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Kranj (Civic Municipality, Slovenia)

Flag of Kranj, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

Flag of Kranj
Coat of arms of Kranj
Previous flag without arms
Short-lived flag of Kranj, 1990
Former coat of arms of Kranj

See also:

Flag of Kranj

Tracking the exact history of the flag and arms of Kranj (51,923 inhabitants) in the last three decades of the 20th century and onwards is far from being an easy job. The Decisions are relatively numerous and hard to compile. The fact that the municipality still often uses incorrect representations of the arms and that the report in Banderas municipales de Eslovenia [drn96i], published in Banderas [ban] #58 (March 1996), is also full of mistakes does not help much to the research. I have to thank Stanislav Jesenovec, of Jest d.o.o. from Kranj, who helped me entangling the story, providing me with the texts of the pre-1995 Decision from his archive. Mr. Jesenovec, an heraldry activist, is the designer of the current flag of Kranj.

Željko Heimer, 25 June 2010

The city of Kranj now uses the coat of arms on the flag.
https://www.kranj.si/slovesno-ob-30-obletnici-dneva-drzavnosti-in-dvigu-nove-obcinske-zastave
https://www.kranj.si/medijsko-sredisce/celostna-podoba

The coat of arms of theCity of Kranj has the shape of an early Renaissance shield with a shallow side cut on both sides, a silver field and an eagle with outstretched wings and a head turned to the right. The basis for the eagle figure, dimensional proportions, shield shape and color combination is the historical coat of arms from the seal from 1530. The eagle is a burgundy-red cinnabar. Subject to heraldic rules, the silver-metallic color of the shield in print is replaced by white. Regardless of the placement or display of the flag, the eagle is always upside down. The flag consists of a white and cinnabar burgundy-red field.

The flag of City of Kranj is rectangular in shape and has two horizontal colored stripes and the coat of arms of the Municipality of Kranj in the center, with the upper half on the white field and the lower half on the red field. The height of the coat of arms is 1/2 the width of the flag. In the horizontal version of the flag, the upper field is white and the lower red. In the vertical version of the flag, the left field is white and the right is red. The coat of arms is always turned so that the head of the eagle is above, both horizontally and vertically. The flag of the City of Kranj is made in a ratio of 1: 2.
Tomislav Šipek, 7 May 2022

The municipality of Kranj (37,941 inhabitants in 2020, therefore Slovenia's 3rd most populated municipality; 14,800 ha) is located 30 km north-west of Ljubljana. Kranj is the capital of the traditional region of Upper Carniola (Gorenjska / Oberkrain).
Kranj is self-styled Slovenia's oldest town, having already been settled in the late Neolithic, more than 6000 years ago. Kranj was the capital of the first Slovene state, the Slavic principality of Carniola established in the 8th century, the Lombard chronicler Paul the Deacon mentions Carniola as "patria Sclavorum", the Slav's homeland. Kranj was named for the Celtic tribe Carni, reported by different ancient writers (Livy, Pliny the Elder, Strabo).

In the Hallstatt period (8th century BC), an extremely large settlement was formed in Kranj, which surpassed in size the later medieval downtown. Remains were found of residential building, ceramic pottery and metallurgic activity. In the late Iron Age (3rd-1st century BV), the area of the settlement dramatically decreased.
During the Roman period, Kranj was a trading, fortified post on the route connecting Emona (Ljubljana) to Noricum. The town declined after the rise of Emona but re-emerge in the 4th century as a safe place located in a naturally protected area. In the 6th century, Kranj, then known as Carnium, was the most important town in the region, with a new wall and and early Christian church and baptistery. The town's necropolis yielded remains of a very diverse population, composed of indigenous, Romanesque people and Germanic ones (Lombards, Eastern Goths, Alamanni, Franks) as well. They were subsequently joined by Slovenes, who were dominant in the early Middle Ages (8th-11th centuries); Kranj was then the capital of the old Slavic principality of Carneola, which included the central part of later medieval Carniola.
After the suppression of the revolt led by Ljudevit, the Frankish rulers established in 828 the Kranj margraviates as one of the border counties subordinated to the duchy of Carniola in 973 / 976. In 1002, the margraviates separated from Carinthia and became an independent border county. The counts of Andechs granted privileges to Kranj, mentioned as a "civitas" for the first time in 1256. The seat of the county was transferred to Kamnik, and then to Ljubljana, after the extinction of the Andechs lineage.

Fortified in the 15th century because of the Turkish threat, Kranj was enriched at this time with several late Gothic and Renaissance civil and religious buildings. In the late 19th century, the inauguration of the railway station in 1870 boosted the economical development of the town, which specialized in rubber, textile, electrical and footwear industries.
https://www.kranj.si
Municipal website

The flag and arms of Kranj are prescribed by Decision Odlok o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj, issued on 2 February 2022 and published on 18 February 2022 in the Slovene official gazette, No. 20., pp. 1,060-1,066.

