The Coat of Arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 of Poznań

Poznan

Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

 consists of white (not silver) city walls with three towers. On the left (heraldic) tower stands Saint Peter

Saint Peter

Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...

 with a key and on the heraldic right one stands Saint Paul

Paul of Tarsus

Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...

 with a sword. In the gate there are two golden crossed keys with a cross above. Over the middle tower, which contains a single window and is topped by a battlement

Battlement

A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...

, there is a gothic shield with a white eagle in crown. On the sides of the two saints there are golden crescents and stars. All of those elements are on a blue field. Over the shield there is golden crown. Author of modern version of coat of arms is Jerzy Bąk.

History

The first known image of the Poznań Coat of Arms is on the seal of a document dated 1 May 1344. It contains all of the elements of the modern Coat of Arms except the crown over the shield. Throughout history, simpler versions were sometimes used: with only walls and keys or even only keys and cross on blue field. In 1440 king Vladislaus III of Varna gave Poznań the right and privilege to seal documents with red, royal wax. This privilege also allowed the town court to judge people of all states, including nobles and church hierarchs.

Symbolic

• city walls - symbol of town founded on magdeburger law.
• St. Peter and St. Paul - patrons of cathedral and city. Poznań diocese is the oldest in Poland
  Poland
  Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
  
   so it has right to this same patrons as St. Peter's Basilica
  St. Peter's Basilica
  The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
  
   in Vatican
  Vatican City
  Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
  
  
• shield with white eagle - Coat of Arms of Przemysl II, foundator of town on magdeburger law, king of Poland
• keys - municipal self-government
• cross - Christian faith
  Christianity
  Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
  
  
• crescents and stars - unknown but resembling Leliwa Coat of Arms
• crown over Coat of Arms - capital function in history of Poznań