Petrich coat of arms

The coat of arms of the town of Petrich (Southwestern Bulgaria) is shield-shaped. The bottom part presents the pinnacles of a fortress. A standing woman is centered in the shield, as a peony is woven into her wildly flying hair. The coat of arms of Petrich is closely related to the legend about the medieval fortress, the ruins of which are found above the old Petrich. According to the experts the fortress is dated to the end of 10th – the beginning of 11th century, and existed until the end of 14th century, when it was destroyed by the Ottoman conquerors. The story tells that a beautiful girl was one of the protectors of the fortress, and during the entire battle she wove the green flag of freedom. The son of the bey who besieged the stronghold, fell in love with the pretty girl. He sent glorious gifts to win her, but the gifts were returned. Then the Ottomans decided to burn the fortress hoping that the girl would run out with all the other people. However non of the fortress’ protectors ran. All of them died. The bey ordered to bury the girl and to plant near the grave a red- scarlet flower that she deserved. Nowadays, each spring a red peony blossoms here, reminding the heroism of the Petrich citizens.