National Emblem

The current national emblem of Prague is the result of something that began in the twelfth and the thirteenth century. The Premysl dynasty, a Prague dynasty, was the first to use a lion as an emblem in 1213. That is where the symbol of the silver lion on the red background came from, and it slowly turned into the symbol of the whole country until 1918.

When Czechoslovakia became an independent Republic in 1918, the people realized that a new Czech blazon was necessary to represent not only the new entity of the state but also to represent the situation of the new constitution. This is the main history of the Czech emblem, and it was after this that the national emblems were designed. Some of the many proposed designs of the emblems, for example, the small national emblem, had a right facing silver lion with two tails and an open mouth on top of a red shield, complete with a gold crown and a shield on its chest. Other emblems that represent the Czech history includes the lesser protectorate emblem, CSSR’s national emblem, the Greater Protectorate emblem, the Slovak Republic’s National emblem, and the Greater and the Lesser emblems of Czech Republic.

The Greater and the Lesser emblems of Czech Republic, in particular, represent the coat of arms. The Greater emblem includes a quartered shield with a silver lion with two tails, golden arms, and a golden crown atop a red background in the first and the fourth sections, while the second and the third sections feature eagles. The eagle on the second section; however, has red and silver checks with golden arms and a crown on a blue background, while the eagle on the third section is black with a silver crescent, has red arms and a golden crown on a golden field. The Lesser emblem is simpler, as it only contains a right facing, two-tailed lion on a red shield with golden arms and a golden crown.

These emblems represent the Czech people, and so, if you’re interested, don’t forget to ask your tour guide for more details the next time you’re part of one of the tours in Prague.