Coat of arms of Poland

History

Legend holds that the white eagle emblem originated when Poland's founder Lech saw a white eagle's nest, with sunlight tipping its wings gold, and adopted the bird as his symbol. The eagle first appeared on coins under Bolesław I and became the Piast dynasty's coat of arms. Its form changed over centuries; the 1927 design by Zygmunt Kamiński was based on the eagle from the reign of Stefan Batory.

During the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the arms were quartered with the Polish eagle and Lithuanian Pogonia. After the partitions, the white eagle persisted in various forms, sometimes without a crown or with its head turned left, often combined with the invader's emblem. The eagle appeared on flags and emblems of the November Uprising.

Legal basis

The coat of arms is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 1997 and the Coat of Arms, Colors and Anthem of the Republic of Poland, and State Seals Act of 1980, as amended. The crown was restored on December 31, 1989, through a constitutional amendment, and the current emblem design was introduced on February 22, 1990. The legislation is considered imperfect, with errors, omissions, and inconsistencies that lead to varied interpretations and frequent non-compliance in practice.

Design

The coat of arms consists of a crowned white eagle with golden beak and talons, set in a red field. The eagle's wings are outstretched and its head is turned to its right, a pose described as 'displayed' in heraldry. The official design is highly stylized, with white plumage and leg scales featuring gradient shading that suggests a bas-relief. Each wing bears a curved band ending in a heraldic cinquefoil, with three leaves embossed like a trefoil.

The crown comprises a base with three rectangular gemstones and three fleur-de-lis-shaped fleurons, all rendered in gold. The charge is placed on a Modern French escutcheon, a nearly rectangular trapezoid with a pointed bottom. The shield is integral, but Polish law allows the charge to be used alone in certain cases. The white and red tinctures are specified using CIE 1976 color space coordinates.