^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

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

The municipality of Brezovica (9,334 inhabitants in 2002; 9,120 ha), formed in 1994, is made of sixteen villages (Brezovica, 2,300 inh.; Vnanje Gorice, 1,842 inh.; Notranje Gorice, 1,497 inh.; Kamnik pod Krimom, 740 inh.; Jezero, 641 inh.; Rakitna, 529 inh.; Podpeč, 483 inh.; Podplešivica, 266 inh.; Preserje, 262 inh.; Žabnica, 211 inh.; Prevalje pod Krimom, 183 inh.; Plešivica, 144 inh.; Goričica pod Krimom, 128 inh.; Dolenja Brezovica, 64 inh.; Gorenja Brezovica, 55 inh.; Planinca, 4 inh.) grouped in the five local communities of Brezovica, Vnanje Gorice, Notranje Gorice, Podpeč - Preserje and Rakitna.

Brezovica was mentioned for the first time in 1314 but the place was already settled in the Roman times, being located on a way linking Emona (Ljubljana) to Nauportusum (Vrhnika). However, the oldest settlement in the village is Notranje Gorice, mentioned in 1197-1202.
The Slovene priest and writer Janez Jalen (1891-1966) portrayed in his book Bobri (Beavers, 1942-1943) a prehistoric tribe living in the marshes of Brezovica.

Ivan Sache, 25 January 2010

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 16 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 15th century sanitet shaped shield". The shield can be approximately blazoned as "Argent, from a base sable engrailed of five, a birch tree proper with sixteen 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.

As explained on the municipal website, the birch has been chosen as the main symbol of Brezovica since it is found everywhere on the municipal territory - the name of the municipality can be tentatively translated as "Birch Wood" or "Birch Grove". The sixteen leaves represent the sixteen villages forming the municipality, while the trunk represents river Ljubjanica, which waters the municipality. The eighteen black spots on the trunk represent the eighteen municipal councillors.
The endangered firtillaries represents the aspiration of the municipality to preserve its natural and historical heritage.
The black base of the shield represents the soil on which the municipality has been growing, the five points representing the five local communities.

Ivan Sache & Željko Heimer, 25 January 2010

Fritillaries (Genus Fritillaria (Caperon) L., Family Liliaceae) are close relatives of tulips. The name of the plant comes from Latin fritillus, "a 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. 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 ( established following "escape" from gardens.)

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