| IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW THAT IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW THAT IT IS INTERESTING TO KNOW THAT EMBLEMS OF TRANSCARPATHIA |
In particular, the most ancient finds in Transcarpathia go back to the Palaeolithic Period (early Stone Age), which can be divided into the following periods: Early Palaeolithic (2 million years BC - 40,000 BC) and Late Palaeolithic (40,000 BC - 12,000 BC).
The first people who lived on the territory of Transcarpathia settled near the places Korolevo (the most ancient settlement in Central and Eastern Europe - 1.1 million years old), Rokosovo, Uzhhorod, and the Milky Stone Cave (Tyachiv district).
Primitive people had tools made of stone, bones and wood - axes, scrapers, points, cutters, choppers, and knives. At that time the climate in the mountains was warm, and below in the lowlands one could hear the noise of the sea. Shells of extinct molluscs found in these places testify that ocean once covered the land.
Later the climate became colder and drier. Pine-trees, birches, nut-trees, hornbeams, beeches and spruces were growing in the mountains, whereas steppe herbs carpeted the valleys. At that time a method of making fire was discovered. The first clothes appeared, the first houses were built in caves, and the first pieces of arts were drawn (rock paintings). People survived by hunting mammoths, hyenas and cave-bears, and also gathering roots, wild fruits and herbs.
The ancient settlements found near Kamyanytsya, Dibrova go back to the Mesolithic Period (middle Stone Age), 12,000 BC - 5000 BC. It is then that people also started fishing. People of the Mesolithic period used to live in cave-like shelters, and in summer they lived in kurens (mud-huts). They had better tools such as adzes, chisels, various points, bows and arrows, harpoons. At that time tribes were formed and people gradually went over to a settled way of life; they started trading.
In the Neolithic Period (late Stone Age), 5000 BC - 3000 BC, new methods of stone working appeared: (grinding, drilling), tools (axes, hooks, spindles), weaving and pottery (painted ceramics). Gradually people were freed from being dependent upon nature; they lived in dugouts or semi-dugouts near rivers. In the corner of their houses they used to put earthenware stoves. People often changed their places of living because soils were quickly exhausted.
In the Neolithic Period, humans passed from simply taking Nature's offerings to producing goods. Separation between cultivators and cattle-breeders took place. Cattle breeding promoted settlements in mountain areas, which can be seen in the ancient names of valleys. Later these were kept as names of villages like Volove, Volovets', Skotarske, Bychkiv, and Chabanivka.
Following cattle-breeders, families moved to those places and built mountain houses - kolybas (houses built without any nails). As the families expanded, the following cultures were formed: Krish, mountain beech one, line-striped ceramics, Tysapolhar.
Among archaeological finds dating back to the Bronze Age (3000 BC - 1000 BC) on the territory of Transcarpathia are settlements, graves, tumuli, hoard sites. The cultures of the Bronze Age are Nyirseg-Zatin, Eastern-Slovakian, Otoman', Stanovo, Wittenberg.
Among cultures of the Iron Age (1000 BC onwards) are Hava-Holyhrad, Kushtanovitska, and Latenska , the last-named being particularly represented by a large metal-working centre on the River Botar in Vynohradiv district.
The Celts brought to Transcarpathia the most developed culture of Central Europe of its time. Near Mukachevo there was the biggest metal-working centre - the second in Europe - oppidum (town) Halish-Lovachka where coins were minted. Thousands of instruments were found in this place as well as workshops (jewellery, smithy) and scissors for shearing, mountain boats fetters, scythes, grain-sieves, swords, mills, anvils, shields, fibulas (brooches and clasps), and silver coins.
Then came the Geto-Dac tribes (Thracians). The Dacs defeated the Celts who moved to Germany. The Dacs settled on high banks of the rivers Stremtura (Irshava), Shelestovo, Ardanovo, Chytattya (Solotvyno). Fortifications were built in case of war and to defend trade routes (Transcarpathian salt was of high value). Only guards lived in towns.
Later a strong patriarchal slave-owning state of Geto-Dacs was formed. It achieved its highest prosperity in 40BC during the government of Tzar Burebista, and then during the time of Detsebal.
