National coat of arms of Poland
Coat of arms of Poland
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Armiger
| Republic of Poland
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Adopted
| c. 1000; current design from 1927, last modified on 22 February 1990(Act of 22 February 1990; redesigned by Andrzej Heidrich)
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Shield
| Gules, an eagle argent, armed, crowned and beaked or, langued argent
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The
coat of arms of Poland
is a white, crowned
eagle
with a golden beak and talons, on a red background.
In Poland, the coat of arms as a whole is referred to as
godło
both in official documents and colloquial speech,
[1]
despite the fact that other coats of arms are usually called a
herb
(e.g. the
Nał?cz
herb
or the
coat of arms of Finland
). This stems from the fact that in
Polish heraldry
, the word
godło
(plural:
godła
) means only a heraldic charge (in this particular case a white crowned eagle) and not an entire coat of arms, but it is also an archaic word for a national symbol of any sort.
[2]
In later legislation only the
herb
retained this designation; it is unknown why.
Legal basis
[
edit
]
The coat of arms of the Republic of Poland is described in two legal documents: the
Constitution of the Republic of Poland
of 1997
[3]
and the Coat of Arms, Colors and Anthem of the Republic of Poland, and State Seals Act (
Ustawa o godle, barwach i hymnie Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz o piecz?ciach pa?stwowych
) of 1980 with subsequent amendments
[1]
(henceforth referred to as "the Coat of Arms Act").
The Crown was restored on December 31, 1989 by the Act of December 29, 1989 amending the Constitution of the Polish People's Republic (Article 1, point 19).
[4]
However, the new emblem design was introduced only on February 22, 1990, by the Act of February 9, 1990 amending the provisions on the coat of arms, colors and anthem of the Republic of Poland.
[5]
Legislation concerning the national symbols is far from perfect. The Coat of Arms Act has been amended several times and refers extensively to executive ordinances, some of which have never been issued. Moreover, the Act contains errors, omissions and inconsistencies which make the law confusing, open to various interpretations and often not followed in practice.
[6]
Design
[
edit
]
According to Chapter I, Article 28, paragraph 1 of the Constitution, the coat of arms of Poland is an image of a crowned white
eagle
in a red
field
.
[3]
The Coat of Arms Act, Article 4, further specifies that the crown, as well as the eagle's beak and talons, are golden. The eagle's wings are outstretched and its head is turned to its right.
[1]
In English
heraldic
terminology, the arms are
blazoned
as
Gules
an
eagle
crowned, beaked and armed
Or
.
[
citation needed
]
In contrast to classic heraldry, where the same blazon may be rendered into varying designs, the Coat of Arms Act allows only one official rendering of the national coat of arms. The official design may be found in attachment no. 1 to the Coat of Arms Act.
[1]
The nearly circular
charge
,
i.e.
, the image of the white eagle, is highly stylized. The heraldic bird is depicted with its wings and legs outstretched, its head turned to the right, in a pose known in heraldry as 'displayed'. The eagle's plumage, as well as its tongue and leg scales are white with gradient shading suggestive of a
bas-relief
. Each wing is adorned with a curved band extending from the bird's torso to the upper edge of the wing, terminating in a heraldic
cinquefoil
(a stylized five-leafed plant). Three of its leaves are embossed like a
trefoil
(note similar trefoils in the medieval designs of the eagle). In heraldic terms, the eagle is "armed", that is to say, its beak and talons are rendered in gold, in contrast to the body. The
crown
on the eagle's head consists of a base and three fleurons extending from it. The base is adorned with three roughly rectangular gemstones. The fleurons – of which the two outer ones are only partly visible – have the shape of a
fleur-de-lis
. The entire crown, including the gems, as well as spaces between the fleurons, is rendered in gold.
