Curatorial tours will be held that the same day, during which the chief curator of the museum Zurab Yanes will introduce visitors to the bright, "frontier" history of Narva's symbols.

Both the state and the city have officially approved symbols – a flag and a coat of arms – which serve two important functions: they act as representative emblems and reflect local identity. These symbols are a form of visual heritage, allowing us to tell the history of a city through the centuries.

Narva is the only city in Estonia that, historically, has had three different coats of arms.

"Each new power left its own symbols to Narva. This exhibition asks the question: is a symbol a tool that creates a powerful narrative, or is it still a mirror of a people's self-determination?" – Zurab Yanes, curator of the exhibition, said.

"Museum pieces and materials from the archives play an important role – objects that quietly but eloquently tell the story of the city's symbolism. The exhibition presents historical coats of arms and seals, coins minted in Narva in Swedish times, items used by the city magistrate, as well as objects with both official and unofficial status, which bear the symbols of the city," Zurab added.

"Among them is the yellow and blue city flag of 1935, which, according to historians, later escaped destruction only thanks to an erroneous inscription that read 'Swedish flag with the coat of arms of the city of Narva.'

More information about the exhibition is available here.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!