But legions of the Roman Emperor Marcus Ulpius Trayanus (98-117) defeated the Dacs, destroying the town of Mala Kopanya in Transcarpathia. In 107, a province of Rome was formed, Verhnya Dacia, "Dacia Superior" (northern border along the river Samosh). Transcarpathia came under the influence of the Roman Empire.
Archaeologists have found Roman coins (denarii) and the remains of Roman salt mines in Solotvyno, hoards in Nankovo (1000 silver Roman coins), Brestov (25 gold coins), as well as in Rus'ke Pole and Haydosh. At that time Zatysyansky metal-working centre (Dyakovo, Vovchanske) was functioning, and a pottery manufacturing area near the River Mits was the biggest in Central Europe.
In the 4th Century, Huns arrived in Panonia. By the middle of the 5th Century a political centre of Huns was founded between the rivers Danube and Tysa, with their legendary leader Attila at the head. During the great migration of peoples, tribes of Gepids, Vandals, Burgunds, Ost-Goths, Longobards, Slavs appeared in Potyssya. By the end of VII century our region was under the power of Avar kaganat.
With regard to the Slav population in Transcarpathia, we can distinguish the following periods of Slav settlements in Upper Potyssya:
1. The first half of I millennium AD - the first Slav groups (Pshevorska, Pryashivska cultures).
2. V-VII centuries - mass settlements of Prague culture in Transcarpathia. Slavs had not been divided into eastern, western, southern Slavs yet, i.e. a single Slavonic world existed at that time.
3. VIII-IX centuries - Ancient Rus' culture was being formed in eastern Slav territories. The name "Rus'" spread over the territory of Croatian population in Upper Potyssya.
Then one part of Croats settled on the Balkan peninsula, and the other part stayed in the Carpathian Mountains, having founded the Union of Great Croatia. In the 9th Century a Slavonic Principality was founded here. It was governed by the legendary Prince Laboretz.
In the west, the principality of Prince Laborets' bordered with Great Moravia Principality, and in the south with the Bulgarian Kingdom. It was at that time that Christianity spread over Transcarpathia. In the eighth and ninth decades of the 9th century students Cyril and Methodius, being sent from Great Moravia, came to Transcarpathia where they founded monasteries in an ideally protected mountain area. At that time Transcarpathia came under the influence of Kyiv Rus'.
A new period in the history of our region started when in 896 AD, Ugrs led by Almosh, crossed mountains over Veretsky pass (along the river Latorytsa) to Transcarpathia and Panonia.
It was about this event, but only in 898 AD, that a famous annalist, Nester, recorded in his Annals: "fight against living Volokhs and Slovenes", whereas according to Chronicles by Anonym, in 903AD, i.e. at the time of the great migration of peoples, Ugrs moved with their leader Arpad at the head to Transcarpathia and occupied the fortresses Ung and Vary. At that time our region was called "res nullis" - nobody's territory, or "terra indagines" - a buffer zone.
At first the local Slavonic nobles were powerful here. But from the 11th Century until the end of the XIII Century, Transcarpathia gradually joined a newly founded European state Great Hungary. In documents, our region was mentioned as "Marchia Ruthenorum".
In the 12th Century, King Geza II invited Saxons from the Rhine area who grew vine and extracted gold in the mountains. According to several researchers, the wife of King Endre I, Anastasia (a daughter of Kyiv Prince Yaroslav the Wise) promoted the foundation of a monastery on Chernecha Mountain where monks from Kyiv-Pecherska Laura lived.
Gradually, new territorial structures of a Hungarian Kingdom were formed here. Those were Uzhansky comitat (region) (in 1214), Uhochansky comitat (in 1262), Bereh comitat (in 1263) and Maramorosh comitat (in1303).
The date of March 1241 was tragic in the history of the region, when an army of cruel conquerors broke the defence in the Carpathian Mountains, and the Mongol-Tartars of Batu-khan crossed Veretsky pass. They occupied and destroyed Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, Tyachiv, Solotvyno and many other villages.
Then in 1242 Mongol-Tartars suddenly left Hungary. In 1254 the Hungarian King Bela IV invited German and Italian viticulturists and wine-makers to settle lands of Transcarpathia exhausted by Mongols. For a certain period of time Transcarpathia was in Halych-Volyn state. But in 1308 a new dynasty, Anjou, came to power in Hungary. However, Ung zhupan (P.Pete), Bereh zhupan (B.Kopas), Uhocha zhupan (I.Moysh) revolted against the imposition of Catholicism on the Slavonic population, and against new King Karl Anjou who wanted to centralise the state. Even earlier zhupans started negotiating with Prince Lev Danylovych of Halych to appoint his son Yuriy, and a grandson of Bela IV, as the King of Hungary. Nevertheless, in 1317 the feudal front in opposition was defeated. A young King Karl Robert won with the help of the counts Drouhets from Italy.
