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Lagodekhi (Municipality, Georgia)

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Flag and arms of Lagodekhi - Images communicated by The State Council of Heraldry at the Parliament of Georgia, 25 January 2011

Presentation of Lagodekhi
Flag of Lagodekhi

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Georgia

Presentation of Lagodekhi

The municipality of Lagodekhi (51,066 inhabitants in 2002, 7,500 in the town of the same name; 890 sq. km) is located in eastern Georgia, on the borders with Russia (Daghestan) and Azerbaijan, 160 km of Tbilisi.
Lagodekhi was first mentioned in "The Life of King Vakhtang Gorgasali" (11th century?), as Laquasti, laqva meaning "water" according to the Sulkhan Saba dictionary. Remains of the Laquasti fortress are still present in Lagodekhi. Historians claim that the fortress was built by King Archil (668-718), who also built the Machi fortress at the mouth of the rivers Matsimistskali and Bneli Khevi, on the territory of the present day's Lagodekhi National Reserve, as his summer residential palace. The name of Lagodekhi emerged later, sometimes by the 11th century, to gradually become the major name of those places.

The Lagodekhi National Reserve was established in 1912 (3,500 ha), as already suggested in 1903 at the Imperial Academy by the Polish botanist and explorer (also the first Caucasian ecologist) Ludwik Mlokosiewicz (1831-1909). At the end of the Soviet period, the area of the Reserve had increased to 17,818 ha. In 2003, two protected areas were established, the Lagodekhi State Reserve (22,266 ha) and the Lagodekhi National Park (922 ha). The park harbours 121 plant species endemic to Caucasus, of which 9 are endemic to Georgia and 7 endemic to Kakheti.

Source: Lagodekhi webpage on the Kakheti Region website

Ivan Sache, 1 June 2012

Flag of Lagodekhi

The flag and arms of Lagodekhi are prescribed by Decree No. 26, adopted on 30 October 2009 by the Municipal Council.

The flag of Lagodekhi is horizontally divided green-white (1:2) with Queen Tamar's emblem in the white stripe. The flag is a simplification of the municipal coat of arms, "Argent Queen Tamar's emblem gules a chief embattled vert a stag argent. The shield surmounted by a three-towered mural crown argent fimbriated sable. Under the shield a scroll argent fimbriated sable charged with the name of the town in Georgian capital letters sable".

The colors of the arms are based on historical documents from the 18th-19th centuries, especially the two atlases published in 1745-1746 by Prince Vakhushti (Vakhushti Batonishvili, 1696-1757). Queen Tamar's seal recalls that Lagodekhi was part of the Royal domain.
The deer argent represents nobleness, the struggle against evil and the scenic natural environment. It also symbolizes the Lagodekhi State Reserve.

Source: The State Council of Heraldry at the Parliament of Georgia (website).

Ivan Sache, 1 June 2012