^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Kerch (Crimea, Ukraine)

Керч

by Jaume Olle, 17 May 2002

The Flag
Coat of Arms
The City

See also:

The Flag

From the site of Ukrainian Heraldry:
"The flag of city constitutes by itself a rectangular from seven horizontal bars - 4 red and 3 white. Symbolics of colours the writer interpreted so: white - cleanness of thoughts, honour and denomination; red - bravery, boldness, fidelity Rhodinum, memory about a blood. The quantity of red bars symbolizes historical periods of development of city: antiquity, middle ages, revival, modernity, and also 4 main peoples, which formed the historical past of city.
The main architect of city has reduced also such interesting argument: in Kerch there is a most ancient acting orthodox temple in Ukraine - church of Ioann. On its facade a unique red-white orament."
Dov Gutterman, 20 November 2000

From the image in the site of Ukrainian Heraldry, the red stripes are 0.16 x the hoist and the white ones 0.12 x the hoist.
Ivan Sache, 23 November 2000

The flag of Kerch, as shown in the site of the Ukranian Heraldry society, is R with three horizontal W stripes. The size of stripes is smaller that background. Considering a flag of 36: 54 the stripes of white are 4:54 each and the red background 6:54. This is: 6:4:6:4:6:4:6.
Source: Znak 21.
Jaume Olle, 17 May 2002

Coat of Arms

from the site of Ukrainian Heraldry

Large Coat of Arms
from the site of Ukrainian Heraldry

From the site of Ukrainian Heraldry:
"On the 11th of November 1994 the executive committee of the town council confirmed (resolution ? 1448) a new modern Coat of Arms: an or griffin is in a gules field. In shield compartment - or key with an oval ring. In the upper and lower parts of the oval there are cuts. The key has a key-bit with a cross-shaped cut in the center. The pictures of the griffin and the key are traced out with sable, the shield is traced with an or edged.
The large Coat of Arms was affirmed by October, 19, 1999 on the extraordinary session of municipal council.
The description of the "smart" coat of arms was presented (without a figure) in the application No. 2 to solution of municipal council from June, 20, 1996. The Coat of Arms is framed by wreath from or oak and laurel branches within by fillets of red and light-blue colours. The board is imposed on two crossed black admiral's anchor. The coat of arms is crowned by Russian imperial crown. Below on an intersection of branches and fillets the placed Golden Star of the city-hero. From words of the writer two anchors are two seas (Azov and Black), between which there is a city, it is two ports - trade and fishing. Red Alexander's fillet belonged city till in XIX century, and light-blue Andrew's to 100 years to annexation of Crimea to Russian empire (the writer of these strings - V.Nerubenko from Kerch - such data does not possess, but still in 1993 offered instead of it a red-yellow fillet of an Lenin award). Russian imperial crown means that Kerch in due course was affiliated by first among the Crimean cities to Russia. "
Dov Gutterman, 20 November 2000

The City

From the site of Ukrainian Heraldry:
"In the VI century B.C. it was the capital of Bospor State and had the name of Pantikapei. Since VI century it was a Byzantine fortress. In the X century on the banks of Kerchensky strait there was a T'mutarakans'ke principality which was part of Kyiv Rus'. Since the XIII century it was a Genoese port Cherkio, since 1475 - a Turkish fortress. After 1771 Kerch was part of Russian Empire."
Dov Gutterman, 20 November 2000

Kerch was founded in the 6th century by Milesians as Panticapaeum (Pantikapaion?); with surrounding territory formed kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus, which was later conquered by Mithridates of Pontus. It was held by Huns, Khazars and other invaders of Crimea. Trading port held by Genoese from 14th to 15th century, when Turks captured it. Its conquest by Russia was confirmed in 1774. Shredded to pieces in Crimean War. In World War II occupied by Germans May 1942-April 1944, and all Jews in the town were murdered. In 1944 again shredded to pieces.
Sources: Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1985; and Neil Ascherson: Black Sea, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 21 November 2000