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Poprad city (Slovakia)

Poprad okres, Presov region

Last modified: 2004-06-05 by jarig bakker
Keywords: poprad | st aegidius |
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[Poprad new flag] by Jarig Bakker, 23 May 2004 See also:

Poprad new flag

I´m proudly presenting recent and probably the last flag and arms of Slovakian city Poprad. I have already written about its
versions from 1996. But I didn´t know neither blue and white flag nor the coat of arms with St. Egidius were registered at Heraldic register of the Slovak Republic then. You can see it at this site.
Poprad (in German Deutschendorf, in Hungarian Poprád) had since 16th century St.Aegidius proper with mitre, book and bishop staff in the City Arms.
But the communist „Coat of Arms" was absolutely cunfused combination of many motives. It had „three silver wawy stripes in blue base, the lowest one is divided by golden numerals „1221". The main field of the shield was two times divided per bend sinister into blue, silver and red parts. In dexter part (in blue) there was stylised silver mountain (a symbol of Tatras); in the silver field there was a golden cogwheel with blue outline under red fivepointed  star and over golden wheat ear per bar; in red there was silver depiction of renaisance building." (perhaps a bellfry ). It was adopted 1961.
Slovak Heraldry Comission had proposed the city to adopt new (better) arms. This was the red shield with mountain and arrow. Poprad did it on September 19,1985.
Acording to the book „Eigth Centuries of the Slovak Heraldry"/"Osem storocí slovenskej herladiky" by Ladislav Vrtel, published by Matica Slovenská in 1999 and 2003 this arms was registerded at Heraldry Register under number P - 18/91 following way: Gules a tripple Rocky Massive argent charged with an Arrow of the first fesswise. The supporter of the shield its St. Egidius with his own Atribut - an Arrow and Abbot Crozier."The Saint has blue coat, golden clasp, arrow, crozier
and  decorations on his mitre. The mitre and rest of the vesture is silver, the gems on mitra and on clasp are red.
BTW: Doctor Vrtel is a Secretary of Heraldry Commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, member of Slovakian Heraldry College, designer (with L. Cisárik Jr.) of all contemporal Slovak State and Regional Symbols.

But in 2003 (August 28) the Poprad City Assembly adopted new local Law Nr.3/2003 with effect since 14 September 2003. This introduced new Coat of Arms, which is quite simillar to P - 18/91.:" Azure a triple Mountain Argent charged with two Arrows Gules per saltire. The supporter: St. Egidius with Arrow, Crozier, and Mitra, vested Argent,
Having a Coat Gules." The flag is: „White over Blue, the bordure counter changed."
The blue shield with St. Egidius (with golden arrow instead of  book) is since 2003 made arms  of Poprad City ward Staré Mesto (Old City). The other wards are Stráže pod Tatrami, Kvetnica, Velká, Spišská Sobota (Georgenberg, Szep. Szombat) and Kvetnica.
 Ales Krizan, 23 May 2004

Poprad flag

Poprad flag submitted through Rob Raeside, 27 July 1999

Poprad is 15 km southwest of Kezmarok, an important railway and road junction in East Slovakia with 30.000 inhabitants.
Jarig Bakker, 3 May 1999

Since July 15, 1996 all symbols of Poprad were changed. But the description in "Public Notice 3/96 amendment" (Novelizácia Všeobecne záväzného nariadenia 3/96)  has some evident mistakes. The ratio of Flag (two equal horizontal stripes white over blue) is according to this source 2:2 (!) and the swallow-tail reaches to the 1/2 of the field (?). The Arms are Azure and Vert (??) a representation of Saint Aegidius the Eremite, wearing the red vestment and mitre, holding a crozier and a book /supplement colour -golden.  The depiction on the Poprad website shows Azure a Representation of St Aegidius, vested Argent ina coat Gules (clasp Or), holding a closed Book and a Crozier and having a mitre of the third. Nothing is green (neither chief nor the base), no notice about the coat in description.
Ales Krizan, 11 Jun 2001

The territory of Poprad was one of the first settlements of the primeval man. The locality near Gánovce is known since the beginning of the 20th century by the finding of the cast of the cranium of primeval man. The cast is stored in the National Museum in Prague. The territory of the present Poprad was settled by Celts, Germanics, Tatars and Mongols.The name of Poprad is found in the oldest document dating back to 1209. It is the document of King Andrew II, who gives the Spiš territory around Poprad to the Priest Adolf and his sister. The donation document issued by the Hungarian king Bela IV dating back to 1256 is the real first mention about this small town. After 1241 people coming from Germany joined the original inhabitants. The Germans gradually outnumbered the original population and the name Poprad was changed to Deutschendorf. Later on the town belonged to Poland for some time. Gradually the administration and crafts developed here. In 1692 the paper mill was founded. This period is considered to be the turning point of the manufacturing and factory production. The year 1871 brought the significant turnaround in the development of Poprad. The railway was constructed in this year and Poprad became the centre of the upper Spiš region. Poprad is situated in the centre of the Tatra Basin. Its area is 63 square kilometres. Poprad is formed by six parts - Poprad, Kvetnica, Matejovce, Spišská Sobota, Stráže pod Tatrami and Veľká. All together they have approximately 56,000 inhabitants. Source: Poprad website, reported by Ales Krizan, 11 Jun 2001

Poprad newest Coat of Arms

[Poprad newest CoA] by Jarig Bakker, 23 May 2004

Poprad new Coat of Arms

Poprad new Coat of Arms from Poprad website, reported by Ales Krizan, 11 Jun 2001

Poprad Coat of Arms

Poprad Coat of Arms from http://www.tatrahome.sk/revue/erby/ . (!Link does not work any more!)