Last modified: 2008-02-23 by ivan sache
Keywords: ig | grebe | reed | fritillaries: 2 (red) |
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![[Flag of Ig]](../images/s/si-037.gif)
![[Vertical flag of Ig]](../images/s/si-037v.gif)
Municipal flag of Ig, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 9 August 2002
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The municipality of Ig was formed in 1995 from parts of the
municipality of Vič-Rudnik, which was one of the five municipalities
forming until then the Civic Assembly of Municipalities of
Ljubljana.
Ig is a suburban municipality that is rather industrialized nowdays,
but in the past it was a marshy region, as shown in its symbols.
Željko Heimer, 9 August 2002
The flag and arms of Ig are prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu in zastavi Občine Ig, adopted on 3 March 1999, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 26/1999.
The symbols were designed by Valt Jurečič of Heraldika d.o.o. and Heraldica Slovenica, who kindly provided drawings from which the images shown on this page were made.
The flag is rectangular, in proportions 2:5, green with two vertical white stripes forming a square field in the middle and two green fields on the edge of the flag, with proportions 3:3:8:3:3. In the middle there is the grebe from the coat of arms.
Željko Heimer, 9 August 2002
![[Coat of arms of Ig]](../images/s/si)037.gif)
Coat of arms of Ig - Image by Željko Heimer, 9 August 2002
The coat of arms of Ig can be blazoned as "Per fess engrailed argent and vert, in chief issuant a reed of
the last fructed or between two issuant fritillaries flowered gules
and in base a grebe proper".
Valt explained that he had problems to design the coat of arms due
to the political fragmentation of the municipal government at the time. The
intial idea for the coat of arms was to depict typical houses on
piles over water, called Mostiocarske kolibe to represent the
traditional way of life in the marshes of Ljubljana (Ljubljansko barje). The
lake there transformed into marshes less than 2000 years ago.
However, other symbols were eventually adopted.
The flowers are mocvirski tulipan (fritillaries) proper, with
red-violet flowers with black dots, but simplified for the sake of
heraldry. They also appears on the arms and flags of
Brezovica and
Trzin.
The grebe is called in Slovene copasti ponirek (Podiceps
nigricollis).
Željko Heimer, 8 January 2002
Fritillaries are close relatives of
tulips.
Fritillary represents the botanical genus Fritillaria
(Caperon) L., family Liliaceae. The name of the plant comes
from Latin fritillus, dice cup, probably in relation to the
shape of the flower and the checkered distribution of purple spots on
the petals.
The most common wild species of fritillary is Fritillaria
meleagris L. Meleagris was the Greek name of guinea-fowl.
Linnaeus used this epithet as a reference to the common name of the
flower, guinea-fowl egg (probably from its bulb). In France, the
flower was also called damier (chequerboard) or
coquelourde.
Wild fritillary grows in damp meadows, and it is therefore not
surprising to see it placed beside the reed on the blazon. There are
a few other fritillary species, most of them being endemic,
endangered (if not extincted) species.
In 1575, Fritillaria imperialis L. was introduced in Western Europe from Constantinople. The introduction occurred during the 'tulip extravagance', which started in 1554 with the first introduction of a tulip and ended in February 1637 in a financial krach. F. imperialis, a.k.a. 'Imperial crown' is widely grown in gardens and also grows as subspontaneous populations (initially established following 'escape' from gardens.)
Sources:
Ivan Sache, 30 December 2001