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Samara Region (Russia)

Samarskaâ oblasth

Last modified: 2021-07-17 by valentin poposki
Keywords: samara | deer (white) | iver | kuybyshev | samara’s banner |
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Самарская область

Flag of Samara Region image by Tomislav Šipek, 5 February 2020
Based on: https://lori.ru/26190681

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Presentation of Samara Region

(Note: You need an Unicode-aware software and font to correctely view the cyrillic text on this page. See here transliteration details).

  • Name (English): Samara Region • (Russian): Самарская область | Samarskaâ oblasth
  • Capital: Самарса | Samara • (former name): Kuĭbyŝev | Куйбышев (1935-199X)
  • Area: 53 600 km2 (≅20 700 sq.mi.) • Population: 3 282 000 inhabitants in 2000
  • Status: Region (область | oblasth) within the Russian Federation
  • Federal District: Volga • Economic region: Volga
  • License plate code: 63 • Ham radio code: SR • ISO 3166-2 code: SAM
  • Flag adopted on 1998.09.22 • Coat of arms adopted on 1998.09.22

Description of the flag

After a substantial decision of the flag project, it was decided that the Samara Oblast flag is a rectangular red-white-blue canvas, 2:3 size, with the arms in the center.
Pascal Gross, 12 Jul 2001, quoting from www.adm.samara.ru/en/content/5/51/675

Horizontal red / white / blue with coat of arms in the middle (2/3 of height). The ratio is 2:3 indeed. The project of Law about State Symbols of Samara Region is being discussed.
Michael Simakov, 29 Dec 1998 and 27 Jan 2000

The proportions of flag of Samara region are 2:3, according to the law of Samara region About arms of coat and flag of Samara region.
Yury Rocich, 27 Jan 2000

The flag of Samara region based on the Samara’s Banner. But the cross replaced by the coat of arms of the Region (white deer on light-blue shield). Over the coat of arms, a golden crown.
Andrey Yashlawsky, 19 Jan 1999


Unofficial flag of 1992-1993

Prev. flag of Samara Region image by António Martins, 30 Oct 2001

In 1992 or 1993 some regions self upgraded to constituent republics, and used ephemeral unofficial flags. One of the main republics was Samara — flag uncertain probably blue with same figure that in the arms.
Jaume Ollé, 15 Apr 2000

I’m sure that this flag is a fiction. I don’t know who is author… It was adopted never and existed never.
Victor Lomantsov, 17 Apr 2000


The Samara’s Banner

This banner was created in 1877 by decision of City’s Duma for Bulgarian volunteer's units during Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. It was made by nuns of Samara’s Iver nunnery. It was a horizontal tricolour (red, white and blue) with golden cross in center. On the cross — images of Iver Virginia, St. Kirill and St. Methody. This banner was lost in first battle with the Turks, but later it was remade.
Andrey Yashlawsky, 19 Jan 1999

The members of the Samara Duma came up with an idea to create a flag in order to present it to the Slavs fighting against the Turks. A prominent public leader, member of the Duma, Pyotr Vladimirovich Alabin (Pëtr Vladimiroviĉ Alabin | Пётр Владимирович Алабин) and his wife Varvara Vasilyevna (Varvara Vasilevna | Варвара Василевна) took an active part in that. The artist Nickolai Efstafyevich Simakov (Nikolaĭ Evstafeviĉ Simakov | Николай Евстафевич Симаков) made the sketch. On one side of the red, white and blue canvas on a black cross, decorated with golden ornament, he showed the first Slavic teachers Kiril and Mephody. On the other side, he showed the icon of the Iverskaya God Mother, which gave the name to the nunnery later founded in Samara. It were the nuns who for free embroidered the flag.

It is considered that the flag was for the Bulgarian rebels. But by the time it was ready, the Turks had suppressed the rebellion. In April 1877, Russia declared war to Turkey. Volunteers started to form units and the Duma members decided to pass the flag on to the Bulgarian troops. On May 1(13) the flag was in Kishinyov and on May 6 (18) it was handed over to the third unit of the Bulgarian militia somewhere close to Ploeshti. On July 19 (31), 1887, the flag was "baptized" in a tough fight near the Bulgarian city Stara Zagora. Several flag-holders got killed in that fight. Among them was the Commander of the unit lieutenant — colonel P. P. Kalitin.

The Samara flag has become a historic relic for Bulgarians. The flag was given the highest military award "For Courage". On September 22, 1981, Bulgarians presented the exact copy of the flag to our city. Today it is in the Museum of the History of the Privolzhsky Military District.

Pascal Gross, 12 Jul 2001, quoting from www.adm.samara.ru/en/content/5/51/675