Last modified: 2006-12-02 by dov gutterman
Keywords: zagreb | agram | croatia | tower | star | crescent | castle | st. marco |
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image by Željko Heimer, 13 November 2002
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Since 1997, the city of Zagreb is not part of the Zagreb
County, but has special status equal to other counties (although
it is still named "City of Zagreb" and not "County
of City of Zagreb" or whatever, and it does not have the
roman numeral as other counties have. So, the city of Zagreb is
the 21st county of Croatia, although it is not named a county).
This unusual status is reflected in flags as well - Zagreb uses
monocoloured flags as prescribed for any other city in Croatia
even if it has status of a county and one would expect a bicolour
flag.
Željko Heimer, 12 November 2006
I started to notice during this summer or maybe a moth or two
beofre that the flags infront of the civic office buildings
(there are quite a number of those in Zagreb) are being slowly
changed. The Previous old blue flags with
white silhueted Coat of Arms are by now all (or mostly) replaced
with new blue flag with the coat of arms in full colours.
On the official site of Zagreb at <www.zagreb.hr>
there are images of the Coat of Arms and the flag, and there is
also link to the full text of the current Statute, text including
the 1999 Statute and amendments of 2001 (which I don't kown if
include any amendemns regarding the symbols): Statut Grada
Zagreba, Službeni glasnik Grada Zagreba 19/99 Statutarna
odluka o izmjenama i dopunama Statuta Grada Zagreba,
Službeni glasnik Grada Zagreba 19/01 Statut Grada Zagreba
(procišceni tekst), 19. 12. 2001
The article 8 determines the design of the Coat of Arms and the
flag: "In blue field on a green hill a silver city with
three towers and opened golden doors, in chief dexter a golden
six-pointed star and in chief sinister a silver crescent. [...]
The flag in ratio 1:2 is blue with the coat of arms in the middle
bordered yellow."
Articles 9 and 10 determine the basic usage princilpes of the
Coat of Arms and the flag, and articles 14 and 15 calls for the
decision of the City Assembly about the details of the design
layout and construction details etc. The statutes are signed by
the chairman of the statutory commission, Dr. Dembitz.
I don't think that the 1999 Statutes actually introduced this
particular design, but for now this is the best I have.
I belive that Janko showed this flag few years ago, possibly
before 1999, but as I have noticed, it has been put in the public
use only in 2002. Probably due to financial reasons, the flags
were replaced only when the old ones (bought I believe in early
1990's, so dozen years old) became quite unsuitable for futher
hoisting.
Željko Heimer, 13 November 2002
Following a visit to the Museum of the CIty of Zagreb (Muzej
grada Zagreba - <www.mgz.hr>),
I may add some details on the history of the Coat of Arms and the
flag of Zagreb.
In XIXth century the usual background colour was red until 3rd
August 1896 it was finally decided that it shold be blue:
"Azure three tower argent on a massoned wall also argent
with opened gates or, in dexter a mullet or and in siniter a
crescent argent. Above the shield a massoned crown or."
During the socialist period the crown was often replaced with a
five-pointed star.
The flag was determined on 2nd June 1902 to be blue with the coat
of arms in the middle, following the proposal by Branko
Šenoa and Ivan pl. Bojnicic. Such flag was first
manufactured in 1916 on for the crowning celebration of King
Charles I in Budapest (and is preserved in the Zagreb Municipal
Museum as well as the aquarel of the proposal).
Following the 15th April 1993 temporary Statutes, around 1997,
the city of Zagreb adopted the new modernized artistic redention
of the coat of arms based on the 1896 model, and finally
prescribed the blue flag with these arms proper in the middle. As
the current legislation regarding Coat of Arms require those
cities that have historical Coat of Arms to adopt them in the
same form as the historical examples, but only the shield,
without any additional elements, the modern Coat of Arms of
Zagreb does not include the crown.
Željko Heimer, 23 July 2006
![[Zagreb]](../images/h/hr-zg-ci.gif)
image by Željko Heimer
image by Željko Heimer
The flag is blue with white outlined coat of arms of Zagreb -
a castle on ground with three towers and opened doors followed by
a crescent and a star. The arms originated at circa 13th
century (they are on a stone capitell with a year 1269 (if I
recall correctly), held by a lion rampart.
On images used today it is mostly uncoloured, i.e. just the
outline like in the flag, but the colours used were blue
background, green ground, white castle, with red doors, white
crescent and golden star. Sometimes it was pictured with a red
background, as one can see on the roof of St. Marko's church in
the old town next to the Croatian Parliament (Sabor).
The flag is blue, that is traditionally the colour of Zagreb
(trams and buses are blue, phone boots also, etc.). The castle
with open doors represents that Zagreb was declared a royal free
market place, open to merchants and visitors, in 1292 by the
Croato-Hungarian king Bela IV which hid himself there from the
Tatars attacking from east over all his land up till Zagreb. The
crescent and star are ancient symbols used on the oldest coat of
arms of Croatia (see the first arms in the crown of Croatian
state's arms). The windows on the castle are of the type used for
shooting from them, symbolizing, that tough open, it is ready for
defence if necessary.
The flag is used in a few variations, without the determined
proportions, most often they are 1:2. It is much more often to
see it with the arms rotated 90 degrees, and hanged verically,
and sometimes there is no white outline of the shield of arms.
