 the coat of arms of bulgaria (, ) consists of a crowned golden lion rampant over a dark red shield; above the shield is the bulgarian historical crown. the shield is supported by two crowned golden lions rampant; below the shield there is compartment in the shape of oak twigs and white bands with the national motto "unity makes strength" inscribed on them. ==description== the current coat of arms of bulgaria was adopted in 1997. the current arms are a slightly redesigned version of the coat of arms of bulgaria from the period 1927â1946. those arms were based on a similar earlier form, firstly used by tsar ferdinand i (1887â1918) as his personal ruler's coat of arms. the previous emblem, which combined the traditional gold lion rampant with the pattern of the coat of arms of the soviet union, was abandoned since communist rule ended in the country in 1989. the new constitution of bulgaria, adopted in 1991, describes the bulgarian coat of arms as follows:  for many years, agreement on the design of the coat of arms was a source of great controversy in the bulgarian government, as different parties argued over the design elements. the final design was legitimized in the law for the coat of arms of the republic of bulgaria of 4 august 1998: {{cquote|coat of arms of the republic of bulgaria art. 1. the coat of arms of the republic of bulgaria shall be a state symbol expressing the independence and the sovereignty of the bulgarian people and state. art. 2. (1) the coat of arms of the republic of bulgaria shall be
Bulgarian_coats_of_arms National_coats_of_arms National_symbols_of_Bulgaria