Last modified: 2021-08-25 by 
christopher oehler
Keywords: oslo | saint hallvard | kristiania |
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image by Tomislav Šipek, 19 October 2015
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Oslo is the capital of Norway.
Jan Oskar Engene, 20 October 1995
Oslo is both a city and a county -
administratively it is the same thing, so there is only one flag.
Jan Oskar Engene, 19 November 1995
Oslo started using a new city flag in 2002. The flag shows the city's arms,
featuring the Holy Hallvard, against a blue background. The decision to change
the flag from the simple blue and white striped flag, used since 1924 (see
below), was taken by the municipal council in January 2000. It was then
suggested that Oslo would try to have the flag officially approved by Royal
resolution, a rather optimistic idea as the flag contravenes every heraldic
principle enforced by the National Archives for about 70 years. And indeed, it
seems the city authorities never even bothered to apply for approval,
preferring instead to go ahead using the flag, and this is what has now
happened. Against a threat of fines or prison terms up to three months, a law
from 1933 prohibits Norwegian municipalities from flying any other flags than
the national flag or those civic flags approved by Royal resolution. This
seems to concern no one, least of all the country's capital.
For further discussion of the flag, see [joe00d]
and my brief note in the spring 2002 issue of Nordisk Flaggkontakt [nfs].
Jan Oskar Engene, 14 May 2002
Judging from the case of Trondheim, that
recently was granted a flag following the Norwegian "communaly heraldry
rules" inspite of having ancient and complicated coat of arms - one
would expect that similar might be expected for Oslo too. And the striped flag
is certainly within the design limitations of the Norwegian heraldic
authorities. The ancenity of that design and it's discontinued longlasting use
(going back to 1924, which is certainly honourable age for a civic flag in
Norway) would only help to the case, wouldn't they?
(I don't remember right now if there is an other presendence beside
Trondheim that would help to this case. Horten maybe? Bergen
was granted her old flag, but that was back in 1920's, IIRC)
Željko Heimer, 15 May 2002
I think you are right. Chances of official approval for the old flag would
have been very good. But somehow municipal authorities got the idea that the
striped flag was too similar the flag of Greece. Yes,
Greece! So, instead of the Greek company, Oslo has now joined the extended
family of American states with seals on a blue background. As if that made for
a more distinct flag.
Bergen is, as often, a deviant case. Drammen is a similar case to Oslo,
with a simple, yet unapproved, flag unconnected to the arms. The flag of
Drammen has a wavy white stripe on a blue field. I cannot think of any other
case that would match that of Trondheim.
Jan Oskar Engene, 15 May 2002
Regarding Oslo, the new blue flag with
coat-of-arms seems to have been replaced mostly by the triangular version which
I have seen only around the Oslo Rådhus (City Hall). rectangular version I have
not seen these days. The triangular version seem to be 1:2, with the
coat-of-arms near the hoist. The replacement from rectangle to triangle might be
a result of the action questioning the legality of the new blue flag.
Željko Heimer, 12 August 2003
image by Tomislav Šipek, 19 October 2015
The flag of Oslo is already presented on FOTW,
but here is better image of flag.
Sources:
http://osloinfo.blogspot.hr/p/flaggvimpel.html
http://evp.dk/index.php?page=maj-2014
Tomislav Šipek, 15 October 2015
03-01.gif)
image by Tomislav Šipek, 19 October 2015
The current artwork of the coat of arms was adopted in 1924,
designed by the architect Børre Ilrichsen (according to Cappelen and
Johhanssen: "Norske Kommunevåppen, 1987. See [c2j87] in FOTW bib pages. I
hope I shall quote from this rather often in this series.
However, [c2j87] shows the coat of arms without the mural crown. This might
have been more recent addition, possibly in connection with the change
of flag in 2000.
Željko Heimer, 15 October 2015
Here are flags and coat of arms of Oslo.
Tomislav Šipek, 19 October 2015
image
by Jan Oskar Engene
Adopted in 1924, in use until 2002.
The flag was designed in 1924, for the 300th
anniversary of Kristiania (as Oslo was then known). Poportions 8:13. The colours
are not explained, but both of them are found in the seal/arms of Oslo, a
complicated design featuring Oslo's patron saint St. Hallvard.
Jan Oskar Engene, 20 October 1995
The lexicon Aschehoug og
Gyldendals: "Store norske leksikon", 3. utgave. gives adoption
date for the four-striped old Oslo flag as 1924. It is indicative that the
wording here use word 'adopted' ("vedtat")
instead of 'approved' ("godkjent") used
throughout the lexicon for all other flags that were given the royal approval.
Željko Heimer, 12 August 2003