions of 2:3. Exactly in the middle it is crossed by a wavy blue stripe symbolizing the Ural River. Against the golden background of the flag is the same black double-headed eagle, and under the ribbon of the river is the blue St. Andrew's Cross.
The updated flag of Orenburg was first raised on the flagpole in August 2012. During its development, it was the historical coat of arms of this settlement that was taken as the basis. Prior to this, the city symbol looked a little different.
It is worth noting that during the entire period of Russian independence, the flag of Orenburg was changed three times: in 1996, 1998 and 2012. All previousvariants repeated the Russian tricolor, in the center of which was placed the coat of arms of Orenburg, but with the eagle of the modern Russian Federation. In 1996 and 1998, only the sizes and proportions of the flag stripes changed.
Later, the heraldists noted that such a flag is contrary to the existing laws of the country, and suggested changing it, in particular, placing the Catherine's double-headed eagle on it. And so it happened: in 2012, a new flag of Orenburg was established.
Conclusion
Orenburg is a large city in the southern Urals, the center of the region of the same name in Russia. The coat of arms of Orenburg is decorated with a double-headed crowned eagle that emerges from the blue waves of the Urals. And below is a blue St. Andrew's cross. There are four qualities in the colors of the city's symbols: honor, courage, we alth and modesty.
Orenburgers are a proud, courageous and hardworking people. And the coat of arms of Orenburg clearly confirms this.
