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Drammen, Buskerud (Norway)

image by Tomislav Šipek, 12 February 2017

The flag
Coat of Arms

See also:

The Flag

Norwegian communities as a rule have flags that are banners of arms. There are very few exceptions, mostly for the cities having traditional coats of arms (i.e.. old and non-heraldic, according to the modern Norwegian heraldic practice). Among others, such flags use Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen.

While browsing though Norske by- og adelsvaben [trt33a] I noticed an other such example - Drammen. Almost the same description is found in Norske kommunevapen [c2j87]. My translation:

On 9 July 1930 the city government adopted the city flag to be a way white stripe on a blue background.

This should represent the river Drammens-elven.

The Coat of Arms is based on the 1811 seal showing a column rising from a stony base and over it in saltire a sword and a key. In 1933 book this is shown golden on blue background, but the 1987 version shows the charges silver on blue, I guess inspired from the colours of the flag (this version of arms being adopted on 17 November 1960 after the drawing of M.W. Hauerback, per [c2j87]).
Željko Heimer, 5 July 2006

Actually the sword and key also appeared in silver earlier, for instance in Haavin's Norske Byers Vaaben from 1898 [haa98], so the flag is unlikely to be the source of the colouring. Traetteberg probably reduced the number of colours to make the arms more heraldically correct. He was of the opinion that arms should only have two tinctures, though many of the arms shown in the 1933 book did not conform to his strict rules, but then his reform of Norwegian civic heraldry had at that point not been carried through.
Jan Oskar Engene, 6 July 2006

The flag of Drammen is presented on FOTW, but no image. So here is image of flag.
Sources:
http://www.online-instagram.com/user/annkjacobsson/1819105713/987591635465087632_1819105713
http://idrett.speaker.no/organisation.asp?WCI=wiKlubbKassaNews&WCU=258566&CatId=452778
http://www.dt.no/nyheter/drammen/nyheter/flagget-pa-bybrua-en-maned-for-tidlig/s/2-2.1748-1.8404533
https://touch.dt.no/nyheter/drammen/bynytt/derfor-flagges-det-pa-bybrua/s/5-57-478995
Tomislav Šipek, 12 February 2017

Would you believe I have nothing to add here that is not already on FOTW.
Interesting (or not), it seems that the municipal web site has no mention of the municipal flag whatsoever (at least that I could find in a quick search, maybe others have better luck... not counting this and related issue.)
One may also one to note a memorial pennant for the Drammen bridge opening of 6 September 1936 here.
Also, the last page of the document mention city flag to be used among other in the various places in the city.
I am looking forward to this series of Norwegian municipal flags and I only hope I shall find time to be able to keep up commenting on it.
Željko Heimer, 15 October 2015

Coat of Arms

image by Tomislav Šipek, 19 October 2015

Here is flag and coat of arms of Drammen.
Tomislav Šipek, 19 October 2015