The charge is placed in an
escutcheon
(shield) of the Modern French type. It is a nearly rectangular upright
isosceles trapezoid
, rounded at the bottom, whose upper base is slightly longer than the lower one, from the middle of which extends downwards a pointed tip. Although the shield is an integral part of the coat of arms, Polish law stipulates, in certain cases, to only use the charge without the escutcheon. The shades of the principal tinctures, white (
Argent
) and red (
Gules
), which are the national colors of Poland, are specified as coordinates in the
CIE 1976
color space (see
Flag of Poland – National colors
for details).
History
[
edit
]
According to legend, the White Eagle emblem originated when Poland's legendary founder
Lech
saw a white eagle's nest.
[7]
When he looked at the bird, a ray of sunshine from the red setting sun fell on its wings, so they appeared tipped with gold, the rest of the eagle was pure white. He was delighted and decided to settle there and placed the eagle on his emblem. He also named the place Gniezdno (currently
Gniezno
) from the Polish word
gniazdo
("nest").
The symbol of an eagle appeared for the first time on the coins made during the reign of
Bolesław I
(992?1025), initially as the coat of arms of the
Piast dynasty
. Beginning in the 12th century, the eagle has appeared on the shields, ensigns, coins, and seals of the Piast dukes. It appeared on the Polish coat of arms during
Przemysł II
reign as a reminder of the Piast tradition before the fragmentation of Poland.
The eagle's graphic form has changed throughout centuries. Its recent shape, accepted in 1927, was designed by professor
Zygmunt Kami?ski
[8]
and was based on the eagle's form from the times of
Stefan Batory
's reign. It was adapted to stamps or round shields rather than to a rectangular shape.
The arms of the
Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth
was quartered, with Polish eagle and
Lithuanian
Pogonia
on opposite sides. Kings used to place their own emblems in escutcheon point (i.e., House Vasa).
Despite the fact that new emblems were given to provinces established by the invaders after the
partitions of Poland
, the White Eagle remained there with or without crown and occasionally with face turned towards left and in some exceptions with Pogonia. But in most cases they were combined with the invader's emblem.
The Poles conscientiously collected coins from the pre-partitions period with the eagle on their obverse and reverse. The symbol of the eagle, often with
Pogonia
, appeared on numerous flags and emblems of the
November Uprising
.
The resurrection of the
Polish Kingdom
(Polish Regency) in the territories of the former
Congress Poland
(which had been partitioned and annexed by the
Russian Empire
as the
Vistula Land
in 1867) was approved by
Austria-Hungary
and
Wilhelm II
's Germany in 1916. A year later, the first Polish banknotes (Polish Marka) with Crowned Eagle on an indivisible shield were introduced. After regaining total independence and the creation of the
Second Polish Republic
(1918?1939) the White Eagle was implemented by the act of 1919. Official image of the coat of arms (which resembled the emblem of
Stanislaus Augustus
) was used until 1927 when Zygmunt Kami?ski designed a new one. According to the research of
Polish
heraldist
Jerzy Michta published in 2017, the version designed by Kami?ski was actually plagiarized from a 1924 medal by
Elisa Beetz-Charpentier
made in honor of
Ignacy Paderewski
.
[9]
After
World War II
, the communist authorities of the
Polish People's Republic
removed the crown from the eagle's head. Still, Poland was one of the few countries in the Eastern Bloc with no communist symbols (red stars, ears of wheat, hammers, etc.) on either its flag or its coat of arms. The crownless design was approved by resolution in 1955. To counter that, the Polish government in exile introduced a new emblem with a cross added atop the crown. After the fall of communism in 1989, the crown came back, but without the cross.
The eagle appears on many public administration buildings, it is present in schools and courts. Furthermore, it is placed on the obverse of
Polish coins
. However the issue on which conditions it should be exposed and how it should be interpreted is the topic of numerous debates in Poland. The eagle was formerly on the
Poland national football team
's shirts; a new shirt without the eagle was introduced in November 2011, prompting complaints from fans and president
Bronisław Komorowski
. Due to this overwhelming public pressure, the football shirts were redesigned with the eagle reinstated in the centre of the shirt in December 2011.
