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Flags of the World

Page created: 16th September 2000 Last updated: 16th December 2018
The FAME is a site devoted to the systematic and scientific study of flags and coats of arms. Such symbols often bear strong political and other messages. Inclusion of those symbols here does not mean that the author supports or approves of the ideas they may stand for.	This site is harvested for the NSK digital archives.

Map of the Varaždin County.

Varazdin County - Cities

Varaždinska županija - gradovi

1. Varaždin
   • Varaždin, mayor's flag, 1991 – 1995
   • Varaždin, ca. 1968 – 1991
   • Varaždin, 1895 – 1945
   • Varaždin, 1817
2. Ivanec
3. Lepoglava
4. Ludbreg
   • Ludbreg, variants
   • Ludbreg, 1991 – 1999
5. Novi Marof
   • Novi Marof, de facto flag 2001
   • Novi Marof, 1994 – 1998
   • Novi Marof, 1980 – 1990
6. Varaždinske Toplice
   • Varaždinske Toplice, 1999 – 2009

Since 1993 the Croatian legislation allows the units of local self-government (counties, cities and communities) to have their coat of arms and flag, however these may be legally used only after they are approved by a central state authority. The a flag of a city or community should be of a one colour field with the coat of arms in the centre or offset towards hoist. Some exceptions from this rule are tolerated for the cities with traditional flag established before these rules were made. The coat of arms must follow also a set of rules to be approved. Some cities and communities use unapproved designs nevertheless. See more on the approval dates. Prior to 1993 the coats of arms and flag were not regulated by state legislation.
The official bazon (heraldic descripton) of the coats of arms and descriptions of the flags are according to the approval text of the central state authority, other description according to other city documents.
Until 1997 the only city in the County was Varaždin, when five more communities were given city status.

• Varazdin County
• Croatia - Counties
• Croatia

Varaždin

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The modern coat of arms is the same as that one in King Mathias Corvin's patent of 1464: "Within a green square frame there is a smaller red square with golden-yellow ornaments within which is inscribed circular ribbon inscribed: SIGILLVM MAIVS CIVITATIS WARASDIENSIS. Within the ribbon on partially green and partially blue ornamented background there is an angel guardant with golden-yellow hair with red wings and clad in brown. The angel holds in his hands semicircular shield with four red and four white bars. In the centre of the shield there is a square tower with entrance and windows and four smaller towers at the top and grey-blue tall pointed roof ending with a golden-yellow cross. On the third red bar is on the right a yellow six-pointed star and on the left a yellow crescent."
The traditional flag of five red and white stripes is in use at least since mid-XIX century, and is derived from the barry arms.
The city statutes of 1896 prescribe in the Article 3 "The Free and Royal City of Varaždin uses in the official seal its own coat of arms, which was granted to the city with a charter issued on 8 July 1464 in Buda by King Matias Korvin. The coat of arms displays a circle, in which an angel holds a shield, on which there are horizontally alternating four red and four white fields. Across the shield there is vertically a tower with five small towers, on the central one there is a golden cross. — On the third red field counting from the top there are at the left a crescent and on the right a star. Within the circle is should be inscribed: Grb slobodnog i kraljevskog grada Varaždina (The Coat of Arms of the Free and Royal City of Varaždin)." The flag was not prescribed. In the second half of the 20th century the arms are used only as the shield and the elements within. The striped flag started to be more widely used around 1970's, and certainly in 1980 in connection with the celebration of 800 anniversary of the city, confirmed apparently again in 1987. The historical design of the coat of arms was adopted in 1991, and again in 1995. The flag was confirmed also in 1991 and 1995.

* Note: the official blazon in the Ministry approval was simply copied from city decisions; the approval was granted prior to the establishment of the Coats of Arms and Flags Approval Commission, and unlike the subsequent approvals, it does not contain the heraldic blazon written by an expert.

Varaždin, mayor's flag, 1991 – 1995

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In 1991 a personal flag for the city mayor was prescribed, the same as the city flag, but with the city arms in the first third. It was dropped from the subsequent decisions and possibly never used.

Varaždin, ca. 1968 – 1991

Flag unknown.

The coat of arms of Varaždin used in various company and sports emblems at least since 1960's was graphically updated shield from the historcial arms, depicting the tower between a mullet and a crescent. Various graphical stylizations were used.

Varaždin, 1895 – 1945

No flag.

The coat of arms used in the 19th century was a copy of the 1464 design depicting only the shield and the angel as its supporter. It (actually a seal) was prescribed by the 1895 Statutes and virtually unchanged until the end of the World War II. A flag was not prescribed.

Varaždin, 1817

In 1817 two city flags were consecrated, one of the city magistrate and the other of the civic guard. However, details of their design are not currently known. It may be presumend that these followed the general design of the 1778 Varaždin County flags, using red and white stripes derived from the city arms and the arms painted on them. An attempt to reconstruct what thay may have looked like is presented here.

Ivanec

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The coat of arms of Ivanec is Argent, a Maltese cross Gules, and in chief two Mullets Azure. The Maltese cross is the symbols of the knights of the Order of St. John (Maltese knights), who maintained their fort near the modern city and after whom the city is named (Ivan being equal to John). The flag is blue with the coat of arms in the centre. The vertical table flag contains the name inscribed in an arc below the coat of arms.
The design proposed by Dr. Kušen was in a semicircular shield argent a Maltese cross gules and a mullet and a crescent or in the chief. The municipal administration added to it depiction of the Old City gates and a ribbon in the chief inscribed with the year 1396, the first mention of Ivanec in the records. Eventually, this was changed back to the original proposal, with slight modification in the shield shape, inclusion of two mullets in the chief and the colour of the mullets set to azure.

