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Idrija (Municipality, Slovenia)

Flag of Idrija, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 22 January 2006

Presentation of Idrija
Flag of Idrija
Coat of arms of Idrija
Nautic Club Merkur (Navtični Klub Merkur)

See also:

Presentation of Idrija

Idrija (11,979 inhabitants) is a town located in the Goriška (Mountainous) region of Slovenia, with the second oldest mercury mine in Europe and traditional lace production.

Željko Heimer, 9 August 2002

Flag of Idrija

The flag and arms of Idrija are prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu in zastavi Občine Idrija, adopted on 3 April 2012 and published on 16 April 2013 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, No. 20 (text), but they were already adopted much earlier.

According to Banderas municipales de Eslovenia [drn96i], published in Banderas [ban], No. 58 (March 1996), it seems that Idrija adopted a flag and coat ofarms (based on some older coat of arms) on 13 July 1979. These symbols are prescribed by a Decision published on 13 July 1979 in the offical gazette of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia Uradni list SRS, No. 22.
The first modern Municipality Statutes, Statut Občine Idrija, adopted on 21 June 1995 and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, No. 50, prescribe the coat of arms and flags, most probably repeating the 1979 decision. So do Statut Občine Idrija, adopted on 14 December 2000 and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, No. 1. The Statutes provide that a further Decision with details on the layout and usage of the coat of arms and the flag shall be made, which was eventually compelted in 2012 only.

The flag is horizontally divided "cinnabar red over golden yellow over quicksilver white", with proportions 1:2. The vertical version is prescribed for outdoors hoisting along with iothger vertical flags (photo).

Željko Heimer, 5 November 2012

Coat of arms of Idrija

Coat of arms of Idrija - Images by Željko Heimer, 5 November 2012
Left, as officially prescribed;
Right, as shown on car license plates.

The aforementioned Decision forbids the use of the coat of arms without the crown, although the car license plates show it that way. The Decision further prescribes that the shield of the coat of arms should be of the same size as the shield of other displayed coats of arms displayed nearby ("the coat of arms of Idrija shall be higher than others for the height of the crown").

The aforementioned article in Banderas reports that in the 18th-19th centuries the town of Idrija used arms blazoned as "Per pale, azure a fess argent, or the alchemical symbol for mercury argent".
More recently, maybe in the late 19th century, the town adopted a new coat of arms portraying the Roman god Mercury on a silver shield. Mercury, clad with a green tunic and a red mantle, is running with wings on heels, wearing a winged helmet and holding a golden caduceus.
Banderas mentions a mural crown above the shield, but the 1995 and 2000 statutes do not mention it.
Stanič & Jakopič [j2s05] write that the coat of arms showing Mercury was chosen in the 14th century by the citizens of Idrija and confirmed by the Emperor.

Željko Heimer, 5 November 2012

Nautic Club Merkur (Navtični Klub Merkur

Flag and burgee of Nautic Club Merkur - Images by Eugene Ipavec, 16 April 2009

Navtični Klub Merkur is a yacht club based at Idrija. The club flag and burgee are shown on colour photos (September 2008) available on the club website.

The flag is red-orange (a coppery shade, possibly meant to be the same "cinnabar red" specified for the flag of Idrija) with the club emblem placed near the hoist.
The club emblem is a light blue disk charged with a yellow steering wheel, whose center is made of a red disk charged with the black running silhouette of god Mercury with its traditional emblems (caduceus, winged helmet and winged sandals). The club and place's name are written in black capital letters on the yellow wheel.
While displayed vertically, the flag seems to be designed for horizontal hoisting, according to the placement of the emblem.

The burgee for vertical, indoors hoisting is a similar triangular flag, here with a golden fringe.

Ivan Sache & Eugene Ipavec, 16 April 2009