Last modified: 2023-03-25 by rob raeside
Keywords: virovitica |
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image by Željko Heimer, 20 January 2022
The town of Virovitica (22,618 inhabitants in 2011, 14,663 in the town of Virovotica) is located in the north-western part of Slavonia. Much important historically, it has lost much of its influence in modern time. Thr County formed in northern Slavonia after the liberation from the Turks was named after it, even if the capital was already set to Osijek.
Željko Heimer, 8 September 2003
The symbols of Virovitica are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Virovitice, adopted on 18 May 1995 by the Town Assembly and published in the Town official gazette Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 4. Those two Decisions were superseded by Decision
Odluka o uporabi grba, zastave, logotipa i naziva Grada Virovitice, adopted on 26 March 2013 and published on 27 March 2013 in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 5 (text), retaining the description of the symbols unchanged. That Decision was amended by Decision Odluka o izmjenama i dopunama Odluke o uproabi grba, zastave, logotipa
i naziva Grada Virovitice, adopted on 22 April 2015 by the Town Assembly and published in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 7.
The symbols are described in the Town Statutes Statut Grada Virovitice, adopted on 6 February 2006 and published in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 1. This is repeated in the Town Statutes Statut Grada Virovitice, adopted on 1 April 2009 and published on 8 April 2009 in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 5 (text), in Statutary Decision Statutarna odluka o izmjenama i dopunama Statuta Grada Virovitice, adopted on 7 February 2013 and published the same day in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 1 (text), and in the consolidated, current Town Statutes Statut Grada Virovitice - pročišćeni tekst, adopted on 8 April 2013 and published the same day in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 6 (text).
The original Decision changed only the part of the Article of the previous Decision regarding the flag description, now stating:
The flag of the town of Virovitica is rectangular in shape, coloured white. The ratio of width to length of the flag is 1:2. The coat of arms of the town of Virovitica is set in the centre of the flag so that the central point of the coat of arms matches the crossing point of the flag diagonals.
The booklet Znamenje Grada Virovitice, issued by the Town Magistrate, describes the flag after the Deicsion, providing also its symbolic:
The white colour symbolizes equity and equality of all citizens on Virovitica [...] who, with all their differences and individualities only in unity build life force and longevity of the town of Virovitica.
The booklet credits the graphical design and the description of the flag to Josip Strmečki, an art teacher, artist and primery school director in Virovitica.
The flag is shown in both horizontal and vertical versions, each provided with a construction sheet, showing the coat of arms having a width of 2.22 parts of the flag's width (that is,just about 0.45 of the width).
Željko Heimer, 6 May 2015
Initial design (2005)
image by Željko Heimer, 20 January 2022
These are the initial designs. The flag was later redesigned (probably in
2013) with a graphic design of the coat of arms.
Tomislav Šipek, 20 January 2022
image by Željko Heimer, 15 December 2008
The coat of arms (municipal website) is the traditional coat of arms of the town, "Gules, on a mount vert a lion rampant or, holding in dexter a scimitar argent hilted or above his head". The green mount represents the slope of the Bologora hills.
The booklet Znamenje Grada Virovitice, issued by the
Town Magistrate, describes the coat of arms as in the 1994 Decision, with the colour symbolic slightly longer: red - generosity, blood soaked earth, freedom, love and progress; green - strength, hope and force, as well as the hills (the Bilogora hill mentioned in the blazon); golden yellow - fortunate times. The lion represents prowess and audacity. The white scimitar is said to stand for unity and equality of all the citizens.
The booklet credits the graphical design and description of the arms to Krunoslav Kovač, "after the pattern of the old historical coat of arms of Virovitica." The coat of arms is shown in proportions 5:6 with detailed graphical construction, providing colouring after RAL:
- green: geldgrun 6017;
- red: pastellorange 2002;
- yellow (golden): zinkgelb 1032;
- white: weiss 9003.
Željko Heimer, 6 May 2015
image by Željko Heimer, 24 December 2015
The table flag (photo, photo) is a vertical version of the white rectangular municipal flag with the coat of arms slightly offset toward the top and with the town's name inscribeb in black in two rows along the bottom.
Željko Heimer & Marko Vitez, 24 December 2015
images by Željko Heimer, 19 August 2016
The first symbols of Virovitiva were prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Virovitice, adopted on 27 June 1994 by the Town Assembly and published in Službeni vjesnik Grada Virovitice, No. 9
The Decision adopted basically the current design of the coat of arms. The Decision does not provide drawing, but an accompanying document from after the flag change seems to show the same design - again, only differing from the current in the black line style (here, simple equaly wide lines).