[10]
Evolution
[
edit
]
Period
|
Dates used
|
Coat of arms
|
Banner of arms
|
Description and blazon
|
Duchy of Poland
|
966?1025
|
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Emblem of Civitas Schinesghe (1000 AD) from Coins of
Boleslaus I of Poland
.
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Kingdom of Poland
|
1295?1371
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Coat of arms of
Piast dynasty
.
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Union of Poland and Hungary
|
1370?1382
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Coat of arms used under
Louis I of Hungary
.
Party per cross, quarterly 1st, barry of eight Gules and argent (for
Arpads
) and azure seme-de-lis or with label gules (for
Capetian Anjou
); 2nd, Gules, an eagle argent, crowned or; 3rd, impaling Gules on a Mount Vert a Crown Or issuant therefrom a double-Cross Argent (for
Hungary
); 4th, azure three Lions' Heads affronte Crowned Or (for
Dalmatia
)
|
Kingdom of Poland
|
1217?1371
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The Kingdom of Poland and the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
joined in a personal union established by the
Union of Krewo
(1385).
Quarterly 1st and 4th Gules, an eagle argent, crowned or; 2nd and 3rd, Gules,
Pogonia
.
|
Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth
|
1573?1575
|
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Throughout the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, the inescutcheon was changed to contain the Coat of Arms of the monarch.
The inescutcheon here, Azure, three fleurs-de-lis or, belonged to
Henry III of France
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1587?1668
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House of Vasa
(Waza).
|
1669?1673
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Michał Korybut Wi?niowiecki
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1674?1696
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John III Sobieski
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1697?1704 1709?1763
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House of Wettin
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1704?1709
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Stanisław Leszczy?ski
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1764?1795
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Stanisław August Poniatowski
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Duchy of Warsaw
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1807?1815
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Coat of arms of
House of Wettin
and Polish eagle.
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Kingdom of Poland
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1815?1832
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Coat of arms of Congress Poland
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Grand Duchy of Posen
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1815?1848
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Prussian eagle
inescutcheon with Polish eagle.
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Polish National Government
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1830?1831
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Polish eagle and
Pogonia
|
Polish independence movement
|
1846
|
|
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Polish National Government
|
1863?1865
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Archangel Michael
represents
Ruthenia
|
Vistula Land
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1867?1915
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Government General of Warsaw
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1915?1918
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Seal of the Government-General of Warsaw, includes a Prussian eagle.
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Kingdom of Poland
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1916?1918
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Eagle with the seal of the
Regency Council
|
Second Polish Republic
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1919?1927
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First modern coat of arms of Poland.
|
Second Polish Republic
and
Polish Government in exile
|
1927?1939 1939?1956
|
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Zygmunt Kami?ski's
current project
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Polish Government in exile
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1956?1990
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The crown was redesigned as close crown.
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Polish People's Republic
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1955?1980
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Crown was removed.
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1980?1990
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Current colors.
|
Restored Poland
[
edit
]
-
Template of the white eagle in the coat of arms of
Poland
(1919-1927)
[11]
-
Coat of arms of Republic of Central Lithuania (1920?1922)
-
Official Polish coat of arms (1919-1927) according to the law.
-
Zygmunt Kami?ski's original proposed design (1927).
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Modernist eagle from a rare coin (1925).
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Official Polish coat of arms since 1927 according to the law.
-
Official Polish coat of arms since 1927 according to the law, exposed by president during a steamboat cruise. Visible knight's shield, Modern French type without ordinary grey oval plate which is rare.
-
Polish coat of arms (unofficial) in
Art Deco
style, on the facade of the Ministry of Transport in Warsaw (architect Rudolf ?wierczy?ski 1931).
-
Polish coat of arms (unofficial) in Art Deco style, on the facade of the post office in Warsaw (architect Julian Puterman-Sadłowski 1934).
-
Polish coat of arms in the full-rigged sailing ship from Gdynia called "Dar Pomorza" (English: Gift of Pomerania), 1938.