Article 4
(1) The coat of arms of the municipality of Kranj has the shape of an early Renaissance shield with a shallow bordure on both sides, the field in heraldic argent, which is replaced by white in print, and an eagle spreading wings. The eagle is red. The basis for the eagle figure, proportions, shield shape and color combination is the historical coat of arms from the seal dated 1530.

Article 6
The flag of the municipality of Kranj has two longitudinal colored stripes and the coat of arms of the municipality of Kranj in the center, with one half on the white field and the other half on the red field. The height of the coat of arms is 1/2 the flag's width. In the horizontal layout of the flag, the upper field is white and the lower one is red. In the vertical layout of the flag, the left field is white and the right one is red. The coat of arms is always displayed so that the head of the eagle is on top, both horizontally and vertically.
https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/2022-01-0407/odlok-o-simbolih-mestne-obcine-kranj

Appendix A (p. 1,063) gives construction sheets and specification for the red shade, as follows.
CMYK 20 100 65 15
RGB 174 27 68
Pantone 207 C
https://www.uradni-list.si/files/RS_-2022-020-00407-OB~P001-0000.PDF

Ivan Sache, 11 May 2022

Coat of arms of Kranj

Coat of arms of Kranj - Images by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004
Left, correct version
Right, incorrect version still often used

The coat of arms of Kranj is prescribed by Decision Odlok o simbolih opčine Kranj, adopted on 26 September 1990, and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 38/1990, on 19 October 1990, with effect on 26 October 1990, and confirmed by Decision Grafična podoba grba opčine Kranj, adopted on 16 September 1991, and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 15/1991.

The coat of arms of Kranj is based on the coat of arms shown on the town seal dated 1530.
According to the 1991 Decision the colour specifications are:
Cobalt grey-black: Pantone 428c (a very light grey shade) for the shield
Cinober red: Pantone 179c for the eagle and the border.
However, the coat of arms is (still today) often printed with a light blue background, which is, nevertheless, erroneous. Otherwise, based on the good heraldic tradition, the coat of arms is printed also with the silver metallic background coloured with Pantone 877u.

Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

Previous flag without arms

Flag of Kranj, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

The flag and arms of Kranj are prescribed by Decision Odlok o spremembah in dopolnitvah odloka o simbolih občine Kranj, adopted on 19 December 1990 and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 2/1991.
Decision Odlok o spremembi in dopolnitvi odloka o simbolih občine Kranj (text), adopted on 28 June 1995 and published on 28 July 1995 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 44/1995, amends Article 2 of the 1990 decision, adding he provision that the eagle symbol may be used without the shield on monuments if madein relief.
Decision Odlok o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (prečiščeno besedilo) (text), adopted on 23 February 2000, and published on 23 March in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 25/2000, includes drawings of the coat of arms.
Decision Odlok o spremembah in dopolnitvah Odloka o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (text), adopted on 25 January 2006 and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 14/2006, changes the fees for misuse of the symbols into Euros.
Decision Odlok o spremembah Odloka o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (text), adopted on 28 May 2008 and published on 13 June 2008 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije amends Article 5 of the 1990 Decision so that now the flag may expressly be used on private houses on holydays, and updates the fees.
Decision Odlok o spremembi Odloka o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (text), adopted on 22 October 2008 and published on 3 November 2008 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 104/2008, amends the preamble including some changed state legislation.

The flag is rectangular, in proportions 1:2, horizontally divided white-Bordeaux red.

Željko Heimer, 25 June 2010

Short-lived flag of Kranj, 1990

Former flag of Kranj - Image by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

A flag and arms are prescribed in Decision Odlok o simbolih obcčine Kranj, adopted on 26 September 1990, and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 38/1990, on 19 October 1990, with effect on 26 October 1990.
This flag was officially prescribed for less than a year and was superseded with the flag currently in use. It is therefore possible that the short-lived flag was never introduced into real use.
The coat of arms remained unchanged until today.

The flag is light grey with the coat of arms in the middle. The shade of grey is the same as for the coat of arms (Cobalt grey-black), and defined as Pantone 428c.

Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

Former coat of arms

Former coat of arms of Kranj - Image by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

The former coat of arms of Kranj is prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu občine Kranj, adopted on 17 January 1979 and published in the regional official gazette Uradni vestnik Gorenjske, 1/79.

This coat of arms marks a break with the ancient heraldic tradition, according to the taste of the art of the time. It is a white shield with a blue fimbriated red carnation. In its center, the carnation includes a five-pointed red star with a blue border. In the chief of the shield is written "KRANJ" in blue. The colours of the coat of arms are the same as the Slovene national tricolour, while the carnation is both the Slovene national flower and the symbol of the Socialist revolution. No municipal flag was adopted nor used to go with this coat of arms.

Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004