Last modified: 2016-04-23 by ivan sache
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The Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium has changed its flag, replacing the yellow representation of a flag iris that had been used as the region's emblem since 1991 with the new stylised iris logo which has been slowly introduced over the last couple of years as part of a revision of region's branding. The new flag and emblem are blue with a stylised iris made up of two outer petals in yellow, and central petals forming a grey heart with a thick white border.
The Ordinance adopting the flag was passed in the Parliament on 9 January 2015 (files), enacted on 12 February and published on 19 February 2015 in the Belgian official gazette, p. 13,743-13,746 (text). It came into effect on 1 March (files).
It gives the proportions of the flag as 2:3, and defines the colours as:
Colour Pantone C M Y K R G B HEXA RAL
Blue (field) Blue072 100 85 0 5 10 0 190 0900BD 5022
Yellow (petals) 102 0 5 93 0 255 242 3 FFF202 1018
Grey (heart) 100% of 421 16 16 13 20 184 184 186 B9B9BC 7004
or 65% of 423
Unlike the legislation for the previous emblem, which included as Appendices another six versions of the emblem with different colouring, this Ordinance includes only two variants - black on white and white on black. (Others were present in the first draft (image.)
Jonathan Dixon, 4 March 2015
Official description of the flag
![[Flag of Brussels-Capital]](../images/b/be-bxl.gif)
Flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital, 1991-2015 - Image by Mark Sensen, 28 November 1999
The former flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital was prescribed by an Ordinance adopted on
16 May 1991 ans published on 10 September in the Belgian official gazette, p. 19,828.
1991.
The Bill (text) was tabled on 27 February 1991 by Serge Moureaux, Armand De Decker, Didier van Eyll, Nathalie de T'Serclaes, Marie Nagy, Walter Vandenbossche, August De Winter, and Michiel Vandenbuscche
Article 1.Appendix 1 shows the rectangular flag, with the following caption: "The length shall be 1.5 time the hoist. The blue background Pantone 280. The inner part of the flower in yellow Pantone 116. The outline shall remain white."
The Region of Brussels-Capital shall have for emblem the iris.Article 2.
The flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital shall be blue with a yellow iris outlined in white.Article 3.
The flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital shall be hoisted over the buildings belonging to the Region, in the same conditions and on the same days as the Belgian flag.Article 4.
The colour and black and white representations of the emblem and of the flag shall be those shown in Appendices 1 to 7 to the present Decree, whose originals, with the graphic standards for reproduction, shall be kept by the Clerk's Office of the Council of the Region of Brussels-Capital.Article 5.
The present Decree shall come into force on the day of its publication in the Belgian official gazette.
Ivan Sache, 18 November 2009
History of the flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital
The "Developments" section of the aforementioned Bill, preceding the text and the images, says that the Council of the Region of Brussels-Capital quasi
unanimuously adopted the iris as a symbol of the Region on 17 October
1990, requiring the Council's Increased Board to propose a graphic
chart for the emblem.
The members of the Increased Board approved the iris as the
emblem of the Region. The species of iris with big yellow
flowers, in English the yellow or flag iris (Iris pseudoacorus) is
called marsh iris both in French (iris des marais) and Dutch
(moerasiris); Brussels was once known as a marshy place where the
yellow iris grew. Moreover, the iris is found in several pictures of
Brussels or made by artists from Brussels. In the antiquity, the iris
already had a symbolic value, since Iris was the gods' messenger,
transported on a rainbow. The iris does not allude to a specific
municipality of the Region Brussels-Capital and cannot be confused
with the emblems of the State or other entities. Flowers are common
elements in heraldic and vexilllogic representations.
To highlight the role played by Brussels in the European construction,
the colours of the Region's emblem and flag should be the same as of
the European Union flag, that is blue and yellow.
The website of the Region Brussels-Capital once explained that
Brussels originates in the Carolingian town of Bruocsella, set up in the
valley of the Senne, a river than meandering through marshes. The
yellow iris could have grown in that place.
The iris flower was used to decorate the scepter of Charlemagne's
followers, including Charles of France (953-991?), appointed Duke of
Lower Lorraine by Emperor Otto II in 977 and considered to have
founded Brussels in 979. However, Belgian historians have recently
considered this as a legend, mostly because no archeological remains
of the castle built by Charles have ever been founded in Brussels.
Yet another legend relates how the iris-planted marshes helped the
Dukes of Brabant in the 11th-12th centuries. Knowing that iris grows
only in shallow waters, the duke's riders could easily cross the
marshes while the enemies got stuck when running after them.
The yellow iris can still be seen in the valley of Vuylbeek, located
in the old forest of Soignes.
On 5 March 1991, the Council of the Region of Brussels-Capital lanched
a contest for the design of the iris emblem. The design proposed by
Jacques Richez was eventually selected by the Council.
The EuroBru website once explained that the choice of the marsh iris predates the creation of the Region of Brussels-Capital. In 1924, R. Cornette wrote that "this flower was chosen because it grows in the marshes, recalling that the capital was funded on the marshy banks of the Senne and its tributaries (Maalbeek, Roodkloosterbeek, Geleytsbeek, Vuylbeek, Kerkebeek, Leybeek,...).
Ivan Sache, 10 November 2009
Bill to change the flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital
On 27 April 1993, Stéphane de Lobkowicz and Jean-Paul Dumont tabled at the Council of the Region of Brussels-Capital a Bill to modify the flag, published in the Belgian official gazette on 7 July 1993.
Article 1.
The Region of Brussels-Capital shall have for emblem an iris inscribed in a circle made of 12 five-pointed stars and surmounted by the Royal Crown of Belgium (Figure 1).Article 2.
The flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital shall be blue with a yellow iris outlined in white, surrounded by a circle made of 12 yellow five- pointed stars (Figure 2).Article 3.
The flag of the Region of Brussels-Capital shall be hoisted on the public buildings belonging to the Region, in the same conditions and on the same days as the Belgian flag.Article 4.
The use of the former flags and emblems of the Region of Brussels-Capital shall be permitted during a period of three years after the day of effect of the present decree.Article 5.
The present Decree shall come into force on the day of its publication in the Belgian official gazette.
Figure 2 attached to the Bill is square but the staff is not represented, as it is on the to be changed Ordinance, therefore the proportions of the flag were probably not intended to be changed from 2:3 to 1:1.
The "Developments" section of the Bill, preceding the text and the
images, recalls that the Bill on the flag and emblem of the Region,
tabled on 27 February 1991, proposed to adopt the European colours
(blue and yellow) for the new flag. Accordingly, the new Bill proposed
to increase the European character of the flag by adding the 12 stars,
also recalling that the Treaty of Maastricht (12-13 December 1992) had
recently officialized Brussels as the main seat of the European
institutions.
Regarding the emblem, the Bill proposed to add a crown to highlight
the belonging of the Region to Belgium, as it was already the case for
the emblem of the German-Speaking Community and of the Council of the
French Community.
A three-year transition period with the former and new symbols being
legal was proposed to avoid discarding all the existing material
showing the obsolete symbols.
Stéphane de Lobkowicz kindly confirmed by email that the Bill was not passed.
Ivan Sache, 10 November 2009