History started a new round. By the end of the 15th Century there were 205 settlements in Ung comitat, 122 - in Bereh comitat, 76 - in Uhocha comitat, and 128 - in Maramorosh comitat. The population of our region was about 100-115 thousand people. It is interesting that in villages Lypcha, Iza, Dovhe, Drahovo, Bedelya, Vyshkovo, Vilkhivtsi, Krychevo, Chumalevo, Uhlya, Kolodne, Vonyhovo lived free peasants - nemeshes, whereas Uzhhorod, Mukachevo, Berehovo, Khust, Sevlyush, Vary, Bilky, Vyshkovo, Tyachevo, Vylok, Kosyno, Chynadiyevo and others had a city status. In general, there were about 20 towns.
The most popular craftsmen were masons, cutters, seamstresses, bakers, carpenters, barbers, pottery-makers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, and furriers. It was in the 16th Century that the Protestant religious movement spread in Transcarpathia; it took the form of Lutheranism, Calvinism and Cvinglianus. Moreover, Halych colonisation began in the mountainous area, with the consent of the Hungarian Kings: Ukrainians-Lemks settled in comitats of Ung and Bereh, Ukrainians-Boyks settled in those of Bereh, Ung, and Ukrainians-Hutsuls in Maramarosh.
In 1376 the Queen of Hungary and Poland, Erzsebet, gave Mukachevo a status of privileged city, and allowed it to use a private stamp. Thus, in 1394 the famous Prince Fedor Koryatovych of Podillya arrived in Transcarpathia from Lithuanian Rus' state. He contributed a lot to the cultural prosperity of our land. He founded a monastery on Chernecha Mountain, and in 1440 an independent Mukachevo Episcopacy was founded.
In 1514, Kuruts crusaders in Hungary rose in rebellion under the leadership of Gyorgy Dozsa. It was a big peasant rebellion - about 100,000 people took part. Several times the rebels attacked Uzhhorod, Mukachevo, Khust and Korolevo. But the situation changed in 1526, when a battle on the river Mohach took place, where Hungarians were defeated by Turks and lost their King Lajos II, the last of the Anjou dynasty. As a result, the Hungarian Kingdom was divided into three parts:
1. Transylvanian Principality - vassal of Turkish Empire.
2. Central Hungary - under the power of Turkish Empire.
3. Western and Northern Hungary - under the power of Austrian Hapsburgs.
In 1526, Yanosh Zapolyai became the Prince of Transylvania- Semihorodshchyna, to which belonged the comitats of Bereh, Uhocha, and Maramarosh. Austria had the Transcarpathian comitat of Ung under its control. At that time the war started between Catholic Austria and Protestant Transylvania.
In XVIIth Century in Maramarosh, there were so called "girls' bazaars". It was a place people visited to meet someone for marriage.
In XVIIth Century salt, fur, wine and wooden articles were exported from Transcarpathia. Jewellery and carpets were imported (from the Balkans, Turkey), as well as material, cut-glass ware, china (Czechia, Germany, Italy), metal products (Holland, Poland, Ukraine, Russia).
In 1631 wood felling was forbidden near Horyany, Nevytske, Kamyanytsya, Korytnyany. In Maramosh, spruce cutting was limited and used only for rafts to transport salt.
Despite the fact that Transylvanian Principality, to which the biggest part of Transcarpathia belonged, was officially subordinate to the Ottoman Empire, Hungarian princes did not want to be under Asian influence. Thus, in 1566 Turks came again to Transcarpathia and Slovakia. Berehovo, Sevlyush, Vary, Mochola, Kidyosh, Asten, Didovo, Bucha, Bihan', Berehy, Kosyno, Kvasovo, Huta and Bene were sacked.
