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Brezovica (Municipality, Slovenia)

Municipal flag of Brezovica, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 21 December 2001

Presentation of Brezovica
Municipal flag of Brezovica
Coat of arms of Brezovica
Former coat of arms of Brezovica

See also:

Presentation of Brezovica

Brezovica is located south-west of Ljubljana, in the region know as Ljubljana Marshes (Ljubljansko Barje). The name of the municipality might be tentatively translated as "Birch Wood" or "Birch Grove", anyway the root of the name is a birch tree, which is represented in the municipal coat of arms.

Željko Heimer, 21 December 2001

Municipal flag of Brezovica

The flag and arms of Brezovica are prescribed by Decisions Odlok o grbu i zastavi Občine Brezovica, adopted on 23 May 1996, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 31/1996; and Odlok o istovetnostnih simbolih Občine Brezovica, adopted on 13 Julyy 2000, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 68/2000.
The second Decision only slightly changed the design of the coat of arms.

The symbols were designed by Valt Jurečič of Heraldika d.o.o. and Heraldica Slovenica, who kindly provided drawings from which the images shown on this page were made.

The flag of Brezovica is rectangular, in proportions 2:5, vertically divided white-green (2:3), In the white field there is the attribute from the coat of arms, the birch tree with 18 leaves, and two marsh tulips (fritillaries) on an engrailed line. The attribute is prescribed not to exceed 8/10 of the hoist, but should be bigger then 2/3. It is 80% in the images shown here.

A vertical version of the flag is prescribed, with the coat of arms upright.

The colours are specified in the 1996 Decision - but not in the 2000 Decision ("Intercolor '87" Cinkarna Celje system / CMYK:
- Yellow: Y100 - M10 / 0-20-100-0
- Blue: C100 - M50 / 100-35-0-10
- Red: Y100 - M90 / 0-90-100-10
- Green: Y100 - C100 / 100-0-100-10.

Željko Heimer, 1 January 2006

Coat of arms of Brezovica

Coat of arms of Brezovica - Image by Željko Heimer, 21 December 2001

The aforementioned Decision calls the shield "the XVth century sanitet shaped shield". The shield can be approximately blazoned as "Argent, from a base sable engrailed of five, a birch tree proper with eighteen leaves vert in two colums of five leaves and two of three leaves, between two marsh tulips flowered gules and sable, leaved vert".
The Decision describes in details the branches and leaves positions, as well as the tulips, which grow from outermost "spikes" of engrailing. The shield is bordered with white and gold.
The flower on the coat of arms is the močvirska logavica or močvirski tulipan (marsh tulip or fritillary), which also appears on the arms and flags of Trzin and Ig.

Željko Heimer, 21 December 2001

Fritillaries are close relatives of tulips.
Fritillary represents the botanical genus Fritillaria (Caperon) L., family Liliaceae. The name of the plant comes from Latin fritillus, dice cup, probably in relation to the shape of the flower and the checkered distribution of purple spots on the petals.
The most common wild species of fritillary is Fritillaria meleagris L. Meleagris was the Greek name of guinea-fowl. Linnaeus used this epithet as a reference to the common name of the flower, guinea-fowl egg (probably from its bulb). In France, the flower was also called damier (chequerboard) or coquelourde.
Wild fritillary grows in damp meadows, and it is therefore not surprising to see it placed beside the reed on the blazon. There are a few other fritillary species, most of them being endemic, endangered (if not extincted) species.

In 1575, Fritillaria imperialis L. was introduced in Western Europe from Constantinople. The introduction occurred during the 'tulip extravagance', which started in 1554 with the first introduction of a tulip and ended in February 1637 in a financial krach. F. imperialis, a.k.a. 'Imperial crown' is widely grown in gardens and also grows as subspontaneous populations (initially established following 'escape' from gardens.)

Sources:

P. Fournier - Les quatre flores de France. P. Lechevalier, Paris (1961; original edition, 1936)
M. Blamey & C. Grey-Wilson - La flore de France et d'Europe occidentale. Eclectis, Paris (1992; original British edition, 1989).

Ivan Sache, 30 December 2001

Former coat of arms of Brezovica

Former coat of arms of Brezovica - Image by Željko Heimer, 21 December 2001

The coat of arms prescribed in 1996 is much narrower.

Željko Heimer, 21 December 2001