Valmiera

Official blazon

Zelta laukā zaļa liepa, kam abās pusēs piekārti sarkani vairodziņi ar sudraba siju valsts karoga krāsu samēros; liepa izaug no sarkanas vērša pieres.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted in 1925.

Valmiera was a settlement and castle in the Talava land of the Latgali.
The city name comes from Volodimier Mstislavovich, prince of Novgorod in the beginning of the 13^th century.
In 1283 Knights of the Teutonic Order built a castle and church in Valmiera (called then Wolmar in German), which was a rather large town yet. In 1325 city rights and arms were granted. The arms were a linden tree and two shields with crosses of the Teutonic Order.

The seal of 1524

The Swedish King gifted Valmiera to his favorite Axel Oxenstern. His family arms showed calf's vertex with horns ("ox" means "calf" in Swedish). So the arms were modified and showed a linden tree, growing on a calf's head.