In the XVI-XVII centuries, Transcarpathia was primarily the land where a large-scale opryshk (rebel bands) movement started. In particular, the most famous among opryshk detachments were those in the villages Lyuta, Zahorb, Polyana, Dubrynychy, Rostok, Volosyanka, and among the leaders of opryshks the most famous were L.Varha, I.Syvohop, O.Rusnak, P.Oros, S.Forhach, Shotvosh, Pyntya.
It was in our region that the first strike in Hungary happened: it was in 1551 when salt miners in Solotvyno left mines and went on strike near Nagy Banya. They demanded better living conditions and abolition of the death penalty.
The Late Middle Ages were marked by the following events in the social and economic life of the region:
a) Start of cultivating nut, apple and mulberry-trees for trade. The volume of maize and clover cultivation increased.
b) Manufacturing became widespread, especially in Berehovo zhupa. There were about 100 enterprises. In Berehovo lived 11 tailors, 19 shoemakers, 5 coopers, 4 potters, 5 blacksmiths, 5 furriers, - together they comprised 8 guilds. Uzh zhupa had metal factories (Remety, Antalovtsi, Lumshory), 20 sawmills, and quarries of potash and saltpetre. Maramarosh zhupa was famous for wood and metal-working (Vyshkovo, Kryva, Bushtyno, Bychkiv), blast furnaces and moulds (Kosivska Polyana, Butfalfa), sawmills (Yasinya, Bychkiv, Ust'-Chorna), shoe manufactures (Khust). In Uzh zhupa, there was the biggest coopers' guild.
c) Usage of mineral waters. Hot stones in special hollows made in rocks heated mineral water, and it was used for health treatment. These were the first spa sanatoriums.
d) By this time there were 700 villages in the region, and about 40 schools. The following towns were distinguished: private - Mukachevo, Berehovo, Berehy, Kosyno, Vary, Sevlyush, Svalyava, Nyzhni Vorota; public- Uzhhorod, Perechyn, V.Bereznyy; crown's - Vyshkovo, Tyachevo, Khust.
History does not develop along only one line, so in 1604-1606 the movement against the Hapsburgs started under the leadership of Istvan Bocskai, which involved three Transcarpathian comitats. The movement had its continuation in 1678-1685, when Hungarian national movement started under the leadership of Imre Thokoly against the Hapsburgs. Transcarpathia was the main base of insurgents.
An interesting fact is that in 1634 the government of the Austrian Empire provided several places in Trnava University for Transcarpathians.
Perhaps, the most important event in the history of XVII century in our region happened on 24 April 1646 when Uzhhorod Union was proclaimed. In Uzhhorod castle 63 Orthodox priests agreed to join with the Catholic Church. Thus, a new church was founded in Transcarpathia - the Greek-Catholic Church.
In 1689, an edict of Pope Alexander VIII on the unification of historic Transcarpathian Catholic communities with Vatican was published. In 1696, in the village Mariye-Povcha (a place for Greek-Catholic pilgrimage at present) the icon of Diva Maria (Virgin Mary) wept for the first time. Today, this icon is in Vienna (Austria).
In 1690, the Transylvania Principality ceased to exist, and the whole territory of Transcarpathia became part of the Austrian Empire.
However, in 1703 the liberation movement of Hungarians against Austria began under the leadership of Ferenc II Rakoczi. At the beginning he was supported by 6000 people, only 800 being armed. On 7 June 1703 the first memorable battle took place near the village of Dovhe, then on 15 February 1704, insurgents occupied the castle in Mukachevo.
The rebellion of kurutz was put down by Austrian-Labantz troops, although in 1708 in Berehovo comitat a law abolishing serfdom was approved along with many other positive measures.
In 1728 Mukachevo-Chynadiyevo dominia was ceded to the counts Schonborns (152 villages, 4 towns, 15 villages, and 14,000 people). A new wave of German colonisation is associated with this feudal family. More than 200 artisans and specialists in viticulture came and settled in the villages of Koropetz', Berezynka, Kuchava, Schonborn, Hrabovo, Puznyakivtsi.
In XIX the territory of Transcarpathia was divided into 18 districts: V.Berezny, Perechyn, Serednye, Uzhhorod, Korolevo, Teresva, Tyachiv, Volove, Dovhe, Khust, Svalyava, Latorychansky (Rosvyhovo), Mezekosynsky (Kosyno), Tysahatsky (Berehovo), Verhovynsky (Irshava), Velykosevlyushsky (Sevlyush), Tysodolynyansky (Rakhiv), Nyzhnyoveretsky (Nyzhni Vorota).