The flag (photos, photos) is described as follows:
The flag of the town is rectangular. The ratio of width to length is 1:2.5. The side edges are staight and smooth, and the bottom-short edge ends with three points. The flag colours are white, yellow and red, in that order set from the top towards bottom. Their position is diagonal in regard to the flag edges. In the bottom part the flag ends with coloured shapes of three red and two white squares together making a part of the Croatian chequy field. In the top half of the flag, at the angle of 45% [degrees], the coat of arms of the town of Virovitica is set, linking by its position all three colours, as their symbolic values, into a unique whole. The width of the coat of arms is the half of the flag width, that is, the half of the shorter edge of the flag.
On the flag, white stands for unity and equality of all citizens, strength and durability of the town. Red stands for love, defiance, a libertarian town, as well as for self-awareness, vitality and stability. Yellow stands for abundance, luxury, wealth (yellow fields of wheat, tobacco, oilseed rape) and power of the lion, protector of the town.
On the arms, the green hill stands Bilogora mountains, while the lion is as "symbol of strength, fighting spirit, all that the town represented and was in the history and in the present".
[Grb i zastava Virovitice, Virovitićki list, 27 May 1994]
The Town Magistrate established a group to study the issue of the town symbols and eventually run a competition for their design. "Considering the task at hand," the group included Mayor Petar Budiša, as its Chairman, and as members: Mirjana Vodopić (a journalist), Mirjana Terlecky (the Town Secretary), Dubravka Sabolić (the Custodian of the cultural and historical collections in the Town Museum, Ivan Zelenbrz (a Professor of Language, Head of the local Matica hrvatska chapter), Mato Tolušić (a psychiatrist, Director of the local hospital), Željko Obadić (a politician and busnessman), Ljiljana Đeri (a Professor of Arts), Miran Hajoš (a theatre director), Ivan Slamić Sr (a businessman), Pero Turčinović (the director of a music school), Damir Jakuš (a union leader), Boris Belić (a conductor) and Ante Ivanušić (a politician) (Skuplje umivanje grada/Kada obilježja grada, Virovitićki list, 23 July 1993).
In an interview, the Mayor further stated that the historical arms may be used or incorporated into some new design and that there was no hurry in reaching the decision (Ne treba žurit, Virovitićki list, 6 August 1993).
A subgroup was tasked to prepare the competition, consisting of Ljiljana Đeri, Mirjana Terlecky, Josip Strmečki, Dr. Ivan Balta, and Ante Ivanušić. They were given two months to complete that task(Još o danu Virovitice, Virovitićki list, 13 August 1993).
A public lecture was given by Dr. Balta, organized by the local Matica hrvatska chapter. The report does not reveal much about the historical coat of arms of Virovitica, except that it includes a lion "as a symbol of strength, with all its attributes of struggle for freedom, invincibility and courage". No older flag of Virovitica is known, so the flag shall be designed from scratch (Grbovi i zastave kroz povijest i sadašnjost, Virovitićki list, 15 October 1993). The group concluded to propose the historical coat of arms as "it is simple and recognizable (lion holding a scimitar)" while there shall be a public competition for "blazoning, that is for the study (define and explain colours etc.) and technical (dimensions) solution". The flag shall also be a matter of competition, for its design, but with elements of the old coat of arms included (Uskoro obilježja grada, Virovitićki list, 25 March 1994).
Out of the thirteen submitted proposals, one design was chosen for the coat of arms and one for the flag, to be proposed to the Town Assembly in ten days. The authors "shall be revealed afterwards" (Nova zastava i stari grb, Virovitićki list, 8 May 1994).
No doubt that after the Ministry had refused to approve such a complex flag, the flag was changed in 1995 to the prescribed monocoloured pattern.
Željko Heimer & Marko Vitez, 19 August 2016
images by Željko Heimer, 6 May 2015
Just prior to the adoption of the first symbols in 1994 a document was
produced in March 1994, probably in the process of the symbols
adoption, by the subsequent author of the adopted design, Krunoslav Kovač (Znakovlje Grada Virovitice. Idejno rješenje -
Prijedlog). The document includes proposals for the town symbols.
The coat of arms is basically the same as the one currently used, with minor differences. The drawing style (black lines) is somewhat different, and it appears that the entire scimitar is silver, not only the blade.
The flag proposed in the document is however radically different - in proportions 5:7, a five-striped green-red flag with the lion with scimitar overall. The accompanying text explains taht Virovitica had no official flag by that time, so a new design is proposed. The colour symbolic is explained as red - generosity, green - strength, hope and force, golden yellow - fortunate times. The lion represents prowess and audacity. The white scimitar is said to stand for unity and equality of all thr citizens.
image by Željko Heimer, 6 May 2015
A vertical table flag is also depicted as "possible use" being vertical with the same general design in the lower half and the top half all green, in the overall ratio ca. 5:9.
Željko Heimer, 6 May 2015