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Karlobag (Municipality, Lika-Senj County, Croatia)

Last modified: 2019-01-27 by ivan sache
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[Flag]

Flag of Karlobag - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 June 2013


See also:


Presentation of Karlobag

The municipality of Karlobag (1,019 inhabitants in 2001, 510 in the village of Karlobag) was established by the Austrian Emperor Charles IV as the ending point of the road he let built through the Velebit mountains, as the shortest access from Gospić to the sea and to the salt-producing Pag island, therefore the name Karlobag, "Charles' Pag".

Željko Heimer, 7 September 2003


Flag of Karlobag

The symbols of Karlobag are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi općine Karlobag, adopted on 28 December 1995 by the Municipality Assembly and published the same day in the County official gazette Županijski glasnik Županije ličko-senjske, No. 11, superseding the Decision prescribing the former symbols.
The symbols are described in the Municipality Statutes Statut Općine Karlobag, adopted on 24 September 2001 and published on 8 October 2001 in Županijski glasnik Ličko-senjske županije, No. 17. This is repeated in the Municipality Statutes Statut Općine Karlobag, adopted on 26 January 2006 and published on 3 February 2006 in Županijski glasnik Ličko-senjske županije, No. 1, as well as in Article 4 of the current Municipality Statutes Statut Općine Karlobag, adopted on 24 July 2009 and published on 17 August 2009 in Županijski glasnik Ličko-senjske županije, No. 14.

The symbols were designed by the Heraldic Art d.o.o. company, from Rijeka.

The flag is described in Article 8 of the Decision as follows:

The flag is of a single colour, blue, with a ratio of length to width of 2:1. In the center of the flag at the crossing point of the diagonals is the coat of arms of the Municipality, bordered yellow.

Željko Heimer, 18 October 2011


Coat of arms of Karlobag

[Arms]

Coat of arms of Karlobag - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 June 2013

The coat of arms is described in Article 5 of the Decision as follows:

Shield: semi-circular.
Coat of arms: on a blue field from a silver cloud issues a figure of St. Charles Borromeo clad in silver habit and golden trimmed red chasuble. In the right hand he holds a golden crucifix and in the left, in front of his chests, he holds a golden reliquary. On his head there is a small black hat.

Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Archbishop of Milan, was one of the strongest supporters of the reforms decided during the Council of Trent (the Counter Reformation). Charles belonged to an old noble family from Milan and was the nephew of Pope Pius IV (Jean-Ange de Medicis, 1499-1565, Pope in 1559 and president of the last session of the Council of Trento in 1562-63). At the age of 22, Charles was appointed Cardinal. After the closure of the Council of Trent, Charles applied the reforms in his own bishopric: he founded a seminary, restored churches and monasteries, suppressed all kind of abuse and called regularly for councils and synods to keep the reform alive. He defended the rights and privileges of the church in Lombardy against the King of Spain and behaved courageously during the black plague epidemics in 1576. Charles created several brotherhoods and religious associations and encouraged massive processions and pigrimages, especially to the Holy Shroud in Torino. He was canonized in 1610.
Charles wrote several spiritual treaties and sermons, but his most famous work is the Acts, by which he organized his bishopric.

Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 18 October 2011


Ceremonial flag of Karlobag

[Flag]

Ceremonial flag of Karlobag - Image by Željko Heimer, 27 March 2014

The ceremonial flag is described in Article 9 of the Decision as follows:

The ceremonial flag of the municipality (gonfalon) is in size 160 cm x 80 cm. The base of the flag is made of the Atlas coloured blue, of double field and lining edged with golden ribbons - all according to the image.
The bottom of the tail of the gonfalon is ornamented with a golden fringe, in the centre of the gonfalon the coat of arms of the municipality is set, made of special textile dyes with relief effect. All colours and the complete depiction of the coat of arms are in compliance with the prescribed design. The edge of the coat of arms is highlighted from the basic field of the gonfalon and edged with a golden border. Above the coat of arms, it is inscribed with golden letters "OPĆINA KARLOBAG". All the golden letters are edged with golden relief contour. Below the coat of arms, in the tail of the gonfalon are decorative ornaments of rosemary coloured golden and edged with golden contours.