In 1774 in Vienna theological seminary "Barbareum" 20 places were given to Transcarpathians.
In XIX there were 21 towns: Berehovo, Bushtyno, V.Bereznyy, V.Bychkiv, Vynohradiv, Vyshkovo, Korolevo, Mukachevo, Perechyn, Rakhiv, Svalyava, Solotvyno, Serednye, Teresva, Tyachiv, Uzhhorod, Khust, Chop, Yasinya, Dovhe Pole, Syhed.
In 1775 the centre of Mukachevo Greek-Catholic Eparchy was transferred to Uzhhorod.
In XIX there were annual markets: Mukachevo (18 days), Uzhhorod (16 days), Berehovo (12 days), Khust (10 days), Vynohradiv (7 days), Serednye (6 days), Bereznyy, Dovhe, Bilky, Svalyava, Volove, N.Vorota. There were 6500 people trading.
In 1799, the first book "Short description of Fedir Koryatovych Foundation" by Ioanykiy Bazylovych was published. In 1843 the manuscript "History of Carpathian Rusyns" by Mykhailo Luchkay was completed, and in 1847 the ABC-book "Reading Booklet for beginners" by Olexandr Dukhnovych was published for the first time in the history of the land.
In 1846, a census was held in the Austrian Empire. In 4 comitats of Transcarpathia lived 468,838 people, among them Rusyns-Ukrainians - 235,266, Hungarians - 119,816, Slovaks - 13,857, Rumanians - 64,917, Germans - 10,351, Jews - 24,589, Greeks - 42.
The beginning of the 19th century was characterised by economic growth. In Transcarpathia the capitalist system began to develop within feudalism and the first factories appeared. On 27 March 1848 in Uzhhorod, during the time of the Hungarian bourgeois revolution and overthrow of the monarchy, the Law of Hungary "on abolition of serfdom and feudal servitude" was proclaimed. The Hapsburgs asked the army of the Russian Tsar to help suppress revolution. Being unable to stand against such forces, the revolutionary army was defeated and the Monarchy was again re-established.
In 1849, Uzhhorod became the centre of Rusyn okruh (region) - a new administrative unit in the Austrian Empire, but it lasted only a short time and was abolished in 1850.
In 1869 the first sawmill was opened in Uzhhorod; in 1872 the first railway - Uzhhorod to Chop - started functioning. In 1897 the first telegraph communication between Uzhhorod and Budapest was established, and in 1902 the first electric station was built in Uzhhorod. In 1861 the first newspaper in Transcarpathia, "Carpathian News," was issued (in the Hungarian language). In 1865 the first coalmine was sunk in the village of Ilnytsya. In 1874 the inventor A.Yenkovsky from the village of Steblivka invented a machine for mechanised reaping of wheat. In 1896 there were 123 postal offices in Transcarpathia but no telephone. In 1907 the first theatre was built in Uzhhorod.
Between 1870-1913, some 180,000 people officially emigrated from the Transcarpathian comitats to the USA, and 400,000 people emigrated illegally. Other countries of migration were Uruguay, Canada and Australia.
World War I slowed down the development of our land. In September 1914 Russian troops broke through near Yasinya, Rakhiv, and Uzhok, as they did at the end of October 1914 in the direction of Uzhok and Yablunetsky pass. Fifteen villages were occupied - Volosyanka, Uzhok, Stuzhytsa, Stavne, Lyuta, Volovets', Yalove, Huklyve, Skotarske, Studene and others. When the Austrian-Hungarian Empire collapsed in autumn 1918 a lot of Transcarpathians wanted to join Ukraine; in particular this wish was expressed at the Congress in Khust on 21 January 1919.
However, on 10 September 1919 Transcarpathia officially joined the Czech Republic, and the first Governor of Transcarpathia was Georgiy Zhatkovych. Uzhhorod became its administrative centre. It was in the times of the Czech republic that Transcarpathia obtained modern architecture and much cultural development.
In 1921, Uzhhorod received a licence for showing films; in 1927 a Romany school - unique in Europe - was founded. In 1929 an airport - the first one in Transcarpathia - was built in Uzhhorod. Moreover, on 29 February 1920, the name Subcarpathian Rus' appeared in the Constitution of the Czech republic. In 1920 there were 60 newspapers, of which 22 were printed in Hungarian, 10 in Russian, 9 in Rusyn, 5 in Jewish, 4 in Czech, 4 in Ukrainian and 6 were mixed.
