The coat of arms of the city of Lviv

Lviv

Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...

features a golden lion beneath a city gate in a blue field. The current version of the symbol was adopted by the city council in 1990. According to principles of the blazoning it features a lion passant Or, beneath a castle gate Or, in azure field.

History

The lion was a traditional symbol of the city throughout the ages. The first such depictions occurred on 13th century seals of dukes Andrew and Leo of Volhynia, rulers of mediæval Ruthenia

Ruthenia

Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...

n duchy of Halych-Volynia. The earliest known emblem of the city features a lion passant through a city gate pointed with three towers. It was featured on a city council seal, used by the magistrate in 1359.

In 1526, after the city became directly subordinate to the Polish Crown, king Sigismund the Old of Poland started the fortification effort of the city and formally accepted the coat of arms. To underline that the city belongs to the crown, a royal crown was added in the coronet. In later ages, although the colours and shapes of all the charges varied, their number remained the same. In 1586 bishop Jan Dymitr Solikowski

Jan Dymitr Solikowski

Jan Dymitr Solikowski was a Polish writer, diplomat, Archbishop of Lwów.Jan was since 1564 secretary of King Zygmunt II August. He participated in the rebuild of structures of the church in Polish Livonia, after the wars of King Stefan Batory. In 1583 he became Archbishop of Lwów. He was co-author...

, royal diplomat and a bishop of Lwów, as the city was called back then, was accepted on an audience by the Pope Sixtus V

Pope Sixtus V

Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590.-Early life:The chronicler Andrija Zmajević states that Felice's family originated from modern-day Montenegro...

. In the effect, the city was granted with a privilege of adding the papal coat of arms to its own. Thus the shape of the lion was modified. The lion passant was replaced with a lion rampant, with the papal emblem (three helmets and an 8-pointed star) in one of the legs. During the Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...

, after the city got annexed by Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, on November 6, 1789, the coat of arms was again confirmed by the highest authorities - this time by Emperor Joseph II of Austria.

During the Galician period the city emblem remained unchanged. After the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919-1920, the city became once again a part of Poland. For the heroic defence in the Polish-Ukrainian War

Polish-Ukrainian War

The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...

 of 1918, the city was awarded with the Virtuti Militari

Virtuti Militari

The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...

 medal, the highest Polish military decoration. Since then, the medal was also featured in the emblem's compartment. In addition, the city's motto semper fidelis

Semper fidelis

Semper Fidelis is Latin for "Always Faithful" or "Always Loyal". Well known in the United States as the motto of the United States Marine Corps , Semper Fidelis has served as a slogan for many families and entities, in many countries, dated to have been started no later than the 16th century...

 was also featured.

After the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the city was annexed by Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. On July 15, 1967, a new, simplified coat of arms was passed by the Soviet authorities. It featured a lion rampant Or, below a three-towered city gate proper, with a hammer and sickle

Hammer and sickle

The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...

 in the centre Or, on azure. After Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 declared her independence, on July 5, 1990 the city council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

passed a new coat of arms, partially modelled after the initial emblem from the times of Ruthenia.