Željko Heimer, 18 October 2011


Former symbols of Karlobag (1994-1995)

The first symbols of Karlobag are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi mjesta i Općine Karlobag, adopted on 13 October 1994 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 20 October 1994 in Županijski glasnik Županije ličko-senjske, No. 5.

The flag is described in Article 9 of the Decision as follows:

The flag of the Town and Municipality of Karlobag is vertically divided into two fields, the left side being light blue and the right side being dark blue. In the center is the coat of arms of Karlobag representing St. Charles Borromeo as described in Article 6 of this Decision.
The ratio of length to width of the flag is 2:1, while the locations within the flag are defined so:
- the coat of arms is set in the flag's field no less neither larger than 1/4 of the flag's length;
- the coat of arms is in the central part of the flag, in the colours and following description in Article 6 of this Decision.

A vertical flag might have been meant by this description.

The coat of arms is described in Article 6 of the Decision as follows:

The coat of arms of the Town and Municipality of Karlobag represents St. Charles Borromeo with a cross in his right hand and a chalice in his left hand.
The chasuble is red, bordered yellow.
On his head is a bishop's mitre. The depiction of the bishop is in a blue field. Below the bishop is a white field depicting the sea waves with black graphic. The shield is edged with golden in shape of a battle shield, top wide, bottom narrowed.
The ratio of height to width of the shield is 1:0.9.

The ceremonial flag is described in Article 10 of the Decision as follows:

Exceptionally in regard to Article 9 of this Decision, one may use the flag of the Town and Community of Karlobag specially made for the indoors decoration of the offices of the Mayor and of the Chairman of the Municipality Assembly and in the ceremonial halls of the buidling.
- the flag is in proportions 2:1;
- the flag is diagonally divided from the top right side to the bottom left side, the colours are light blue in the first, left triangle and dark blue in the second, right triangle;
- in the middle of the canvas is the depiction of St. Charles Borromeo as described in Article 6 of this Decision.
Above the coat of arms is inscribed the old name of Karlobag "SCRISSA" and below the coat of arms are the symbols of sea waves coloured white;
- the flag is ornamented with a golden edge with three longer fringes. The fringes are at the beginning, the centre and the end of the flag canvas.

This possibly describes a vertical flag with a golden fringe and three tassels in the fly (base).

When established in the begining of 1993, the municipality appointed a comission to investigate and propose symbols for the municipality by Decision Rješenje o imenovanju komisije za utvrđivanje prijedloga grba, himne i zastave općine Karlobag, te Dana općine Karlobag, adopted on 11 August 1993 and published in Službene novine Ličko senjske županije.
The commission released at least one report, which is undated, but must have been published during 1993. The report prescribed to have two flags, one in the Mayor's office and the other one to be used outside the building. The two flags are described in detail - in much the same words as it was soon included in the 1994 Decision prescribing the symbols. Namely, the flag for the Mayor's office was labelled as the ceremonial flag, and the other one as the official flag. The symbol were subsequently found to be against the rules and eventually replaced in 1995 by the current symbols - obviously, based on them.

The coat of arms in the centre of the Mayor's flag is described as "the coat of arms of St. Charles Borromeo, picture No. 101, Arhivski zavod grada Zagreba jugoslavenski leksilon. A bit further the reference to the book is given as Jugoslavenski leksikon, Arhivski zavod Hrvatske, grad Zagreb, which does not help much in locating the book they meant - this is, obviously, a reference written from memory and missing the actual names of the book or the institute that published it. Possibly they meant Leksikon JLZ, Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod, Zagreb, 1974.
The report appears to imply that the two flags were actually in existence when the commission reported them, and must have been made at least a few years prior to it. Unless the report is a proposal of what the commission thought the symbols should be.

Željko Heimer, 27 March 2014