Last modified: 2010-03-12 by dov gutterman
Keywords: lika | senj | licko-senjska | gospic | wolf |
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image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
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Gospic is the capital of the Lika-Senj County. It has about 20
000 inhabitaints, the urban area itself having about 9 000 of
these (this is I believe the 1991 census, the 2001 census gives
just under 6000 for the city itself, no doubt due to the war. Source:
Hrvatska enciklopedija, 4, 2002).
The Previous Flag that was against regulations
(using two colurs, and with logoid coat of arms) was replaced for
a real thing in 1999 with the decision issued in the official
gazette: Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica,
Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 2/99. According to a
decision granting use of the Coat of Arms to a small animal farm
association in Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica 6/02 available
on line at <www.gospic.hr>
Since it is an amendment to a previous decision, it probably
amends the decision from mid-1990's adopting the blue-white-blue
flag.
The mentioned web site on a different page quotes what is most
certainly direct citation from the decision
<www.gospic.hr/grad/opcenito.asp>.
The coat of arms is Gules a wolf rampant argent langued and armed
of the first holding a sword erect argent hilted and pommed or.
The wolf is native in the region and not unusual. It is also
symbolic for virtues of the population. The erect sword symbolize
their determination to defend themselves. The flag is blue with
the coat of arms bordered yellow in the middle.
The mentioned site clearly show the flag painted as light blue.
The text says simply blue, while Tomislav Šipek on [vexicro]
claims from his observations that the flags used use much darker
shade (e.g. comparable with blue in the Croatian flag). He also
sent me some photos from the site but I am not quite convinced
with these (I believe that the flag colour is influenced by sun
direction in the photo and similar effects), but I certainly alow
the possibility that indeed the dark blue is used (by error or
intention) and that the light blue drawing on the official site
is "imprecise". However, I choose to draw the image in
light blue.
Željko Heimer, 5 September 2003
The symbols were designed by the Heralid
Art d.o.o company in Rijeka.
Željko Heimer, 4 November 2007
The new 2009
Statutes of Gosipc includes the description of the coat of
arms, the flag and the ceremonial flag, which was not included in
the previous 2001 Statutes: Statut Grada Gospica, 14.07.2009,
Službeni vjesnik Grada Gosipca, br. 7/2009, 14.07.2009.
A number of gazettes include the decisions of grant of use of
coat of arms to various institutions: a car wash shop in Gospic
(SVGG 06/2004), the local educational center POU "Dr. Ante
Starcevic" for use on the majorette and brass band uniforms,
the local diabetics society, the "Mato Lovrak"
publishing house for its book on cities (all in SVGG 07/2005),
the local Homeland War veterans organization and the restaurant
"Likos" Gosipc (SVGG 9A/2005), an other veterans
association of 1990-91 (SVGG 04/2006), the local handball club on
their uniforms (SVGG 12/2006), the local blind sportsmen
association (2008)...
These decisions reveals us more details on the previous original
decision from mid-90 (cf. my previous report of 5 September
2003).
The decisions regarding the city symbols are therefore: Odluka o
grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica, Službeni vjesnik Grada
Gospica, 4/94 Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Grada
Gospica, Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 2/99.
Željko Heimer, 5 December 2009
The current symbols were adopted in 1999, as we already know,
by a decision on amendments of the 1994 decision. The 1999
decision simply changes the paragraphs with descriptions of the
coat of arms and the flag, so thet the are now described so (my
literal translation):
"The coat of arms of the City of Gospic is of semicircular
shield shape. In the semicircular shield on a red field is a
silver wolf in combat position. The wolf in its right paw holds a
sword of silver blade and golden handle."
The flag is described as rectangular in ratio 1:2, coloured blue
with the coat of arms in the centre of it, its height 2/3 of the
flag width.
I previously reported a flag to be light blue, which is erroneous
- the light blue is my misinterpretation of a drawing of the flag
previously available on the city web site. As I was informed by
the city officials, the light blue was never used for the city
flag.
