The exhibition "Symbols on the Border" was opened on Saturday as part of the Days of the Swedish Kingdom celebration at Narva Castle, telling the 640-year history of the city through its coat of arms and flag.

Coats of arms and fish can be spotted all over the eastern border city today. The city's symbols adorn the town hall, and the Narva coat of arms is something every visitor to the city is meant to see.

The emblematic fish are also sold as souvenirs at the museum gift shop and fish-shaped concrete traffic barriers can be seen on the streets.

Narva is the only city in Estonia that, historically, has had three different coats of arms. The emblem features swords, cannonballs, and fish.

Six hundred years ago, the sturgeon was used as Narva's symbolic fish; later versions of the coat of arms depict different fish. Grayling and salmon have been suggested, but there is still no definitive answer.

"Grayling has been popular for over 100 years. In fact, the idea spread into folklore and local tradition fairly late, in the second half of the 19th century, through various city leaders. And scholars have also debated why grayling would be chosen as Narva's symbolic fish when grayling is so rare," Zurab Jänes, chief curator at the Narva Museum, told Saturday's "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Approximately 30 species of fish live in the Narva River. Which one ended up on the city's coat of arms is not considered historically important. It is more a matter of taste, and people's preferences change over time.

"Legally, if we look at these coats of arms, it is not written anywhere which fish are depicted, so every Narva resident can choose the fish that suits them. Recent street surveys show that new species are being suggested. Perch, for example, has been mentioned," said Jänes.

More information about the exhibition is available here.

--

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