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Polzela (Municipality, Slovenia)

Flag of Polzela, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 23 September 2002

Presentation of Polzela
Municipal flag of Polzela
Coat of arms of Polzela

See also:

Presentation of Polzela

The municipality of Polzela seceded from Žalec in 1998. It is located in Savinjska region, and a historically important old castle is situated there.

Željko Heimer, 22 January 2002

Municipal flag of Polzela

The flag and arms are prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu in zastavi Občine Polzela, adopted on 24 August 1999, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, nr. 72/99, 7 September 1999, with effect on 24 August 1999.

The symbols were designed by Valt Jurečič of Heraldika d.o.o. and Heraldica Slovenica, who kindly provided drawings from which the images shown on this page were made.

The flag is rectangular, in proportions 2:5, horizontally divided red-white-red with a red square at hoist containing the attribute from the coat of arms, the white Maltese cross and the black lion from the coat of arms placed in the middle of the white stripe.
The flag is described in the first clause of the relevant Article of the Decision as "red with a white Maltese cross in the first square and with a white stripe along the middle of the remaining parts of the flag" without any mention of the lion there. However, in the detailed description following that sentence in the same Article the white stripe is described "to include in its middle the black lion couchant from the coat of arms".
The addition of the lion was made in spite of Valt's wishes as the designer and the real flags in use include it.

Stanič & Jakopič [j2s05] give the colour specifications, which are not part of the Decision, as:
- Light yellow: Pantone Yellow
- Dark yellow: Pantone 116
- Red: Pantone 185
- Black: Pantone Black

Željko Heimer, 13 May 2006

Coat of arms of Polzela

Coat of arms of Polzela - Image by Željko Heimer, 22 January 2002

The coat of arms can be blazoned as follows "Per fess gules a Maltese cross argent and of the last a lion couchant sable".

Valt gave additional explanation on the coat of arms:
In the end of the Middle Age on the current Slovenian territories were established three Komendas (commandries) of the Sovereign Order of Malta: Komenda pri Kamniku, Komenda Metlika and Komenda Polzela. A commandry was a kind of refuge for the old and invalid knights.
A commandry was the benefice granted to a high dignitary (Commander) in religious hospitaller orders, and, by extension, the name given to his residence. In France and probably elsewhere, the Templars fortified commandries were built on the pilgrimage roads as safe places for the pilgrims. They were also used as banks. Crusaders and pilgrims deposited money in a commandry, and received an equivalent amount of money when they arrived in Holy Land, in exchange of the receipt.

While Polzela was still a local assembly (subdivision of a municipality), it decided to get a coat of arms of its own. They requested to be allowed to use the Maltese Knights symbol on their local coat of arms, something that they were granted. In the center of Polzela there is still the Komendatorski dvorec (a castle, though indeed quite ruinious), which is adorned with a stone statue of a Roman lion, today hardly recognizable. These symbols were adopted for the coat of arms of Polzela.

Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 22 January 2002