Amazon actually sells a t-shirt for dogs (yes, dogs) spouting the old Czechoslovak socialist coat of arms. Which prompted me to post this learned lecture on the subject...
He he. Our old friend, the poor doggy, is spouting the
almost classical coat-of-arms of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It's well
known, at least in Europe, due to its prominent presence on the outfits of
Czechoslovak ice hockey players during world championships. Although I can't
say I *like* the Communist regime of Gustav Husák and Lubomír Strougal (among
others), I admit that the design of its coat-of-arms is pretty interesting.
The peculiar shield has the shape of an actual 15th century shield used by Hussite foot soldiers. As rebels against papal and imperial authority, the Hussites were claimed by the Communists as a kind of historical precursors. Besides, they were already considered Czech national heroes. The lion is the traditional symbol of Bohemia, but its royal crown has been removed and replaced with the red star of Communism.
The smaller shield carried by the lion is the new symbol of Slovakia. The Christian double cross (often associated with Byzantine saints Cyril and Methodius) has been replaced with a partisan bonfire, symbol of the Communist-dominated revolt against Nazis and Nazi collaborators 1944-45. The blue hill is Krivan, Slovakia's highest mountain and a symbol of Slovak patriotism since the 19th century. It replaces the three blue hills of the traditional Slovak coat of arms, which were probably considered unsuitable, since one of them symbolizes Matra, a mountain range on Hungarian territory. Under Communism, Czechoslovakia and Hungary were allies, so subtle hints of territorial claims on a brotherly socialist nation were a no-no. (Ironically, however, Krivan became a Slovak symbol after the anti-Hungarian Slovak nationalist Stúr climbed it, but never mind, we can't have it all, can we?)
Adherents of stricter heraldic standards consider the Czechoslovak socialist coat of arms to be a real disaster (heraldically speaking), but personally I find it bizarrely brilliant, even on the back of a smelly dog…
The peculiar shield has the shape of an actual 15th century shield used by Hussite foot soldiers. As rebels against papal and imperial authority, the Hussites were claimed by the Communists as a kind of historical precursors. Besides, they were already considered Czech national heroes. The lion is the traditional symbol of Bohemia, but its royal crown has been removed and replaced with the red star of Communism.
The smaller shield carried by the lion is the new symbol of Slovakia. The Christian double cross (often associated with Byzantine saints Cyril and Methodius) has been replaced with a partisan bonfire, symbol of the Communist-dominated revolt against Nazis and Nazi collaborators 1944-45. The blue hill is Krivan, Slovakia's highest mountain and a symbol of Slovak patriotism since the 19th century. It replaces the three blue hills of the traditional Slovak coat of arms, which were probably considered unsuitable, since one of them symbolizes Matra, a mountain range on Hungarian territory. Under Communism, Czechoslovakia and Hungary were allies, so subtle hints of territorial claims on a brotherly socialist nation were a no-no. (Ironically, however, Krivan became a Slovak symbol after the anti-Hungarian Slovak nationalist Stúr climbed it, but never mind, we can't have it all, can we?)
Adherents of stricter heraldic standards consider the Czechoslovak socialist coat of arms to be a real disaster (heraldically speaking), but personally I find it bizarrely brilliant, even on the back of a smelly dog…
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