Last modified: 2010-02-06 by dov gutterman
Keywords: vukovar | srijem | ilok | vukovarsko-srijemska | ujlak |
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image by Željko Heimer, 5 March 2005
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Ilok (Hungarian Újlak) is the easternmost city in Croatia, in
the Vukovar-Srijem County on a hill over the Danube, at the point
where Danube leaves Croatia towards Vojvodina. Ilok has just
under 10,000 inhabitants, some 7,000 living in the city itself.
Ilak was fortified by it medieval rulers, princes of Ilok
(knezovi Ilocki, Ujlaky de Illok). In 15th century, members of
this family were palatines and kings of Bosnia, letter herzogs of
Bosia rulers of Symien and so on. After the Turkish conquest the
importance of the family decreaces, and Ilok become the capital
of Syrmiean sandjak. After the liberation in 18th century, Ilok
becomes property of the family Odescalchi of italian origin, who
revitalized the famous vine production and built huge vine
cellars, still working until today. Among the most famous
Odescalchies is pope Inocent XI - Benderito Odescalchi, died
1689. His nephew gained the hereditary title of a Prince of the
Holy Roman Empire, and Herzogs of Sriem. In 1990's it was
occupied by Serbs and suffered much. Un organized transitional
government that enable peaceful reintegration under the Croatian
jurisdiction only on 15th January 1998 following the so called
Erdut agreements.
The coat of arms of Ilok originates from middle ages, and is
based on the various coat of arms used by the Ilocki family.
Their oldest coat of arms is per fess in chief a bar
uncoloured preserved on 15th century monuments (and apparently
used since most often also uncoloured). Latter the quartered
coats of arms were introduced: 1st azure two lions rampant
holding together in front paws a crown all or, 2nd and 3rd
ancient arms, 4th azure a tower argent on a mount vert. The
combination of the 1st and 4th with the escutcheons of the
ancient arms is now the coat of arms of the city: Azure on a base
vert a tower argent with closed doors or between two lions
rampant of the last and in chief two escutcheon all argent per
fess in the chief a bar.
It seems that the flag is red with the coat of arms boredered
yellow in the middle, but it needs confirmation.
Sources: <www.ilok.info>
(20.08.2003), <www.bosut.net>
(20.09.2003), Bojnicic (1899) and Atlagic (1982).
Željko Heimer, 25 July 2004
I managed to get a copy of an article on the flags in the
Vukovar-Srijem County [sal95].
Regarding the city of Ilok, the coat of arms is determined with
the decision: Odluka o privremenom ustrojstvu grada Iloka, 19
travnja 1993, Službeni vijesnik br. 4, 11. listopad 1993.
The decision has only (an unheraldic) description of the coat of
arms and no mention of the flag. I quote: "The City of Ilok
has a historical coat of arms from 1525. The coat of arms of the
City of Ilok is in shape of a ceremonial shield of blue colour.
In the middle is the city wall with a closed doors and with the
tower rising from it. The wall and the tower are gray. On both
sides are standing two lions facing each other touching the wall
and the tower. The lions are brown. Above their heads are white
shields horizontally divided into four fields. The entire coat of
arms is bordered with a thin ribbon of red, blue, green and
brown."
The historical coat of arms from 1525 is found on the civic
statutes of Ilok from 1525, preserved today in Vienna. The
drawing on the statutes was made by a famous illuminator and
miniaturist Julije Klovic (Giulio Clovio), one of important names
of European art in 15th and 16th century. (This beautiful
miniature can be seen at <www.ilok.info>).
The document of 1993 is a temporary statutes, and by now I guess
Ilok must have adopted the proper statues which would supersed
it. However, I do not think that the wording on the coat of arms
would have been changed significantly. But I am afraing I have no
info if it is so or any hint that there might be a flag...
Šalic also mentions that Ilok was using an other coat of
arms granted in 1836: gules on a base vert a paschal lamb passant
argent holding a flag also argent with a cross Latin couped
gules. This is not used any more (probably since 1945, and maybe
even before that). Šalic also mentions that two other
sltlements in vicinity of Ilok had historical coat of arms:
Šarengrad since 1874 (azure on a base chequy standing St.
Peter and St. Paul facing each other and issuant from the chief a
buch of grapes gules slipped proper) and Babska 1854 (gules
Madona with child proper).
Željko Heimer, 16 January 2005
Tomislav Šipek located a photo of the flag of Ilok. I
have not located any documentation regarding this modern artwork,
but it is apparently in use. I estimate that there would be some
regulation around 2002 that adopts it and it may well be that the
flag was regulated at the same time (surely, the previous
regulations and statutes do not mention flag at all). The
flag could be seen on a photo at <www.radio-ilok.hr>
on an occasion when president Mesic was visiting Ilok. The
flag is red with the golden bordered coat of arms in the middle.
Željko Heimer, 5 March 2005
The symbols were designed by the Heraldic
Art d.o.o. from Rijeka.
Željko Heimer, 3 November 2007
The city web site, unfortunately, does not provide for nay
more data - in fact it has a page on the coat of arms, but there
only the text from my web site and my drawing of it is simply
copied.
The 1993 decision reported above following Šalic's text
determines the coat of arms such as illustrated in 1525 by Klovic
in the city Statutes of that date in the ornamental style of the
period. The reproductions of that artwork is indeed often used,
as may be see on the wall of the city council room at <www.radio-ilok.hr>.
The drawing of that coat of arms may be seen at <ilok-infocentar.net>
(it is not a flag, even if the image may look like one!). A page
from that maginificently illustrated Statutes may be seen at <www.matica.hr>
, although this is not the city coat of arms (it is the coat of
arms of the family of Konth, the Dukes of Ilok - Ilocki - where
the fesswise division of the inescutcheons in the city arms
originate, although here coloured gules and argent). See also here
and here
and especially this
one for a modern redrawing of the 1525 arms.
Apparently, Ilok must have adopted the modernized version of its
arms when the flag was adopted as well, at some time in 1990's or
about 2002. In any case, the latest 2009
city Statutes (Art. 4) include the description - basically
the same as the 1525 arms but without the mention of the
ornaments outside the shield - following the state regulations.
Statut Grada Iloka, 30.06.2009, Službeni vjesnik
Vukovarsko-srijemske županije, br. 10/09, 02.07.2009., str.
4. The same wording must have been present in the previous
versions of the Statutes as well.
The flag (with this new coat of arms rendition) is also well
visible at <www.belisce.eu>
(and one should notice there the flag of the state waters
authority Hrvatske vode). The flag is
also nicely displayed at here from the site
of the majorette
assoications (where more photos of proper flag use by the
nicest girls form various cities may be seen).
Željko Heimer, 10 October 2009
vu-il.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 25 July 2004
