Jarosław - urban commune, Jarosław County, Podkarpackie Voivodship.
The city was established by the Ukrainian prince Yaroslav the Wise
in the 11th century. It was granted Magdeburg rights by Polish prince Władysław
Opolczyk in 1375. The city quickly developed as important trade centre
and a port on the San river, reaching the period of its greatest prosperity
in 16th and 17th century, with trade routes linking Silesia with Ruthenia
and Gdańsk with Hungary coming through it and merchants from such distant
countries as Spain, England, Finland, Armenia and Persia arriving at the
annual three week long fair on the feast of the Assumption. In 1574 a Jesuit
college was established in Jarosław.
In the 1590s Tatars from the Ottoman Empire pillaged the surrounding
countryside. (See Moldavian Magnate Wars, The Magnate Wars (1593-1617),
Causes.) They were unable to overcome the city's fortifications, but their
raids started to diminish the city's economic strength and importance.
Outbreaks of bubonic plague in the 1620s and the Swedish Deluge in
1655-60 further undermined its prominence. In the Great Northern War of
1700-21 the region was repeatedly pillaged by Russian, Saxon and Swedish
armies, causing the city to decline further.
Jarosław was under Austrian rule from the First Partition of Poland
in 1772 until Poland regained independence in 1918. After the 2nd World
War the city remained part of Poland. Poland's communist government expelled
most of Jarosław's Ukrainian population, at first to Soviet territories
and later to territories transferred from Germany to Poland in 1944-45.
Arms were originally bestowed by the Imperial (Austrian) decree in 1845.
Re-adopted on August 27, 2001 (resolution # 501/XXXIV/2001) together with
the flag
and confirmed on August 28, 2006 (resolution # 733/LXI/06).
"Arms: a crowned blue shield portraying the city's defensive wall with
two towers (all silver-white).
From the windows of the towers two red-silver flags are hanging. The
wall has an open gate.
Below the wall there is a river and a boat on it with white sail and
flying red-silver pennant. Banks of the river are green.
Flag: A red over silver horizontal bi-color."
In September 2008, Mr.Alfred Znamierowski was invited to Jaroslaw and
asked to re-design its Coat of Arms and flag. Mr.Znamierowski intends to keep the
Coat of Arms as true as possible while modernizing some aspects of it. His idea
of a new flag provides an addition of the blue, vertical band at the hoist,
with the new Coat of Arms being placed there, and retaining the red and white horizontal
bands.
The project, when finished, will be submitted to the Heraldic Commission,
of which Mr.Znamierowski is a member.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 24 Oct 2008
Jarosław city Coat of Arms
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 24 Oct 2008
adopted 1845
![[Jaroslaw ccity flag]](../images/p/pl-pk-jw.gif)
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 24 Oct 2008
![[Jaroslaw city coat of arms]](../images/p/pl-pk)jw.gif)
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 24 Oct 2008
