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Mali Losinj (The Coast-Gorski Kotar, Croatia)

Grad Mali Lošinj

image by Željko Heimer, 27 June 2003

Overview
Coat of Arms

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Other Sites:

Collection of Croatian Local Flags at FAME

Overview

Mali Lošinj is situated on the island of the same name (Losinj) in Primorsko-goranska county, south east of Istria peninsula. In the adminstraive reorganization of Croatia in 1993, it was given the status of a community, but the city status was returned in 1997.
The Coat of Arms of M. Losinj must originate from sometime in 19th centruy, when this port take the bigger importance then the nearby Veli Losinj ("veli" meaning - greater, "mali" lesser, though these attributes are no longer accurate). It is the shield showing the threemasted sailling ship. I have not found the exact data of granting, but it seems that such Coat of Arms in different artistical redentions was used throughout 20th century (one such representation can be seen in Zmajic's "Heraldika").
The modern artistic redention is adopted sometime in early 1990's (probably when ML still had a community status, and maybe it was readopted in 1997). It consists of a blue shield bordered with a golden border, in the shield sailing a three-masted ship proper (maroon) with golden sails. In many cases I have seen the "golden" to be represented by pure orange shade, but on Mali Losinj pages it is clearly represented in more appropriate "golden yellow".
Until now I have not managed to find any info on a flag, but I have no doubt that there is at least one adopted, and highly probable also a ceremonial variant.
Željko Heimer, 9 July 2000

Decision was issued in the official gazette in 1996: Odluka o grbu i zastavi Opcine Mali Lošinj, 23.08.1996, Službene novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 21/96, 23.08.1996.
The Coat of Arms is described as Azure a three mested sail-ship maroon with full sails or. (i.e there is no golden border as I thought before!). The flag is explicitly described as light blue with the Coat of Arms in the middle.
Soon afterwards a correction was issued: Ispravak Odluke o grbu i zastavi Opcine Mali Lošinj, Službene novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 24/96, 18.10.1996.
It adds the word "with a golden (yellow) border around it" that are inadvartedly missed from the original text describing the flag - i.e. the Coat of Arms in the flag is bordered golden.
Željko Heimer, 19 August 2003

The decision: Odluka o izmjeni i dopuni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Opcine Mali Lošinj, 15.05.2003, Službene novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 13/03, 23.05.2003, makes possible that the Coat of Arms and the flag be granted for use for touristic propaganda and similar according to the usual procedure and changes the word "community" to the word "city" where appropriate (since Mali Lošinj was "upgraded" to city status in the mean time).
Željko Heimer, 15 October 2005

Coat of Arms

image by Željko Heimer, 19 August 2003