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

Gospić (Town, Lika-Senj County, Croatia)

Flag of Gospić - Image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010

Presentation of Gospić
Flag of Gospić
Coat of arms of Gospić
Ceremonial flag of Gospić
Former symbols of Gospić
Coat of arms of Gospić in the Socialist period (1980)

See also:

Presentation of Gospić

Gospić is the capital of the Lika-Senj County. It has about 20,000 inhabitaints, the urban area itself having about 9,000 of them.

Željko Heimer, 5 September 2003

Flag of Gospić

The symbols of Gospić are prescribed by Decision Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospića, adopted on 30 April 1999 by the Town Assembly and published in the Town official gazette Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospića, No. 2, amending the Decision prescribing the former symbols.
The symbols were approved by the State Directorate for the State Administration and Local Self-Government on 14 July 1999.
The current Town Statutes Statut Grada Gospića (text), adopted on 14 July 2009 by the Town Assembly and published in Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospića, No. 7, describe the symbols.

The symbols were designed by the Heraldic Art d.o.o. company, from Rijeka.

The flag is prescribed in proportions 1:2, blue with the coat of arms, bordered yellow, in the middle, its height being 2/3 of the flag's width.

Željko Heimer & Tomislav Šipek, 13 January 2010

Coat of arms of Gospić

Coat of arms of Gospić - Image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010

The coat of arms is described in the Decision as follows:

The coat of arms of the Town of Gospic is of semi-circular shield shape. In the semi-circular shield on a red field is a silver wolf in fighting position. The wolf in its right paw holds a sword of silver blade and golden handle.

The administrative approval simply says "in red a silver/white marching wolf holding a sword" (Gules a wolf rampant or holding a sword.
The wolf is native in the region and not unusual. It is also symbolic for virtues of the population. The erect sword symbolizes their determination to defend themselves.

Željko Heimer,13 January 2010

Ceremonial flag of Gospić

Ceremonial flag of Gospić - Image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010

The ceremonial flag is a dark blue gonfalon with the coat of arms in the middle, the name of the town above in two arcs and ornamentation below.

Željko Heimer, 26 February 2005

Former symbols of Gospić

Former flag and arms of Gospić - Images by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010

The previous symbols of Gospić were prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Gospića, adopted on 27 june 1994 by the Town Assembly and published in Službeni vjesnik Grada Gospića, No. 4.

The flag is in proportions 1:2, blue with the coat of arms in the middle. The text of the description is rather unclear whether the flag is intended to be fringed yellow or bordered yellow, but I believe that the fringe was meant.
The coat of arms, as shown by Enver Ljubović [lju01], is "Per fess fimbriated or vert and checky gules and argent and in chief or mountains azure, overall in dexter a church argent its belfry roofed sable". It shows the Velebit mountain range with its highest peak Visočica in the centre. There are fourteen visible squares of the Croatian historical coat of arms, while the green field symbolizes the economic basis of the town - agriculture and forestry. The facade shown is the Church of Annunciation, at the time the parish church in Gospić, today the Cathedral. The coat of arms width to height ratio is prescribed as 1:1.33.

Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010

Coat of arms of Gospić in the Socialist period (1980)

Coat of arms of Gospić, 1980 - Image by Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010

The 1994 Decision invalidates "any prior Decision of the Assembly of the Municipality of Gospić that regulated the coat of arms and the flag". In his book Natjecanje za grb [cim85], Pero Čimbur reports his work on designing of the coat of arms for Gospić, adopted in 1980. For what I know, no flag was adopted to go with it.
The coat of arms was "Vert three barrulets azure superimposed with a rotational symbol argent, in chief a mullet of five gules and in base a Japodić helmet also gules".
The stripes represent the three rivers of Gospić - Novčića, Lika and Bogdanica. The rotational emblem represents the rotational magnetic field and the electric turbines, honoring the inventor Nikola Tesla who was born in Smiljan near Gospić, the red star stands for the Socialist system and the liberation struggle. The bronze Japodić helmet preserves the ancient heritage of the region. Allegedly this helmet is the origin of the modern traditional folk headgear.
The coat of arms was not used after 1990, although it was de jure replaced only in 1994.

Željko Heimer, 13 January 2010