Mining

Last modified: 2017-10-28 by antónio martins
Keywords: mining | hammers: 2 (yellow) | hammers: crossed | derrick |
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image by Željko Heimer and António Martins, 10 Jun 2017

• Presentation
• History
• Description
• Symbolism
• Variants
  • With additional elements
    • With derrick
  • Black over green

See also:

• Signal flags
• FOTW Vexillological Reference
• FOTW Topical Index

Presentation

It is the flag of miners, I think used all over the world. At least in Croatia it is used by miners unions, as much as, by mining companies, it is hoisted in front of the mine entrances, and in front of the mining (and oil) companies, it is used during strikes and demonstrations and other pubic gathering of miners. I seem to recall seeing this flag on some news clips from former D.D.R., but also later in Germany, and in Poland.
Željko Heimer, 13 Apr 1996

The flag was used in Yugoslavia, and is still used in Serbia and Croatia, and probably in other ex-Yugoslav countries, but these two are the only ones for which I can confirm: for Serbia, by viewing it on the television and photos, and for Croatia, by it being listed among the contemporary Croatian flags at the FAME website.
Tomislav Todorović, 10 Jun 2017

This mining flag seems to be indeed a kind of signal flag (and messaging flags are signal flags, but not all signal flags are messaging flags), pretty much as the “diver down” flag is, in as much as these two unrelated activities, mining and diving, could be. Its regionally restricted use (eastern Europe) doesn’t hinder its classification as an international flag.
António Martins, 10 Jun 2017

It actually represents an occupation — buildings, outdoor installations, mines themselves, companies, trade unions and so forth, are all known to use it when their activity is inherently related to the mining.
Tomislav Todorović, 10 Jun 2017

This is not a flag that would be prescribed by some law or similar.
Željko Heimer, 24 Oct 1999

History

Its current use in Serbia also implies the continuity of use in Yugoslavia until 2003, as well as in the Serbia and Montenegro 2003-2006. The date of adoption is currently not known, but the use in D.D.R. and Poland suggests dating it into the 1945-1948 period, i.e. between the introduction of Commmunism and the Soviet-Yugoslav split. It would be interesting to explore its possible use in other ex-Communist countries as well, for it seems to have been introduced along with, or shortly after the Communist system — perhaps imported from the U.S.S.R..
Tomislav Todorović, 10 Jun 2017

Description

It is green over black flag with two yellow crossed hammers in the middle.
Željko Heimer, 13 Apr 1996

There are variations of the same basic shape.
Željko Heimer, 24 Oct 1999

Symbolism

The symbolic of the flag is more than obvious green ground and black coal (I think the coal was main thing that was excavated when the flag came in use), and hammers as typical mining tools was used as sign of miners probably even before.
Željko Heimer, 13 Apr 1996

Variants

Since this is not a flag that would be prescribed by some law or similar, no wander that there are variations of the same basic shape.
Željko Heimer, 24 Oct 1999

With additional elements

As I probably noticed when I was writing about it long ago, it is not unusual to see the same flag with third element between two hammers — an oil drill tower. At least, this is used on several companies in Zagreb, all connected more or less with oil business (hoisted beside the national and company flags).
Željko Heimer, 24 Oct 1999

With derrick

Recently I have also seen versions that have golden oil drill in between the two hammers.
Željko Heimer, 13 Apr 1996

Black over green

image by Željko Heimer and António Martins, 20 Oct 2017

Some weeks ago I found a photo of this flag, but (according photo) is slightly different: first time is black over green instead green over black. Second, the central device seems to be displaced to hoist, and smaller in size that in Željko’s picture. The identification is confirmed because the caption in the photo says it is the miner flag.
Jaume Ollé, 23 Oct 1999

Well, this may be a variation, but from the symbolic that I was told, green over black seems more logical — green represent the earth surface (“green grass”), while black is the coal (or nowadays oil) underneath.
Željko Heimer, 24 Oct 1999

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