Heraldry of the Leningrad Oblast, the

Subject / Heraldry
The Heraldry of the Leningrad Oblast originated from the 15th century and is one of the oldest in the Russian Federation. In the historical-heraldic respect, the territory of the modern Leningrad Oblast is divided into three parts: Karelian Isthmus, Ingermanlandia and Eastern districts of the Oblast. First two areas were a part of Sweden from the 15th to the 17th centuries and experienced the strong influence of the Swedish heraldic tradition. The oldest Leningrad Oblast's coat of arms is the Vyborg Town's one. It arose in 1448 and was both a town's symbol and symbol of the adjacent territories, such as the Vyborg fief, Vyborg and Savonlinna Province, Vyborg Provinces, Governor and gubernia. Ingermanlandia was given its coat of arms in the 1630s (the oldest image is dated by 1633). The coat of arms changed many times, but it has kept the main view to our days: on the dark blue field there are two silver fortified walls at an angle (silver wavy line below the wall). The coat of arms of Ivangorod Town are known as one of the emblems of the Swedish Ingermanlandia’s towns. It changed several times too, but has kept the continuity of Ingermanlandia coat of arms which leads to the Russian town's coat of arms (1730). When the whole territory of the Leningrad Oblast became the part of Russia in the 18th century, the development of heraldry in the region was led to All-Russian tendencies, but there was and distinguishing features associated with the close to the capital status of the region, and also with awareness of returning these lands to Russia. The centralized and based on observance to the rules of heraldry the development of the symbolic culture of all Russia is begun under Peter. The coat of arms of modern towns of Schlisselburg and Priosersk descended from the regimental emblems of Peter’s time; the emblems of Ingermanlandian, Nevsky, Ladozhsky and Karelian regiments were considered at Peter's times as the coats of arms of the appropriate territories. The most frequent used motif of these coats of arms was the combination of a key and anchor (idea of opening the way to seas for Russia). In the 1770-80s, in connection with the reform of the local governing, each town of Russian Empire received the coat of arms (including Lodeynoe Pole, Luga, Novaya Ladoga, Yamburg (Kingisepp), Rozhdestveno, Tihvin). Since 1857 the coat of arms of an uyezd was considered the coat of arms of an uyezd town. At the turn of the 18th-19th centuries the towns-residences of Emperor family in the vicinity were given special coat of arms (for example, Gatchina Town). After the Revolution of 1917 coats of arms became out of use, although they were not abolished formally by law and, thus, they are now almost the only remaining valid law department of the Russian Empire. In the 1960-70s many towns of the Leningrad Oblast created signs, approved by local authorities as "coat of arms". Basically they didn’t have connection with the historical coats of arms, and contained numerous deviations from the heraldic rules. With the formation of the Russian Federation, the adoption of the Constitution, the Law on Local Self-Government and the declaration of the principle of the unified state policy in the area of heraldry, the Leningrad Oblast as the subject of the Russian Federation had the right to possess own coat of arms, flag and other symbols (the awards, the sign the governor).
The subject of the territorial heraldic rights became municipalities, which, according to the federal legislation, were able to have official symbols: coats of arms, flags, emblems, and so on. The creation and establishment is made by local structure with the participation and support of the State Herald Office of the President of the Russian Federation (since 1999 - Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation). The signs are approved by the decisions of legislative authorities of their owners and must be registered in the State Heraldic Register of Russian Federation. The main principles of heraldic construction in the new conditions are extreme attention to the historical traditions and adherence to the rules of heraldry. On this basis, the old coat of arms must be restored for using in those releases in which they had been approved before the revolution.
It was restored coats of arms of Gatchina, Ivangorod, Schliisselburg, Viborg, Kingisepp (as the coat of arms of the Kingisepp district), Lodeynoeye Pole (as the coat of arms of the Lodejnoe Pole district), Luga (as the coat of arms the Luga district), Priosersk (as the coat of arms of the Priozersky district), Tikhvin (as the coat of arms of the Tikhvin district). For the remaining municipalities the coats of arms were created again from. In some of them, the views of the ancient coats of arms were used (the coat of arms of the Lomonosov district with the motif of the coat of arms of Oranienbaum; the coat of arms of Podporozhsky district with the motif of the coat of arms of Borovichi of the Novgorod Oblast; coat of arms of Sosnoviy Bor with the motif of the coat of arms of Ingermanlandia), or coat of arms of modern times (the coat of arms of the Volkhov and Kirishi district).
