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The Coast and Gorski Kotar County (Croatia)

Primorsko-Goranska županija

Last modified: 2008-07-19 by dov gutterman
Keywords: coast | gorski kotar | croatia | primorsko-goranska | zupanija | rijeka | fiume | severin | carnaro |
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image by Željko Heimer, 22 October 2000



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Overview

The Coast and Gorski kotar County (or the County of Coast and Gorski kotar, or in Croatian Primorsko-goranska županija, or earlier Z<upanija primorsko- goranska) is a county which consists of three geographic regions - the Croatian Coast (the Coast under Velebit range, which since middle age always belonged to Croatia, and was never [or rarely] claimed by others), the Kvarner bay islands and north-eastern coast of Istria, and the hinterland mountainous region of Gorski kotar. The seat of administration is the city of Rijeka (known also by her Italian name Fiume).
The County was notorious for its oppositional government in all elections in 1990's, and had many problems in costituting the assemby, so it is possible that the flag was adopted quite late - my guess is 1995/96."
The coat of arms of the county is based on the coa of the former Austro- Hungarian county of Severin, which excluded Rijeka and the islands, but was basically in the same territoy. The county of Severin was disassambled in 1786 and mosty added to the county of Rijeka (again excluding the city itself). I have not found info on the coa of that county, it seems it used the coa of Rijeka, which is unusual, since the city used the same (as Hungarian crownland).
Possibly at some time the coa was chnaged to something similar to the one that is used today: divided in three - 1. Croatia; 2. azure, a mountain range vert with snow-covered tops, in front a fortified city, in chief crossed spike-mace argent and schmittar or; 3. azure, between two clifs or a three-masted sailling vessel with long tricolour pennant and a mullet or.
The flag is light blue with the coat of arms in the middle and thin white stripes near the top and bottom (Israeli style). Ratio 1:2 (according my observation, and very probably official).
Source: photographs and drawings from D. Munic et al. "Zupanija primorsko-goranska - the County of Coast and Gorski kotar", Rijeka, 1996.
Željko Heimer, 28 June 1998

Concering County of Severin Coat of Arms, Zeliko's suggestion is possible. I have bought a book: Csa'ki, Imre: A magyar kira'lysa'g va'rmegyéinek ci'merei a XVIII-XIX. sza'zadban, Corvina, Budapest, 1995 , in which are shown (one big coat of arms in each page!) all the coats of arms of the counties of the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the XVIII. and XIX. centuries.
The coat of arms shown for the "Modrus-Fiume va'rmegeye"-"Szeverin va'rmegyei" [Modrus (?) -Rijeka county - Severin county] is so described: cartouche shield divided per fess: 1- divided per pal: a- chequered of 25 gules and argent; b- azure an anchor argent with a palm leaf vert per bend and a sword argent and or per bend sinister; 2- azure (light) on a sea azure between two cliffs argent a little ship brown with two sails tierced per pal gules, argent and vert and a banner of the arms of Hungary. On the whole an inescutcheon or with the letters I.II.M.T [for Joseph II, Maria Theresia]. The supporters are: dexter, a lion regardant or tongued gules, sinster an eagle regardant sable armed or tongued gules.The shield is surmounted by a royal crown or. The whole is on a board. The coat of arms was adopted as a seal in 1778. I cannot understand Hungarian, but the text is also describing the coat of arms of Fiume county.
Pascal Vagnat, 28 June 1998

Description is indeed what was Severin county Coat of Arms. However, I am not sure if Modrus-Fiume continued to use it unchanged...
Željko Heimer, 2 July 1998

On the web site <www.tel.hr/pgz> it is possible to see the correct flag of the Primorsko - Goranska zupanija (Croatian Coast and Mountains County).
Janko Ehrlich Zdvorak, 17 August 2000

we had some specualtions regarding the previous use of this Coat of Arms, but based on info from the County site (<www.tel.hr/pgz>) one can get the official description of the Coat of Arms and it's origin. Based on that here it is:
The coat of arms is in shield of so called German shape, divided per fess and upper part per pale: 1. chequy Gules and Argent; 2. Azure, a coastal fortified City Argent with buildings roofed Gules surrounded with Mountains Vert topped with Snow and in chief a Sabre Or and a spiked Mace Argent in saltire; 3. Azure, a Sail Boat proper with white sails and Croatian triband pennant at mizzen-masthead, in chief dexter a Frankopan Star Mullet) Or all between Cliffs proper. The coat of arms is the same as those used by the Rijeka County between 1786 and 1886, that is in turn based on the coat of arms of Severin County. The flag is light blue with a thin white stripe near both horizontal edges (width of the stripe 1/16 of flag hoist, as it is the offset from the edge). In the middle there is the County coat of arms.
The Severin County 1778-1786 used another CoA (similar, but with anchor in second field, and with inescutcheon). Afterwards, since 1886 to the end of Austian-Hungarian Empire, the Modrus-Fiume County used the same Coat of Arms as Severin County. So, the modern County decided to readopt the one used inbetween for Fiume County (as can be seen from images on the mentioned site).
Željko Heimer, 22 October 2000

