The Coat of Arms of Poland consists of a White Eagle on a red shield. The Eagle is wearing a crown. In Poland, the Coat of Arms is usually called simply White Eagle (Orzeł Biały), always capitalised. Note that in heraldry there is never a "white" colour: what we see as white is normally said to be "silver" (and "yellow" is "gold"). However, the Polish eagle is the only one which is "pure" white instead of silver.

The eagle is thought to be the White-tailed eagle, although the highly stylised depiction does not connect the White Eagle with any specific species of eagle.

Legend

The White Eagle is said to have originated when Poland’s legendary founder Lech saw a white eagle’s nest, and considering this a good omen, founded the city of Gniezno (from gniazdo - nest).

Some historians place the origins of the White Eagle in the Holy Roman Empire’s coat of arms, which bore a black eagle.

History

The White Eagle is first known from coins made during king Boleslaus’s reign, initially as the Piast family’s personal coat of arms.

Przemysł II introduced the White Eagle as a Polish symbol.

The current version of the White Eagle was introduced by Constitutional amendment in 1927. In 1945, the new communist regime removed the crown from the Eagle’s head and replaced (perhaps accidentally) the rosettes on its wings with stars. The crown was replaced in 1990, and the current version is basically the same as that of 1927, with minor cosmetic changes.

See Also

• Order of the White Eagle – the highest order in Polish honours system.
• Coat of Arms of Poznan
• Coat of Arms of Warsaw
• Flag of Poland