Željko Heimer, 18 March 1996
zg-zg.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 13 November 2002
Zagreb was recently divided into 17 districts. In fact the
division was legally made several years ago, but the districts
were never actually made. Only recently the first elections for
the districts were made and they are now in process of
establishing themselves. At this momnet there is no yet talk not
as far as I now any discussion among legislators either, about
possible symbols of those districts (nor even right of adopting
some is mentioned, I believe). However, I don't doubt that
eventuialy there shall be some symbols.
Since 1993 when the new administratrive subdivision of Croatia
was made zagreb was functioning as "unitary" city
without any subdivisions, but until that time the City of zagreb
was since some time in 1960's composed of 14 communities. In fact
the communities were the main "bearers" of the
governmnet and selfgovernment, and the city was an assembly of
those made for better functioning. Similar organization was made
in other larger cities in Yugoslavia, like in Croatia Split
(communities of Split, Solin and Kastela), in Slovenia Ljubljana
(5 communities, now disbanded) and Maribor (6 communities, some
disbanded some "independent" today), furthermore
Sarajevo consisted of 10 communities (I'm not sure about the
current stataus, some may be still valid), Beograd of 16 (I
believe all still funtioning), Novi Sad of 7 (also) and Skopje in
Macedonia of 5 to which I am not sure how are doing now. Well, in
any case, the communities that Zagreb was composed of were:
1. Centar
2. Crnomerec (Ernomerec)
3. Dubrava
4. Maksimir
5. Medvescak (Medveseak)
6. Novi Zagreb
7. Pescenica (Peseenica)
8. Samobor
9. Sesvete
10. Susedgrad
11. Tresnjevka (Tresnjevka)
12. Trnje
13. Velika Gorica
14. Zapresic (Zapresia)
(names in parethesis are proper spelling with Croatian letters
with hatcheks)
The communities of Samobor, Velika Gorica and Zapresic nowdays
are entirely separate cities (though the latter two were
incorporated, obviously "experimentally" in the
"unified" Zagreb between 1993 and 1995).
As fully quailified communities each of them had right to adopt a
Coat of Arms and a flag, but as far as I am aware, none of them
adopted any flag ever (until 1993, that is), and only few that I
am aware adopted Coat of Arms . I believe that only Dubrava,
Susedgrad and Tresnjevka adopted Coat of Arms in late 1970's,
though Samobor that already had a historical Coat of Arms (same
as used now) may have used it officially or traditionally without
some legal confirmation.
The three that adopted Coat of Arms in 1970's adopted designs
made by Petar Cimbur, designer and journalist from zagreb, who
designed several other Coat of Arms of Yugoslav cities in 1970's
and 80's. He had issued a book on his heraldical expiriences.
From what I remember from the book, the Coat of Arms of Dubrava
was white shield with blue 20 or so rectangles set in shape of a
fivepointed star, reminding on the modern blocks of flats and
with a red star in the middle. The Coat of Arms of Susedgrad was
also white shield with blue representation of the ruined tower of
the medieval city of Susedgrad, possibly with red star or
lightning, I don't remember any more exactly. Both had the name
of the community inscribed in chief.
All communities used the flag of Zagreb (at that time with red
star in canton, also in several variations in the shape and
colouring of the shield, but that is wholly another question),
and if maybe some table flags were made with the community Coat
of Arms on white background, where were purely ornamental and not
flags in any sence.
As these CoAs included strong ideological symbols of the time of
their adoption, it is not very porbable that they would serve as
basys for the adoption of the symbols of the new Zagreb
districts, even if some may share common name (territoy would
surely be smaller). However, these Coat of Arms are examples of
the best heraldic design of the time (considering the artistic
taste of time, of course) and however we may look at such design
nowdays.
Željko Heimer, 5 March 2001
zg-tr.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 5 March 2001
The Coat of Arms of Tresnjevka I remember very well this being
the community where I lived (and still live though there is no
community of than name any more). A lapel pin I preserved helps
my memory, too. The shield is white with blue cog wheel with
three towers from the Coat of Arms of Zagreb being incorporated
as the three topmost cogs and though it flying a red flag with
golden outlined fivepointed star, in the chief is the name of the
community (in black or blue?). The cog wheel represents the
industry that is (or was) very strong in the community, three
towers are clear connection with Zagreb. The red revolutionary
banner is reminder that Tresnjevka, as workers' suburb at the
time, the core of the revolutionary movement in Zagreb (it was
nicknamed "Red Tresnjevka").
Željko Heimer, 5 March 2001
An other interesting detail I noticed in the Municipal Museum
of Zagreb( Muzej grada Zagreba - <www.mgz.hr>).
More or less this is stated next to the rule book in room 36 of
the Museum:
"Namely, in 1871 the Municipal Government of Zagreb issued
regulations for information in case of fire. The city was divided
into five fire districts. The location of the fire was designated
with a certain number of rounds shot from a cannon, by bell
ringing and by hoisting of a red flag - if the fire broke in the
city or a white-red flag - if the fire emerged in a village. If
the fire broke in the night, a red light was lit on the tower, or
if it was in a villiage a white one.
Željko Heimer, 23 July 2006