The decision on adoption of the symbols: Odluka o grbu i zastavi Primorsko-goranske županije, 15.06.1995. Službene novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 13/95, 26. lipnja 1995.
Source: [osg02]
Željko Heimer, 15 June 2003

In 1993, there were published two decision regarding the comission to adopt the symbols:
- Odluka o osnivanju Komisije za grb i zastavu, 17.06.1993. Službene novine Županije primorsko-goranske, br. 5/93, 20. srpnja 1993.
- Odluka o imenjovanju clanova Komisije za grb i zastavu, 17.06.1993. Službene novine Županije primorsko-goranske, br. 5/93, 20. srpnja 1993.
The name of the members of the comission are this: Akademik Lujo Margetic, Akademik Branko Fucic, Dr. Petar Strcic,
Nenad Labus, Daina Glavocevic, Berislav Valušek, Prof. Goran Crnkovic, Prof. Goroslav Oštric, Kap. Branko Kundih, dipl. iur., Dr. Rozalija Sokolic-Marušic, Prof. dr. Nikola Matejcic.

The next is the decision adopting the symbols, already quoted by me: Odluka o grbu i zastavi Primorsko-goranske županije, 15.06.1995. Službene novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 13/95, 26. lipnja 1995.
The decision as issued contains also two black-white illustrations, the flag and the coat of arms each in a full size of the page (ca. 23 cm. in size).

In 1997 there are two decisions.
- Odluka o korištenju grba Županije primorsko-goranske, 28.02.1997, Službene novine Županije primorsko-goranske, br. 4/97, 12. ožujka 1997.
- Odluka o korištenju grba Županije primorsko-goranske, 26.11.1997, Službene novine Županije primorsko-goranske, br. 24/97, 28. studenog 1997.
The two are permitions for usage of the Coat of Arms by various organizations, in the first case on the "Croatia Airlines" airplane name "Rijeka" (I was flying by it some time ago, and the Coat of Arms is indeed there, next to the front door). The other is the permition to the county firefighters organization to use the county Coat of Arms on their flag.
Željko Heimer, 15 August 2003

After 1993 decisions mentioned above and the 1995 final decision on the Coat of Arms and the flag, there was in fact an intermediate solution adopted!
This early Coat of Arms and flag were not published anywhere yet, as far as I am aware, and it is questionably if they were ever in any use, however, they were official de jure until the adoption of the current design in 1995.
Namely, the Statutes of the County adopted in 1994 include the description of the Coat of Arms and the flag in Articles 5 though 8: Statut Županije Primorsko-goranske, 24. ožujka 1994, SN PGŽ, br. 10/94, 31.03.1994. The description of the Coat of Arms is virtually the same as the current one with a distinctive difference the star in the third field is not in chief dexter, but is set under the ship in the base, and some further artistic differences.
In a conversation with Nenad Labus, vice-president of HGZD, who was also member of the 1993 Commission that had task to adopt this symbols, according to his memory, the mace and sabre were considered to be removed from the original design (of the Modruš-Rijeka County of 1786) as well as some members of the Commission deemed them too aggressive for the nowadays touristic image of the County. The reason for adding the star in a wrong place is mysterious, though. The flag is described so (my translation of Article 7 of said Statutes): "The Flag of the County is light blue with the County Coat of Arms in the middle on a white field surrounded with a dark blue ring containing [white] inscription ŽUPANIJA PRIMORSKO-GORANSKA. The midpoint of the Coat of Arms is in the intersection point of the flag diagonals. The ratio of the width and length of the flag is 1:2." Now, this is quite different from what was adopted afterwards. According to Labus, the change was made after the refusal of the state commission to approve it - since their rules required the two-coloured flag field (and I guess they insisted the inscription to be removed, as well), so the solution with white stripes of "Israeli" type was eventually adopted. It was very close to the solution that these stripes be wavy (to show the sea, as if it is not symbolized enough in the rest of the elements).
The graphical solution to this symbols was made by a couple of Rijeka artists (hopefully in due time I'll find the names) but the artwork was not published in the official gazette, to the best of my knowledge. Therefore, I reconstruct the design according to the decisions..
Željko Heimer, 26 August 2007