-
Coat of arms of Poland during the
Warsaw Uprising
, 1944.
Communist Poland
[
edit
]
Used since 1944, legalized in 1952 , the Emblem of the Polish People's Republic was valid until February 21, 1990. In addition to the lack of a crown and other rosettes, there is a significant deformation of the eagle's head and eye compared to the pre-war eagle.
[12]
Third Polish Republic
[
edit
]
The current version of the Emblem is consistent with the Act of February 22, 1990. Significant modifications by Andrzej Heidrich are visible compared to the pre-war eagle created by Zygmunt Kami?ski.
[13]
-
Official coat of arms of the Republic of Poland (since 1990).
-
Same coat of arms with black outlines
-
Coat of arms of the Republic of Poland according to the law Dz.U. z 2005 r. Nr 235, poz. 2000
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Presidential standard
-
The eagle used by governmental institutions and on Polish passports
-
The logo of the Senate
-
The coat of arms on a
Polish passport
(2006)
-
The coat of arms of Poland in the Supreme Court of Poland in Warsaw (by architect Marek Budzy?ski 1992). It's a knight's shield, Modern French type in heraldry. The knight's shields without ordinary grey oval plates are rare on facades. This type of shield, without grey oval plate resembling the coat of arms in the Polish parliament in Warsaw.
-
The coat of arms of Poland in Zagreb. The grey oval plate made of metal sheet is visible. The grey oval plates are popular in schools and embassies on facades, but ovals are considered as ordinary.
-
The coat of arms of Poland in Vaduz. Poland was using golden paint (like Monaco) over its metal plates till 1939, later during the communist era paint was changed to yellow.
Military Eagle
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
(in Polish)
Ustawa o godle, barwach i hymnie Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz o piecz?ciach pa?stwowych
Archived
2008-02-25 at the
Wayback Machine
[Coat of Arms, Colors and Anthem of the Republic of Poland, and State Seals Act], Dz.U. 1980 nr 7 poz. 18
- ^
(in Polish)
Ustawa z dnia 1 sierpnia 1919 r. o godłach i barwach Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej
Archived
2017-09-17 at the
Wayback Machine
[Symbols and Colors of the Republic of Poland Act, 1st of August 1919] Dz.U. 1919 nr 69 poz. 416
- ^
a
b
(in Polish)
Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej
[
Constitution of the Republic of Poland
], Dz.U. 1997 nr 78 poz. 483
Archived
September 18, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
isap.sejm.gov.pl
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19890750444
. Retrieved
2024-05-08
.
- ^
isap.sejm.gov.pl
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19900100060
. Retrieved
2024-05-08
.
- ^
Informacja o wynikach kontroli u?ywania symboli pa?stwowych przez organy administracji publicznej
(PDF)
(in Polish), Warsaw:
Supreme Chamber of Control
(NIK), 2005, archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2008-02-27
- ^
"The Polish Eagle and everything it means to Poland"
. 28 November 2021.
- ^
"Godło Polski jest plagiatem?"
.
www.rp.pl
(in Polish)
. Retrieved
2020-08-05
.
- ^
Wiktor Ferfecki:
Godło Polski jest plagiatem?
.
Rzeczpospolita
, 2018-10-29.
- ^
Nakrani, Sachin (14 November 2011).
"Poland and Ukraine lose momentum with issues over shirts and injuries"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
15 November
2011
.
- ^
"Ustawa z dnia 1 sierpnia 1919 r. o godłach i barwach Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Dz.U. 1919 nr 69 poz. 416"
.
.
- ^
isap.sejm.gov.pl
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19800070018
. Retrieved
2024-05-08
.
- ^
"Andrzej Heidrich nie ?yje. To on zaprojektował polskie banknoty"
.
www.rmf24.pl
(in Polish)
. Retrieved
2024-05-08
.
External links
[
edit
]
- Jan R?kawek,
The White Eagle
(archived 10 October 2016).
info-poland.buffalo.edu
.
Links to related articles
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