But according to the Vienna Arbitration of 2 November 1938, one part of Transcarpathia was ceded to Hungary. In the other part of the region, a new state was proclaimed on 15 March 1939, namely Carpathian Ukraine. Its capital was Khust and Avhustyn Voloshyn became its first president. Unfortunately, this Carpathian State existed for only a very short time and soon it was occupied by Hungary. Then in 1941 the Hungarian State, to which Transcarpathia then belonged, joined World War II.
By the end of 1944, battles approached Uzhhorod. The war did not destroy anything important in this territory, though it led to significant changes in the social structure of Transcarpathia. The reason was unification with Hungary.
Units of the 4th Ukrainian front under the leadership of General Petrov took part in military actions in Transcarpathia. In autumn 1944 they completed liberation of the territory. Over 10.000 Soviet soldiers died in the fight for Transcarpathia, and numerous monuments preserve their memory.
The period of liberation brought significant changes in the life of the region. Thus, on 26 November 1944 the First Congress of Peoples' Committee was held, where the Manifest on reunification of the Transcarpathian Ukraine with the Soviet Ukraine was proclaimed. The agreement on reunification of Transcarpathia with the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was signed in Moscow on 29 June 1945.
Since then, a new period of extensive development started: on 18 October 1945 Uzhhorod State University was founded, in 1956 Tereblya-Ritska hydro-electric station was built (with the capacity 130 million kV/ year), in 1956 the first electric train went from Mukachevo to Lavochne.
There are many things to be recalled. For example, in 1946 the football team of Uzhhorod "Spartak" became the Champion of Ukraine; in July 1990 Uzhhorod was the site of the World Children's Olympic Games. But at the same time, the ecology of the Carpathian Mountains was destroyed as well as much of the culture of our native land.
In 1991, a new independent state was proclaimed, which today is one of the biggest states in Europe - Ukraine. It should be mentioned that the first countries to recognise this new independent State were its Transcarpathian neighbours, i.e. Hungary and Poland.
Since then, here are some of the main events: Pistryalivska radio locating station was closed down; a special economic zone was founded in Transcarpathia; the first official football match between Ukraine and Hungary was held; calamitous floods and snowfalls happened in 1998, 1999, 2001, which caused many deaths; the number of higher schools increased; and there were memorable celebrations to mark the "Second Millennium" - 2000 years, two centuries, and two epochs.
Emblem of Uzhhorod: on a blue German shield, there are three grapevines growing from the earth; they are crossed with each other and have three green (colour of freedom) leaves and two golden bunches of grapes on them.
Emblem of Uzh area (Uzhhorod, Perechyn, V.Bereznyy districts): a shield of French shape, divided into two parts, above which there is a knight's helmet with a coronet on it. Decorative blue, silver and gold elements hang down on either side of the shield. On the blue background of the shield in its upper part there is a knight standing in front of the coronet; he is holding three golden ears of wheat (wealth of fields) and three oak branches (wealth of woods). In the lower part of the emblem on a red (colour of courage) background there are three stripes, which symbolise rivers.
Emblem of Bereh (Berehovo, Mukachevo, Svalyava, Volovets', Irshava districts): a shield of Italian shape is divided into four parts by a silver cross. In its upper corners on a red background there is a bunch of grapes and an oak branch with acorns. In its lower corners on a blue background, two fish and a brown bear are depicted.
Emblem of Uhocha (Vynohradiv district): it is a shield of Spanish shape, wrapped by oak branches with acorns. In the upper part on a red background there is a bunch of grapes and an oak branch with acorns. At the bottom on the blue background there are two fish and a black legendary crayfish from the river Bator. In the centre of the emblem there is a gold lion on a red background (family emblem of the feudal lords Perenis).
Emblem of Maramorsh (Mizhhirya, Khust, Tyachiv, Rakhiv districts): on the shield of German shape there are black (colour of carefulness) salt miners in front of a white (colour of hope) mine with picks in their hands, below there are rivers shown as stripes. At the top of the emblem there is a mountain goat (symbol of mountains) with a spruce (symbol of forests) on either side of it.