Belarusian heraldry

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Belarusian heraldry is currently used by government entities of Belarus and decendants of the former Belarusian nobility. The national emblem, adopted in 1995, is not an coat of arms due to the lacking of several elements of heraldry, the local municipalities and regions have adopted shields and codified in national law.

Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 Further reading 4 External links

[edit] History

The history of Belarusian heraldry is an integral part of the history of the Szlachta, the Polish-Belarusian nobility. The teritory itself was represented by a coat of arms, which was a red shield charged with a knight in a charging mode. The arms, called the Pahonia (the Chase) was the Belarusian arms until it's entry into the Soviet Union.

After entry, the coat of arms fell in favor and emerged the used of a emblem. The cities still used shields, but were changed to add socialist realism or to announce the state awards each city earned. Once the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, the Pahonia was restored at the state coat of arms and the cities reverted to old coat of arms or created new designs. Each of the 7 voblasts of Belarus have their own coat of arms.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Belarusian coat of arms

• Coat of Arms
• Heraldry
• History of Belarus
• List of Belarusian Coats of Arms
• Ruthenia
• Szlachta
• Belarusian name

[edit] Further reading

• Tadeusz Gajl, "Herby szlacheckie Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodow", Gdańsk, 2003

[edit] External links

• Armorial
• Arms of the Belarusian cities (Belarusian)
• The state symbols of Great Litva/Belarus
• Arms of the cities in the Minsk Oblast (Russian)