Last modified: 2010-02-19 by dov gutterman
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image by Željko Heimer, 18 June 2003
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The modern artistic redention was adopted around 1995 and
seems to have replaced the Previous Flag and
Coat of Arms by now in most cases.The flag and the Coat of Arms
shown as "Previous" are two
previously used variants of the heraldically the same thing.
The 2001 Statutes of the city (as no doubt the previous statutes
also) blazon the coat of arms naming the beast a hipopanther:
Azure a Hipopanther Or. The arms originate from 14th century.
The 2001 Statutes also include in the preamble description of the
traditional flag of Cres, that was used by the medieval city and
her ships "for at least seven centuries". The flag is
described as "striped blue and golden-yellow with the coat
of arms in the middle". Unfortunately, I have no managed to
find out what this looked like exactly (e.g. how many stripes or
even if the number was relevant).
The modern flag is, as required by the Ministry of Administration
rules, monocoloured, light blue with the coat of arms in the
middle, bordered yellow.
I believe that the modern artistic redention is designed by
Heraldika d.o.o. from Rijeka, but I have no proves for that.
Sources: Grad Gres <www.cres.hr>,
Statut Grada Cresa, 11. listopada 2001, Službene novine
Primorsko goranske županije Oštric Goroslav: Monumenta
heraldica, izbor iz heraldicke baštine primorsko-goranske
županije, Pomorski i povijesni muzej Hrvatskog primorja
Rijeke, 2002. [osg02].
Today Cress has about 3000 ihabitants. In 1992 administrative
reform it was gvien community status, but was upgraded to city in
1997 (due to historical tradition and its position on island
where number of
inhabitants can not be used as qualification of civic
"rights" - similar case we saw with Bakar, and shall be
observed with many other cities on islands and coastal region).
Cres is connected with a bridge over a tight chanel with the
southern island Lošinj. The two were/are often known as one
item named Osor (that is the name of the place where the bridge
is).
Željko Heimer, 18 June 2003
The flag and the Coat of Arms are adopted
on 2nd January 1995, with a amendments latter that year
corrcecting the wording of the description (heraldical left and
right!). The new 2001 statute repeats the earlier (and recounts
on historical background and a historical striped flag!) while
the 2001 decision determines details of usage (where and when)
and introduces also a Ceremonial Flag in
gonfalon form. There is unfortunalely no image nor description of
the ceremonial flag in the gazette. Here are the legislations
listed:
- Odluka o grbu i zastavi Opcine Cres, 02.01.1995, Službene
novine Županije primorsko-goranske, br. 1/95, 20.01.1995.
- Odluka o izmjeni i dopuni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Opcine Cres,
07.12.1995, Službene novine Županije
primorsko-goranske, br. 27/95, 27.12.1995.
- Odluka o grbu i zastavi Opcine Cres (procišceni tekst),
07.12.1995, Službene novine Županije
primorsko-goranske, br. 27/95, 27.12.1995. Statut Grada Cresa,
11. listopada 2001, Službene novine Primorsko goranske
županije, br. 25/01
- Odluka o uporabi i zaštiti grba i zastave Grada Cresa,
05.12.2001, Službene novine Primorsko-goranske
županije, br. 32/01, 15.12.2001.
Željko Heimer, 16 August 2003
The decision - Odluka o izmjenama Odluke o uporabi i
zaštiti grba i zastave Grada Cresa, 20.02.2003,
Službene novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 5/03,
07.03.2003 - changes the 2001 decision regarding the penal
decisions and removes the requirement that the flag of Cres is to
be hoisted permanently on the Tower of Cres, rather to be there
occasionally.
Željko Heimer, 16 October 2005
The symbols were designed by the Heralid
Art d.o.o company in Rijeka.
Željko Heimer, 4 November 2007
Here is an addition to flag related legislation from the site
of the official gazette of the County at <www.sn.pgz.hr>:
Statut Grada Cresa (procišceni tekst), Službene novine
Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 37, 05.10.2007.
The Cres city statutes are here reissued with all the amendments
adopted since 2001 included in the text. There are no changes
regarding the Coat of Arms and flag, described in Article 5. The
introductory paragraphs still provide historical background of
the Cres symbols, claiming the begining of the use of the Coat of
Arms of Cres since 1300, while a flag of
interlaced blue and yellow stripes with the Coat of Arms in the
middle is said to be in use for seven centuries.
I have found no evidence for the claim about the historical flag
at all and to my best knowlage there are no such evidence known
in the Cres Museum.
Željko Heimer, 5 October 2008
The 2009 Statutes repeats the 2001 prescriptions describing
the Coat of Arms and the flag. The previous 1993 Statutes do not
include their description, however, all of the mentioned statutes
include the preamble text that mentions the histrical Coat of
Arms of Cres suposedly originating from year 1300 and the
historical "blue and golden alternating stripes flag with he
traditional coat of arms in the centre of it" is alegedly in
use "already seven centuries". Still haven't found any
source that would confirm that claim about the flag, although it
must have come from somewhere...
- Statut Opcine Cres, 09.12.1993., Službene novine
Županije primorsko.goranske, br. 17/93, 09.12.1993.
- Statut Grada Cresa, 11.10.2001, Službene novine Primorsko
goranske županije, br. 25/01, 11.10.2001.
- Statut Grada Cresa (procišceni tekst), Službene
novine Primorsko-goranske županije, br. 37, 05.10.2007.
- Statut Grada Cresa, 23.07.2009, Službene novine Primorsko
goranske županije, br. 29/2009, 25.07.2009.
Željko Heimer, 8 December 2009
image by Željko Heimer, 15 September 2003
ri-cr.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 18 June 2003
Previous Coat of Arms
ri_cr.gif)
image by Željko Heimer
An example of a panther on a coat of arms is that of the
Croatian city of Cres. It is azure, panther rampant or and goes
back, at least, to the fourteenth century.
From the booklet Heraldicki Cres written by Jasmina
Cus-Rukonic : "...The heraldic figure of a panther is
composed of bodily parts from various animals. The head is
horse-like, with long ears, oxen horns and a bent neck like a
swan, the forelegs of a gryphon and the tail is crowned, The
populace, not knowing of the use of mythical animals in classical
heraldry and seeing that the figure in the Cres coat of arms was
neither a horse nor a lion, invented its own story to explain
this odd figure. They identified it with the attributes of the
people of Cres: handsome and gentle as young horses, but when
tampered with becoming as dangerous as lions and displaying their
claws..."
Mario Fabretto, 8 May 1997
The coat of arms of Cres originates from XIV century, Azure
a Panther Or. The modern shield is based on the historical
examples preserved mainly as carved in stone in several places in
Cres. The heraldic panther is a beast composed of horse's head,
long ears, horns like oxen, long swan-like neck, griffon's (i.e.
eagle's) forlegs, and horse's rear legs and lion's tail. It spits
fire as a rule. A legend told by the Cres inhabitans explain it
as symbolic for themself - tame and lovely (and ready to work
hard) as young horses they become dangerous as lions and eagles
when they are provoked. Until 1997 Cres had status of a
community.
Željko Heimer
image by Željko Heimer
image by Željko Heimer, 5 October 2008
A possible reconstruction of that traditional flag.
Željko Heimer, 5 October 2008