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Gospic (Lika-Senj, Croatia)

Grad Gospić

Last modified: 2010-02-19 by dov gutterman
Keywords: lika | senj | licko-senjska | gospic | wolf |
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image by Željko Heimer, 25 August 2009



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Other Sites:

  • Collection of Croatian Local Flags at FAME

City Flag

Gospic is the capital of the Lika-Senj County. It has about 20 000 inhabitaints, the urban area itself having about 9 000 of these (this is I believe the 1991 census, the 2001 census gives just under 6000 for the city itself, no doubt due to the war. Source: Hrvatska enciklopedija, 4, 2002).
The Previous Flag that was against regulations (using two colurs, and with logoid coat of arms) was replaced for a real thing in 1999 with the decision issued in the official gazette: Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica, Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 2/99. According to a decision granting use of the Coat of Arms to a small animal farm association in Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica 6/02 available on line at <www.gospic.hr>
Since it is an amendment to a previous decision, it probably amends the decision from mid-1990's adopting the blue-white-blue flag.
The mentioned web site on a different page quotes what is most certainly direct citation from the decision
<www.gospic.hr/grad/opcenito.asp>. The coat of arms is Gules a wolf rampant argent langued and armed of the first holding a sword erect argent hilted and pommed or. The wolf is native in the region and not unusual. It is also symbolic for virtues of the population. The erect sword symbolize their determination to defend themselves. The flag is blue with the coat of arms bordered yellow in the middle.
The mentioned site clearly show the flag painted as light blue. The text says simply blue, while Tomislav Šipek on [vexicro] claims from his observations that the flags used use much darker shade (e.g. comparable with blue in the Croatian flag). He also sent me some photos from the site but I am not quite convinced with these (I believe that the flag colour is influenced by sun direction in the photo and similar effects), but I certainly alow the possibility that indeed the dark blue is used (by error or intention) and that the light blue drawing on the official site is "imprecise". However, I choose to draw the image in light blue.
Željko Heimer, 5 September 2003

The symbols were designed by the Heralid Art d.o.o company in Rijeka.
Željko Heimer, 4 November 2007

The new 2009 Statutes of Gosipc includes the description of the coat of arms, the flag and the ceremonial flag, which was not included in the previous 2001 Statutes: Statut Grada Gospica, 14.07.2009, Službeni vjesnik Grada Gosipca, br. 7/2009, 14.07.2009.
A number of gazettes include the decisions of grant of use of coat of arms to various institutions: a car wash shop in Gospic (SVGG 06/2004), the local educational center POU "Dr. Ante Starcevic" for use on the majorette and brass band uniforms, the local diabetics society, the "Mato Lovrak" publishing house for its book on cities (all in SVGG 07/2005), the local Homeland War veterans organization and the restaurant "Likos" Gosipc (SVGG 9A/2005), an other veterans association of 1990-91 (SVGG 04/2006), the local handball club on their uniforms (SVGG 12/2006), the local blind sportsmen association (2008)...
These decisions reveals us more details on the previous original decision from mid-90 (cf. my previous report of 5 September 2003).
The decisions regarding the city symbols are therefore: Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica, Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 4/94 Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospica, Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospica, 2/99.
Željko Heimer, 5 December 2009


Ceremonial Flag


image by Željko Heimer, 25 August 2009

On the official web site of Gospic www.gospic.hr in March was shown a photo from the city assembly hall where the ceremonial flag was shown, unfortunately, with some people standing infront of it, so covering the lower part. According to Tomislav Šipek, the lower part of the flag is ending triangulalry and has no ornamentation of any kind below the coat of arms, only the fringe along the lower edges. So, the ceremonial flag is dark blue gonfalon with the coat of arms in the middle and the name of the city above in two arcs.
Željko Heimer, 9 May 2004

Tomsilav Šipek pointed me to a photo where the ceremonial flag of Gospic is to be seen clearly: see at the bottom of <www.vlada.hr>. The photo was taken on 15 July 2004 when the Government of Croatia held its session in Gospic (BTW, the people on the photo are the premier and his ministers). This corrects the assumption we had about the lower part of the flag being ornamentless.
Željko Heimer, 26 February 2005


Coat of Arms


image by Željko Heimer, 25 August 2009


Previous Flag


image by Željko Heimer

Gospic (Gospia) - The coat of arms in of modern design, showing a church, the Croatian chequy field and mountainline around Gospic. The flag as seen hoisted in the city assembly hall is of unknown status and details. Adopted: around 1995 (?).
Source: HRT, 1999.
Željko Heimer