These symbols were approved by the central authorities -at the
time this was the State Directorate for the State Administration
and Local Self-Government, on 14 July 1999. The blazon of the
coat of arms there is much simpler: "in red a silver/white
marching wolf holding a sword" ie. "gules a wolf
rampant or holding a sword". The description of the flag
explicitly mentions the yellow outline around the coat of arms.
Sources:
- Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica,
30.04.1999, Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 2/1999.
- Rješenje Državnog ravnateljstva za državnu
upravu i lokalnu samoupravu, Kl. UP/I-017-02/94-01/31, Urbr.
515-02-01/1-99-5, 14.07.1999.
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
On the official web site of Gospic www.gospic.hr in March was
shown a photo from the city assembly hall where the ceremonial
flag was shown, unfortunately, with some people standing infront
of it, so covering the lower part. According to Tomislav
Šipek, the lower part of the flag is ending triangulalry and
has no ornamentation of any kind below the coat of arms, only the
fringe along the lower edges. So, the ceremonial flag is dark
blue gonfalon with the coat of arms in the middle and the name of
the city above in two arcs.
Željko Heimer, 9 May 2004
Tomsilav Šipek pointed me to a photo where the ceremonial
flag of Gospic is to be seen clearly: see at the bottom of <www.vlada.hr>.
The photo was taken on 15 July 2004 when the Government of
Croatia held its session in Gospic (BTW, the people on the photo
are the premier and his ministers). This corrects the assumption
we had about the lower part of the flag being ornamentless.
Željko Heimer, 26 February 2005
gs-gs.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
Flag
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
Coat of Arms
.gif)
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
Prior to the adoption of the 1999 symbols, the city adopted
its new coat of arms and the flag in 1994. This was: per fess
fimbriated or vert and chequy gules and argent and in chief or
mountains azure, overall in dexter a church argent its belfry
roofed sable.
It shows the mountain ridges of Velebit with its summit Visocica
in the centre. There are fourteen visible cheques of the Croatian
historical coat of arms, while the green field symbolizes the
economic basis of the city - agriculture and forestry. The façade
shown is the Church of Annunciation, at the time the parish
church in Gospic, today the Cathedral. The coat of arms with to
height ratio is prescribed 1:1.33.
The flag prescribed with this arms is blue golden fringed with
the coat of arms in the centre of it. Ratio 1:2. The text of the
description is rather unclear weather the flag is intended to be
fringed yellow or bordered yellow, but I believe that it was the
fringe what was meant.
My drawing of the coat of arms and the flag is based on these
descriptions and the drawing of teh coat of arms shown in the
book by Enver Ljubovic: Grbovi plemstva Gacke i Like, Adamic,
Rijeka, 2001. The drawing there is slightly different - the coat
of arms is not as high as prescribed, there are 15 visible chequy
fields and is outlined with yet another yellow line. However, the
entire coat of arms image there is of rather low quality, so in
any case, this is only one possible interpretation. The coat of
arms used in other occasions that I have seen (including the
buses of the local bus company, until very recently when I
noticed the wolf coat of arms was introduced there as well) used
it with semi-circular shield shape and somewhat different
colouring.
Source: Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica, 27.06.1994,
Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 4/1994.
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
gs-gs80.gif)
Coat of Arms
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010
The 1994 decision invalidates "any prior decisions of the
Assembly of the Community of Gospic that regulated the coat of
arms and the flag". Unfortunately, the prior decisions are
not listed, but we know that at least there was one. Namely, in
his book "Natjecanje za grb" Pero Cimbur reports on his
work on designing of the coat of arms for Gospic, adopted in
1980. For what I know, no flag was adopted to go with it.
It was: vert three barrulets azure superimposed with a rotational
symbol argent, in chief a mullet of five gules and in base a
Japodic hemet also gules.
The stripes represent the three rivers of Gospic - Novcica, Lika
and Bogdanica. The rotational emblem represents the rotational
magnetic field and the electrical tourbines, honouring the
inventor Nikola Tesla who was born in Smiljan near Gospic, the
red star stands for the socialist system and liberation struggle.
The bronze Japodic helmet preserves the ancient heritage of the
region. Allegedly this helmet is origin of the modern traditional
folk headgear.
The coat of arms was not used after 1990, although it was de
jure replaced only in 1994.
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010