I have received some aditional info from Robert Gribuša from Rijeka and also paperclips from Novi List newspapers from 2004 (unknown date) showing then adopted design of the flag, based on which I may correct my previous reconstruction.
I may add Grubiša's recount of the adoption process (based on paperclips from the period, he has in his collection) - the County considered retaining the red white cheques border found in the historical flag of 1865, or adding the yellow triple wattle.
Željko Heimer, 22 December 2007


Coat of Arms


image by Željko Heimer, 22 October 2000


1994 Symbols

Flag


image by Željko Heimer, 26 August 2007

Coat of Arms


image by Željko Heimer, 26 August 2007


Historical County of Severin Flag (1778-1786)


image by Željko Heimer, 24 March 2003

Coat of arms was granted in 1778. The County of Severin was dissembled in 1786, most of it parts were given to the newly formed County of Rijeka. The flag was in use together with the flag of the County of Rijeka for a long time. Adopted: 18th century.
Source: Jelena Borosak-Marjanovic: “Zastave kroz stoljeca, zbirka zastava i zastavnih vrpca Hrvatskog povjesnog muzeja”, Hrvatski povjesni muzej, Zagreb, 1996.
Željko Heimer

The flag is supposed to be sideways, i.e. it has a sleave at the left edge of the image. With this sleave it is attached to the flagstaff. However, design is "read" properly only when this flagstaff is held horisontally.
Željko Heimer, 24 March 2003


Historical Flag of Rijeka County (1865)


image by Željko Heimer, 22 December 2007

The flag is shown in a painting from the ceremonial book of the flag consecration ceremony on Grobnik field in 1865.
The County of Rijeka was formed in 1861, of parts of former County of Severin and outskirts of city of Rijeka, that remained under the rule of Hungarian crown. Flag Adopted: 25th May 1865
Source: Jelena Borošak-Marjanovic: “Zastave kroz stoljeca, zbirka zastava i zastavnih vrpca Hrvatskog povjesnog muzeja”, Hrvatski povjesni muzej, Zagreb, 1996. Oštric Goroslav: Monumenta heraldica, izbor iz heraldicke baštine primorsko-goranske županije, Pomorski i povijesni muzej Hrvatskog primorja Rijeke, 2002.
Željko Heimer, 22 December 2007

See also: Historical Flags of Fiume


Historical Flag of the Province of Carnaro (1925 – 1943)


image by Željko Heimer, 22 December 2007


coat of arms
image by Željko Heimer, 22 December 2007

After the annexation of the city of Rijeka, the Italian rulers organized the region already in 1925 into a Province Carnaro (Croatian Kvarner). The province was granted a coat of arms and a gonfalon by the King Victor Emanuel III in 1929. The beautifully coloured armorial patent is preserved in the Museum in Rijeka. The armorial is signed both by the King and Mussolini. The coat of arms is per pale sable Roman fasces palewise or and gules seven mullets of five or arranges as the Ursa Major. The shield is crowned with a provincial crown with an olive and an oak branch. The coat of arms was also main feature of the seal granted at the same time, and undoubtedly used henceforward.
The gonfalon is a blue silk hanging banner with three fringed and tasselled tails and bordered with golden ornament along other three sides, containing the coat of arms in the middle and the name of the province in an arch above. There is no evidence that the gonfalon was actually produced and used, however beside the coloured images of the coat of arms and the gonfalon in the armorial patent; there are several ink drawn construction sheets in the Museum collection. These show the flag with all the dimensions needed for the production, however the coat of arms included in the design is somewhat different - including also a red chief that contains golden fasces between an oak and an olive branch wreath tied together with a tricolour ribbon. This version of the coat of arms must have been from a project phase. The coloured drawings are signed by Luigi Bangori Machiavelli (?), presumably the designer.
Flag Adopted on 28 September 1929 and abandoned on 8 September 1943.
Source:
Oštric Goroslav: Monumenta heraldica, izbor iz heraldicke baštine primorsko-goranske županije, Pomorski i povijesni muzej Hrvatskog primorja Rijeke, 2002. Collection of the Naval and History Museum of the Croatian Litoral and Rijeka, thanks to Nikša Mendeš, PPMHPR, Rijeka
Željko Heimer, 22 December 2007


Municipalities' Ceremonial Flags

It is highly probable that all of the The Coast and Gorski Kotar County cities and communities also have a ceremonial flag, similar in design to the one that is used by Kraljevica. If I don't report them it is only because I have no info on them and their existance. This is because they are produced in one example each and are not that often seen. If they are not docummented in legislation on otherwise in media (TV, newspapers, web) they remain virtually "hidden".
Željko Heimer, 24 June 2003