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Sodražica (Municipality, Slovenia)

image by Tomislav Šipek, 7 May 2022

Presentation of Sodražica
Municipal flag of Sodražica
Coat of arms of Sodražica
Previous flag

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Presentation of Sodražica

The municipality of Sodražica seceded in 1998 from the municipality of Ribnica.

Željko Heimer, 9 October 2002

Municipal flag of Sodražica

The new symbols for the Municipality of Sodražica were adopted on 30.01.2020
https://sodrazica.si/o-obcini/obcinski-praznik:

The flag is divided vertically (by width) into two parts: on the green square toward the hoist on which a yellow sieve is depicted, which has a net in the form of a hexagonal interlacing. The remaining fly part of the flag is horizontally (lengthwise) divided into thirds into yellow, green and yellow stripes. The structure of the fields on the flag illustrates the inclusion of the Sodraška valley in the slopes of Velika gora (Travna gora and Gora) in the south and Slemen in the north, as well as the openness of the valley towards Ribnica.

Valentin Poposki, 7 May 2022

The municipality of Sodražica (2,185 inhabitants in 2020; 4,950 ha) is located 50 km south of Ljubljana, 30 km north-west of Kočevje and 30 km east of Cerknica. The municipality is composed of the villages of Sodražica (seat; 803 inh.), Betonovo (6 inh.), Brlog (1 inh.), Globel (108 inh.), Janeži (18 inh.), Jelovec (47 inh.), Kotel (depopulated), Kračali (39 inh.), Kržeti (55 inh.), Lipovšica (45 inh.), Male Vinice (16 inh.), Nova Štifta (6 inh.), Novi Pot (10 inh.), Petrinci (32 inh.), Podklanec (100 inh.), Preska (depopulated), Ravni Dol (15 inh.), Sinovica (14 inh.), Travna Gora (depopulated), Vinice (101 inh.), Zamostec (209 inh.), Zapotok (192 inh.), and Žimarice (249 inh.).
The municipality was established in 1998, separating from Ribnica.

The flag and arms of Sodražica are prescribed by Decision Odlok o istovetnostnih simbolih Občine Sodražica issued on 30 January 2020 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 7 February 2020 in the Slovene official gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, No. 8, p. 769.

Article 10.
Blazon or heraldic description of the coat of arms.
On a green field a gold (yellow) woodenware sieve with hexagonal mesh.

Article 16.
Flag description.
The flag is vertically divided into two parts: the green square, which is at the flag's hoist, is charged with a yellow woodenware sieve [taken from the coat of arms]. The remaining part of the flag is horizontally divided into equal yellow, green, and yellow stripes.
https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/2020-01-0238/odlok-o-istovetnostnih-simbolih-obcine-sodrazica

The fields of the flag represent the valley of Sodraška between the slopes pf Travna gora, in the north, and Slemen, in the south, and its opening towards Ribnica.

The charge of the coat of arms is a sieve, which is one of the typical and recognizable woodenware products. The sieve emphasizes shaking (separation) of the good from the bad or evil; the mesh represents the world's interconnection and intertwining.
Green symbolize the awakening nature (spring green or the color of beech forests) while yellow symbolize nobleness of wood and woodenware.
https://sodrazica.si/o-obcini/obcinski-praznik

The area around the towns of Kočevje and Ribnica has never been a particularly wealthy part of the country. Long, snowy winters and poor soil has tended to make the lives of local residents difficult, forcing them to earn a better living abroad. For centuries, many people from this area traveled Europe hawking woodenware – a tradition that, in a somewhat different form, survives to this day.
The tradition of making woodenware – various household objects, ranging from spoons to brooms – is an old one, probably predating the Slavic settlement in the region. By the late Middle Ages, the craft was common source of income in the region, and in the 15th century, the residents of Ribnica and Kočevje obtained the unique privilege of being allowed to sell woodenware products across the Hapsburg Empire without having to pay taxes.
For years, the men would travel far from home, wearing large baskets on their back – baskets that contained various woodenware products. The peddlers traveled on foot or by horse-drawn wagons, always covering substantial distances. Each peddler was assigned a certain territory; this prevented them from competing against each other. Peddlers from Kočevje and Ribnica were eventually a common sight throughout Central and Southeastern Europe, from Germany to Bulgaria. Some even traded with Africa and Asia.
The advent of railroads made the peddlers’ work much easier. They abandoned their wagons for the new, faster means of transportation, but remained loyal to the traditional methods of selling their ware. They also eventually began to sell products made elsewhere – including chocolate, exotic fruit, books, and even medications. They purchased them in Trieste and then resold them for a profit. However, they still traveled the continent with baskets on their backs, telling stories, and singing songs. Peddlers played such a prominent role in the public consciousness that they even inspired a popular song, “Ribnčan Urban.”
https://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/slovenian-woodenware-peddlers-once-traveled-the-continent/332595
RTV Slovenija, 11 June 2015

The former flag and arms of Sodražica were prescribed by Decision Odlok o istovetnostnih simbolih Občine Sodražica issued on 28 September 2001 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 26 October 2001 in the Slovene official gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, No. 84, p. 8,566.

Article 8.
General description of the coat of arms.
On a green field, in the lower half a yellow grid net that divides the coat of arms diagonally into two parts.
Presentation of the coat of arms - blazon.
The coat of arms of the municipality of Sodražica is composed of a shield with a semicircular base. On a green field, an intertwined grid net, which creates a diagonal cut in base. The white outline on the outer part of the shield is lined with a black border, for the sake of decoration and greater distinction of the coat of arms from the background.

Article 13.
Flag, general.
The flag of the municipality of Sodražica is horizontal divided yellow-green with the coat of arms in the center of the left half of the flag.
Description.
The flag is horizontally divided, in proportions width:length 1:2. The field of the flag is divided in half in height by two colors, the lower half green, the upper one yellow. The coat of arms has a horizontal central alignment with respect to the left half of the flag. Vertically, the lower third of the coat of arms is on the green background, and the upper two thirds on a yellow one. The height is 2/5 of the width of the flag.

Article 14.
[...]
The vertically-displayed flag has the green color on the left and the yellow one on the right. In this case, the coat of arms has a horizontal center alignment with respect to the upper half of the flag. Horizontally, the lower third of the coat of arms is on the green background and the upper two thirds on the yellow one.
https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/2001-01-4380/odlok-o-istovetnostnih-simbolih-obcine-sodrazica

Ivan Sache, 11 May 2022

Coat of arms of Sodražica

Coat of arms of Sodražica - Image by Željko Heimer, 8 October 2002

The coat of arms of Sodražica is green with a yellow fishing net (reta) in base sinister torn diagonally.

Željko Heimer, 8 October 2002

Previous flag

Municipal flag of Sodražica, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 8 October 2002

The flag of Sodražica is prescribed by Decision Odlok o istovetsnoti simbolih Občine Sodražica, adopted on 27 September 2001 and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 84/2001.

The flag is rectangular, in proportions 1:2, horizontally divided yellow-green with the coat of arms set near the hoist and slightly offset to the top of the flag (2/3 of the coat of arms should be in the yellow stripe).

Željko Heimer, 8 October 2002