Until 1997 Ivanec had the status of a community.

Lepoglava

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The coat of arms of Lepoglava vert a raven sable holding a piece of bread in its beak standing on a lace clapper or with a sting argent. The raven is symbol of St. Paul the Hermit who was fed by a raven with bread. St. Paul established the Pauline order whose important centre Lepoglava is. A raven is also a symbol of royal family of king Ivaniš Korvin (1495 - 1497), who is remembered in Lepoglava for rebuilding of the monastery. The clapper is a tool for the lacework after which Lepoglava is famous. The flag is green with the golden bordered coat of arms.
The ceremonial flag is green gonfalon with three triangularly ending tails containing white lacework ornaments, the coat of arms in the centre and the name above. There is also a ceremonial table flag ending triangulary, with the coat of arms bordered golden with the name of the city above and an walnut and a fir branch below.

Until 1997 Lepoglava had the status of a community.

Ludbreg

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The coat of arms is Azure, on a triple Mount Vert a Crescent Argent and a Mullet Or. Laszowski states that this is based on a 1850 seal, and such seal is preserved in the State Archive inscribed: * PEČAT OBČINE LUDB……1850 (i.e. The seal of the Ludbreg Municipality 1850) . The flag is blue with the coat of arms in the centre. In practice several variations of the coat of arms details noted, in particular regarding the facial lines of the crescent. Variations in the blue colour shade of the flag, the colour of the outline around the shield (and absence of it) and the orientation of the flag are reported.
The County web site shows vertical banner with triangular ending, presumably the ceremonial flag.

Until 1997 Ludbreg had the status of a community. There is a legend regarding Ludbreg to be the centre of the world, as there are several European capitals that are situated on concentric circles around Ludbreg.

Ludbreg, variants

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The flag in the County Assembly Hall is noticably darker and using faceless crescent design without outline around the shield. Flags with yellow outline around the coat of arms and minor variations in the design of arms is also used. Among others, vertical versions of the light blue flag with noticeably smaller coat of arms were reported in use in the city as well.

Ludbreg, 1991 – 1999

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In 1991 a green flag with virtually the same coat of arms in the centre was prescribed. A historical coat of arms was used by the community prior to 1991, but apparently no flag.

Novi Marof

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The coat of arms of Novi Marof is Vert a Belfry Argent on a Mount of the same nebuly and in chief two Daisies proper. It is the belfry of the parish church in Remetinec, the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary - Queen of Holy Rosary. The daisies (Croatian ivančica) cant the mountain of the same name above the modern city. The flag is yellow with the coat of arms in the centre. Table flags are in vertical format, with the coat of arms properly rotated and offset slightly toward the bottom, with the city name inscribed black beneath it.

Until 1997 Novi Marof had the status of a community.

Novi Marof, de facto flag 2001

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The flag used in 2001 was white with the coat of arms in the middle. Such flag was apparently never prescribed and the use of it remains a mystery. It was replaced with the prescribed yellow flag by 2003.

Novi Marof, 1994 – 1998

The coat of arms of Novi Marof adopted initially was depicting the tower of the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the Queen of the Holy Rosary in Remetinec with a pale purple bulb-like top between a silver ruins of Greben-grad fortress under five bezants in an arch argent on red and a silver two arched bridge with a saint sculpture in the centre of it (the "Bridge between siants" over Bednja river in Presečno, once marking border between Varaždin and Križevci counties) under five bezants argent on golden and in the base silver clouds over wavy stripes interchangably of green, yellow and blue. The silver bezants symbolise the rosary. The wavy stripes stand for the cultivated land. This obviosuly served as inspiraion for the latter design. The flag was quartered in blue and green with a white cross throughout and with the coat of arms set in a white inscribed Novi Marof. Soon the description was slightly changed, replacing the pale purple to blue and white to silver.

Novi Marof, 1980 – 1990

Flag unknown.

The emblem of the Novi Marof Community in use in 1980's in in a circular seal shape divided horizontally, in the top in black field a half of a white cog-wheel in which it is raising an embatteled tower, and in the bottom a fountain with water jets and in the outline, divided with a field containing a five-ponted star, the community name between a wheat ear and a leaf. The tower presumably stands for Novi Marof itself, while the fountain represents Varaždinske Toplice, at the time part of the community.

Varaždinske Toplice

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The coat of arms is Azure a water-lion or rampant langued and armed gules holding in his dexter a city argent roofed gules with a belfry. The flag is dark blue with the coat of arms in the centre of it (on yellow border around it, see below). The ceremonial flag of 2009 is blue gonfalon ending with three tails each ornamented with an oak "frieze", with the coat of arms in the centre, the name of the city in three arches above. The table flag is a vertical blue flag with the coat of arms and the city name in three rows, one above and two below the arms.

Until 1997 Varaždinske Toplice had the status of a community.

Varaždinske Toplice, 1999 – 2009

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The Decisions and the Ministry approval prior to 2009 prescribe explicitly the yellow outline around the coat of arms in the flag, while afterwards this delail is no longer mentioned. In deed, the flags in modern use omit the yellow outline.
The ceremonial flag used prior to 2009 is a blue gonfalon ending triangularly with golden fringe, with the coat of arms in the centre, the name of the city in three arches above and a wreath of six maiz ears below it. The 2009 Statutes and Decision prescribed a new design that soon replaced it.

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Flags of the World