Coat of arms of Bulgaria

Coat of arms of Bulgaria

Versions
Coat of arms according to the constitutional text
Smaller coat of arms (unofficial), but is also used by government institutions.
Details
Introduced	July 31, 1997
Motto (motto)	Съединението прави силата

The current coat of arms of Bulgaria has been in use since July 31, 1997 .

description

In the red escutcheon is a golden, red-tongued, silver-armored, gold-crowned lion. Shield holders are two golden, red-tongued, silver-armored, gold-crowned lions , above the coat of arms is the golden crown with the imperial orb above the center of the royal crown. The lions stand on crossed oak branches , in which there is a banner in the national colors with the motto in golden letters from Bulgaria.

"Съединението прави силата."

"Strength lies in unity."

symbolism

The three lions represent the largest areas of Bulgaria: Moesia , Thrace and Macedonia . The crown above symbolizes the period of the Second Bulgarian Empire , during which the country experienced the liberation of Byzantium and its greatest expansion.

Historical coat of arms of Bulgaria

Coat of arms of the Second Bulgarian Empire Coat of arms of Conrad Grünenberg , Konstanz Codex, 1483
Coat of arms of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule, from a map by Vincenco Coronelli , 1692
Coat of arms of Bulgaria according to Hristaki Pavlovich, 1844
Principality of Bulgaria (1881–1908) and Tsarism of Bulgaria (1908–1927)
Tsarist Bulgaria (1927-1946)
Hugo Gerard Ströhl : Heraldic Atlas. Stuttgart 1899: Crown of the semi-sovereign Prince of Bulgaria (in the Ottoman Empire ), from 1908 the Bulgarian Tsar's crown also in the coat of arms

Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria

During the communist period (1946–1990) the coat of arms was changed a total of four times, but the main features remained the same. A design was always used that was closely based on the Soviet Union . The first coat of arms, which was introduced in 1948, shows a golden lion on a red field, surrounded by a wreath of ears wrapped in red tape with the date “9.IX.1944” ( day of the coup d'état of September 9, 1944 ). Between the tips of the branches came a red five-pointed star .

In 1947 the coat of arms was modified: the color of the field changed to blue, part of the red ribbon was given the Bulgarian national colors and a cog wheel was placed under the lions. In 1971 the coat of arms was redesigned again, the red star was framed in yellow and the two years "681" (year of recognition of the first Bulgarian empire by Byzantium) and "1944" were added in Arabic numerals.

Coat of arms of Bulgaria 1946–1948
Coat of arms of Bulgaria 1948
Coat of arms of Bulgaria 1948–1967
Coat of arms of Bulgaria 1967–1971
Coat of arms of Bulgaria 1971–1990

Formulation of today's coat of arms

When the communist regime was overthrown in 1990, a temporary coat of arms was adopted. It is the previous coat of arms, but without the socialist insignia such as a red star and a red ribbon with the year.

It took the Bulgarian parliament seven years to agree on this coat of arms.

It is the first official coat of arms since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and is very similar to the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, which was used from 1927 to 1946 .