Ventspils

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VENTSPILS

Region : Kurzeme

Coat of arms (crest) of Ventspils
Official blazon
Latvian

Purpura laukā ar sudraba tīklojumu sudraba medību rags ar zelta iemuti, stīpu un apmali, virs tā zelta ķetnu krusts.

English blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted in 1925.

Ventspils is one of the oldest cities of Latvia. The castle of the Livonian Order, first mentioned in historical documents of 1290, is considered to be the first building in the present territory of Ventspils. Near the castle, that was built in an economically and strategically important place, the camp of the German colonists and later the city of Ventspils gradually developed. The city rights have been indirectly mentioned in a document dated 1378.

The oldest known pattern of the coat of arms of Ventspils can be seen in a seal on a document dated in 1369. The knight's cross and a horn, the two main components of the coat of arms, have not fundamentally changed for several centuries.

Ventspi2.jpg

The seal of 1369

In old Czarist Russian times the arms were slightly different :

Vindava.jpg

The coat of arms of Ventspils was confirmed by the decision of the President of Latvia in 1925. Small changes were made at that time to some of the city symbols including that of Ventspils which regained its former red background colour, which was changed to purpure.

During the times of the Soviet Union, in 1970, it was decided to make considerable changes in the coat of arms of Ventspils. The colours were changed, the cross was substituted by a steering wheel of a ship and the symbolism of the flag of the Latvian SSR was introduced.

The coat of arms confirmed in 1925 was again adopted in 1989. The present coat of arms of Ventspils comprises the basic components of the historical pattern known since the 14th century.


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Literature: Latvias ģerboņi, 2008