PDF National Symbols of Latvia - Latvijas Institūts

The Coat of ArmsLatvia’s national coat of arms wasestablished as a symbol of independentstatehood after the proclamation of anindependent Latvian Republic in 1918. Thecoat of arms combines traditional heraldicsymbols of Latvian national identity withthose of historical territorial districts. Thesun is a central symbol in Latvian culture,particularly in songs, poetry and art, andhere symbolizes Latvian national statehood.Even before achieving independence, astylized sun was used as a national symbolon uniforms worn by the Latvian Rilfemenwho served in the Czarist Russian armyduring World War I. The 17 rays of the risingsun represented the 17 Latvian-inhabiteddistricts of the Czarist Empire.The three stars above the coat of armsrepresent the three historical districts(Vidzeme, Latgale and Kurzeme-Zemgale)which formed a united Latvia. Theseculturally important regions are alsosymbolized by historic heraldic figuresthat date back to the early 17th century.The western Latvian regions of Kurzemeand Zemgale are represented by a red lion,a symbol used by the Duke of Kurzeme(Courland) as early as 1569. Latvia’seastern regions of Vidzeme and Latgaleare represented by a silver griffin. Thismythological winged creature with aneagle’s head first appeared in 1566 whenthis part of Latvia came under Polish-Lithuanian control.The Latvian national coat of arms wasdesigned by Latvian artist Rihards Zariņš.The proper display of the three versions ofthe coat of arms - large, small enhanced andsmall - is regulated by Latvian law.The Large Coat of ArmsThe large coat of arms can be used by the State President, Parliament, PrimeMinister, Cabinet of Ministers, government ministries, the Supreme Court andProsecutor General, as well as Latvia’s diplomatic and consular missions.The Small Enhanced Coat of ArmsThe small enhanced coat of arms can be used by agencies of the Parliament,Cabinet of Ministers and other institutions under direct or indirect supervisionof the government ministries.The Small Coat of ArmsThe small coat of arms can be used by other government institutions, municipalauthorities and educational institutions on official documents.