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Croatia

Republika Hrvatska

by Zeljko Heimer

See also:

Herzeg-Bosnia for Croatians in Bosinia and Herzegovina

collection of Croatian flags at the FAME.

The Flag of the President of Republic

by Zeljko Heimer 01-FEB-1996, see President's Web Pages for another image

Blue flag with presidential coat of arms, border red-white. Coat of arms is a 5x5 red-silver checkered shield (spanish type) surrounded with 5 rombic shields, 2 left, 2 right and one down. The shields are of:

Slavonia: Blue with two silver rivers, red field inbetween with walking marten, golden sixpointed star over the rivers.
Istria: White goat in blue, with red horns and hoofs.
Dalmatia: In blue three golden crowned leopard's heads 2:1.
Dubrovnik: Two red horisontal bars in blue.
Oldest Croatian: In blue silver crescent under the golden sixpointed star.

There are golden and silver fringes hanging from all shields. Over all there is a red-silver-blue lace with golden letters RH.

The flag is used by Predident of the Republic, and is often seen on presidents car, press conferences, receptions etc.

It is convinient to mention here that this flag and coat of arms, as also Croatian national flag and coat of arms were designed by Miroslav Sutej academic painter from Zagreb, in 1990. Of course, coat of arms of Croatia, and other coats of arms enclose d in it are much older, some of them beeing from XI cent., and using motives even of preheraldic origin.

zeljko heimer 22-SEP-1995

Use of the flag with the red star

After five years, I saw the flag with the red star on the news on the national TV. I was displaied on a celebration of some partisan (anti-fascist) unit in Istria. Beside this flag it was also the Italian flag with a red star (see the flag of Italian minority in YU). It is for the first time since declaration of independance that this flag is displaied publicly. (Maybe to mention, government officials and high army commanders were there, so it wasn't any kind of 'rebelous' or demonstrations against actual gov't).

I have nothing against it, moreover, I think it is (one of) historical Croatian flags, and should be respected as any other historic flag. Many fine Croatians fought under it, for freedom of their homeland.

zeljko heimer 13-NOV-1995

Use of Short Flag and Rottated Coat-of-Arms

I have seen rearly that the coat of arms is rotated for 90 degrees, when the flag is hanging vertically, but this is not unusual.
If there is need of "short" flag there is a tendency to "shorten" the horisontal flag so instead to be 1:2, to be e.g.5:3, as it was on the parade on 30 May 1995 (Statehood Day).

zeljko heimer 16-SEP-1995

Cultural Monument

There is a flag used extensivly during the agression on Croatia in 1991-92, and latter. It is a white flag with a blue device looking somthing like this:

	--------
	|\    /|
	| \  / |
	|  \/  |
	|  /\  |
	| /  \ |
	|/    \|
	 \    /
	  \  /
           \/

with an inscription 'SPOMENIK KULTURE' underneath in two rows. The symbol is the UNESCO symbol of protected monuments of culture. The flag was hoisted from all the buildings that were protected by UNESCO as a cultural and natural wealth of the mankind, tough it didn't help much. Many of the buildings hanging the flag were totaly destroyed, but that is an other story.
Most notably, the flag was flawn ower Dubrovnik that is protected as a whole town. It has been flying also over many churches, museums etc.
I have been walking today in the old city of Zagreb, and I saw it that many museums still fly it.

zeljko heimer 07-SEP-1995