“At the end of the 19th century, so-called international relations emerged as particularly prestigious and important, we would call them fairs, so it was a matter of prestige in Bulgaria, and the famous exhibition in 1900 in Paris was especially prestigious,” says historian Todor Chobanov. in front of bTV.
Even as a student, he was approached by the organizers of the Bulgarian pavilion with the clear idea that the Bulgarian capital should be represented, and there was no way in that era the Bulgarian capital could not have a coat of arms, and of course the coat of arms was made in the secession style, of which he was a great admirer.
At the base of the coat of arms is the standard shield, divided into 4 main fields and a central one, with a lion borrowed from finds in Veliko Tarnovo, to outline the continuity between the old medieval Bulgarian capital and the new Bulgarian capital Sofia.
“The mountain being one of the four leading elements, another element is an ancient pagan image of the goddess Tuhe, goddess of fate next to a fortress wall. There is no way the city’s symbol can go without Apollo Medicus, this is a deity associated with the central mineral spring. These symbols are united to functioning churches in Europe, what we see is the fifth building period of the temple,” explained the historian.
In 1911, the motto “Grows, but does not grow old” was added to the emblem of Sofia, as well as two laurel wreaths, symbolizing eternity. And during socialism there was also a quintet. But after the changes, the old areas of the coat of arms were returned.
The coat of arms of Plovdiv
The ancient Plovdiv first acquired a coat of arms in 1938 after a two-year competition, in which even Haralampi Tachev himself was ranked third.
The Plovdiv emblem consists of an image of the river Maritsa in a shield on a golden background with seven hills, a fortress wall and a lion with a crown. It symbolizes greatness and wealth.
“This is the interesting thing, that during the times of socialism, this coat of arms did not change much. Its color changed – more in the red range. And the crown of the lion imperceptibly fell away,” explained senior assistant Vidin Sukarev, historian, Regional History Museum-Plovdiv .
The modern coat of arms of Plovdiv uses most of the heraldic symbols of the first one. A second lion appears as a symbol of the Union
The symbols of Pernik
“The characteristic of Pernik is that it is an old town and the towers with the fortress wall, with the typical miners’ metallurgical bucket. Pernik is a city of coal, of metal,” says Tanani Ciflichki, heraldic artist.
He is the author of the city emblem and the flag of Pernik. He tells us that in 1966, the coat of arms was unanimously adopted by the art committee of the county. The black, red and yellow in the composition represent coal mining, metallurgy and progressiveness. For almost the entire 20th century, Pernik was known for just that: from a village missing from official maps at the beginning of the century, to an industrial powerhouse with over 100,000 inhabitants.
“You can’t leave in the morning and be ready at noon, it’s a process of long thinking and comparison. I think it’s not necessary to add anything to Pernik’s coat of arms,” Tanani Ciflichki also said.
What is characteristic of Vratsa?
The coat of arms of Vratsa was created in 1967 by the artist Lyuben Orozov. Unlike the symbols of most Bulgarian cities, it is not lavish in terms of elements. On the shield traditionally used for the base is depicted a road winding between two sheer cliffs and a stylized form of the natural phenomenon Vrattsata, which can be seen from the center of the city.
“For us, the Vrattsata pass and the mountain itself are part of our city and it cannot be any other way. This mountain, which educates us to be tough like it, to be beautiful, but not only externally, but also spiritually,” says Radosveta Krumova, Vratsa Municipality.
What is characteristic of Stara Zagora?
In 1979, on the occasion of 100 years since the restoration of Stara Zagora, after the burning by the Russo-Turkish war, the City People’s Council decided to create a new Coat of Arms of the city, the project was assigned to the artist Hristo Tanev. He chose the coat of arms to be placed on a French shield, such a shield cities with a thousand-year history have the right to wear.
“At the top of the coat of arms is the fortress wall, which symbolizes the important administrative, economic and political importance of the city over the centuries, and the prototype of this fortress wall is taken from coins minted here in Augusta Traiana in the second, third centuries. Central location in the coat of arms, on a red background with a golden color, there is a lioness with a lion cub, which symbolizes the birth of a new beginning, motherhood. This is a kind of reference to the history of the city, which despite vicissitudes, despite fires – always survives and continues to develop forward. In the lowest part of the coat of arms in golden color on a green background depicts several furrows, wheat, which symbolize the fertility of the Stara Zagora field, which is part of Golden Thrace,” explained Raina Antonova, RIM Stara Zagora.
The symbol for Veliko Tarnovo
The idea of a coat of arms of Veliko Tarnovo was put forward for the first time in 1916 by the Veliko Tarnovo artist Dimitar Bagrilov.
“In this year, a European company, with its center in Leipzig, sent circular letters to all countries. With a request to send images of coats of arms of the state, the capital, the county towns and the municipal towns,” explained historian Todorka Nedeva.
The coat of arms was replaced with a new one in 1975. Visually different, but ideologically close to the old coat of arms – with the symbols of medieval Tsarevgrad Tarnov.