The coat of arms of Kommunar, Pikalevo, Svetogorsk, Sertolovo towns and the Boksitogorsky, Volkhov, Vsevolozhsk, Gatchina, Kirov, Slantsy, Tosnensky districts are quite new. Almost all new coats of arms are registered in the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation. The heraldic traditions of the twentieth century gave the rise of the appearance of flags. Currently, the Leningrad Oblast, Volkhov, Vsevolozhsk, Vyborg, Gatchina, Kingisepp, Kirov, Lodeynoye Pole, Lomonosov, Podporozhsky, Tikhvinsky districts, and Komunar, Sertolovo towns have the flags. With the start of the municipal reform in 2004 (completion date is 2008) the structure of municipalities of the Leningrad Oblast has changed, and their number increased manifold.
In these conditions there are some changes of the coats of arms belonging (for example, the coat of arms of the Kirishi district is reserved to the district, and in the urban-type settlement of Kirishi (the town of Kirishi) its own coat of arms is being developed). The group of municipalities which have the right to have their own coat of arms and others signs is widened. Thus the process of the heraldic construction of the Leningrad Oblast is continued. But the basis of the Leningrad Oblast’s heraldry (the symbols of the region and the most of the municipalities included in its composition) must be recognized as established, correct from the historical and heraldic point of view, and satisfying the practical needs of the region. Tripolskaya, Anna Aleksandrovna
Peter I, Emperor
Leningrad Oblast, the/Gatchina District/Gatchina Town
Historical Toponyms/Ingermanlandia (Ingria)
Leningrad Oblast, the/Ivangorod Town
Topographical landmarks/Karelian Isthmus, the
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kingisepp District/Kingisepp Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Kirishi District/Kirishi Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Priozersk District/Kuznechnoye Urban Settlement
Leningrad Oblast, the/Lodeynoye Pole District/Lodeynoye Pole Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Luga District/Luga Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volkhov District/Novaya Ladoga Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Priozersk District/Priozersk Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Gatchina District/Rozhdestveno Village
Leningrad Oblast, the/Shlisselburg Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Tikhvin District/Tikhvin Town
Leningrad Oblast, the/Volosovo District
Leningrad Oblast, the/Vyborg District/Vyborg Town
Historical Toponyms/Yamburg Town
Башкиров К.С., Штейнбах С.Ю. Справочная книга по истории и геральдике Санкт-Петербурга и Ленинградской области. Ч. 1. СПб., 2005
Борисов И.В., Козина Е.Н. Геральдика России. М., 2005., С. 170-177.
Символика России. М., 2004., С. 68-69.
"Если ехать вам случится...". Визитные карточки городов Ленинградской области: Справочник-путеводитель. СПб., 2000, С. 68-69.
Boksitogorsk District coat of arms, the
Gatchina District coat of arms and flag, the
Gatchina Town coat of arms, the
Ivangorod Town coat of arms, the
Kingisepp District coat of arms and flag, the
Kirishi District coat of arms, the
Kirovsk District coat of arms and flag, the
Kommunar Town coat of arms and flag, the
Leningrad Oblast coat of arms and flag, the
Lodeynoye Pole District coat of arms and flag, the
Lomonosov District coat of arms and flag, the
Lomonosov District coat of arms and flag, the
Luga District coat of arms, the
Pikalyovo Town coat of arms and flag, the
Podporozhye District coat of arms and flag, the
Priozersk District coat of arms and flag, the
Sertolovo Town coat of arms and flag, the
Shlisselburg Town coat of arms, the
Slantsi District coat of arms, the
Sosnovy Bor Town coat of arms, the
Svetogorsk Town coat of arms, the
Tikhvin District coat of arms and flag, the
Tosno District coat of arms, the
Volkhov District coat of arms and flag, the
Volkhov Town coat of arms and flag, the
Vsevolozhsk District coat of arms, the
Vyborg District coat of arms and flag, the