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Vodice (Town, Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia)

Flag of Vodice - Image by Željko Heimer, 20 August 2006

Presentation of Vodice
Flag of Vodice
Coat of arms of Vodice
Proposed symbols of Vodice

See also:

Presentation of Vodice

THe Town of Vodice is located 10 km north of Šibenik, on the coast. It has 9,047 inhabitants according to the 2001 census, 6,116 in the town of Vodice proper. Vodice was granted the Town statutes in 1997.

Željko Heimer, 23 July 2004

Flag of Vodice

The symbols of Vodice are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Općine Vodice, adopted on 15 July 1996 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 12 August 1996 in the County official gazette Službeni vjesnik Županije Šibenske, No. 7.
The companion Decision Odluka o uporabi grba i zastave Općine Vodice, adopted on 15 July 1996 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 12 August 1996 in Službeni vjesnik Županije Šibenske, No. 7, regulates the use of the symbols.
The symbols are described in the Town Statutes Statut Grada Vodica, adopted on 5 June 1997 by the Town Assembly and published on 18 July 1997 in Službeni vjesnik Šibensko-kninske županije, No. 6.

The flag is in proportions 1:2, ultramarine blue with the coat of arms, bordered yellow (the border is not mentioned in the Decision), in the middle. The size of the coat of arms is 2/3 of the flag"s width.

The County website includes a photo from the celebration of the Day of the Town of Vodice. On the photo are shown behind the mayor, the national flag and a logo flag of Vodice, white with the red inscription "Vodice" surrounded with some spirals, probably a tourist board logo (the previous one, now a new one is used).
This is hardly an official flag, but it was used in an official capacity.

Željko Heimer, 1 August 2009

Coat of arms of Vodice

Coat of arms of Vodice - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 July 2004

The coat of arms is "Per fess or and azure overall a well argent ensigned with a church or, in chief an embatllement also argent and in base a fess gules above two barrulets wavy argent all within a border of ultramarine".
The symbolic of the elements is given as: yellow field - olive oil, blue field - sea and water. The well is a symbol of water after which the place got its name, embattlements represent the protection and history, the red fess represents wine. The church is the Church of the Holy Cross (1421).

Željko Heimer, 20 August 2006

Proposed symbols of Vodice

The Town administration became aware that the symbols adopted in 1996 are against the heraldic tradition and not conforming to the state regulations, and started to prepare for the adoption of new symbols.

Željko Heimer, 11 April 2009

2012

On 5 January 2012, the finding of a historical seal of the town in the State Archives in Šibenik was announced (Nedavno otkriveni pečat Obćine Vodice, municipal website). The seal depicts a monstrance (aka as ostensorium, a ceremonial vessel used in church holding the host displayed during the Eucharist or displaying some relic - typically being a glass, disk-like vessel surrounded with a golden burst of rays set on a high stand). The seal was found on some 1912 documents, depicting the figure of monstrance in a circular ring containing the inscription Općina Vodice - Dalmacija. The monstrance consists in a burst of rays over a stand (nodus) depicting the figure of a crucified Christ and a hill in the base with what seems to be a snake (and possibly also Adam's scull, which is a frequent motive of such iconic depictions, linking the crucifixion with the Paradise from the Genesis). In any case, there were two churches in Vodice dedicated to the Holy Cross and such depiction is considered referent to them. The municipality of Vodice was formed in 1891 and such a seal might have been in use as early as that. There are considerations that this historic seal should now be taken as the base for designing the new coat of arms.

Željko Heimer, 10 June 2012

2010-2011

Bojan Livaković's proposal - Image by Željko Heimer, 10 June 2012

In 2010 the Town administration run a public contest for the design of new symbols (Javni poziv za predlaganje idejnog, likovnog i grafičkog rješenja grba i zastave Grada Vodica, municipal website, 2 September 2010).
The contest resulted in 37 (35 according to another report) designs being submitted, among which the Town administration short-listed six proposals (images) as suitable for presentation to the citizens (Prijedlozi koji su ušli u uži izbor za novi grb i zastavu Grada Vodica, municipal website, 5 July 2011).
While the public voted for proposal D2 submitted by Roko Ivanda ("Or a girl carrying a water bucket on her head argent in a pile azure"), which was eventually awarded the third prize, the Town officials awarded the second prize to Darko Sever (proposal G1, "Azure a well head argent and in the chief or three gouttes azure"). The first prize was awarded to Bojan Livaković (proposal Š, "Azure a wellhead proper over two bars wavy argent and in chief an olive branch vert fructed or") (Vijećnici odabrali favorita, municipal website, 7 September 2011).

Željko Heimer, 10 June 2012

2009

Proposed symbols of Vodice, two sets - Images by Željko Heimer, 11 April 2009

After rejection of some proposals in 2008, the municipal website published two proposals designed by Tonči Juričev-Grgin, asking the citizens' opinions (Službeni grb i zastava grada - pogledajte i ocijenite, 29 January 2009).
One proposed coat of arms is divided per bend by a spiral division azure and argent and the other is azure a well argent. Each is accompanied with a flag proposal, being a banner of the arms, in proportions 5:8.
Both proposals for the coat of arms formally meet the criteria of central authorities and shall probably be approved if adopted (unless the second proposal is disqualified being, coincidentally, too similar to the arms of the Rathkay family); however, if they are adopted, the flags shall have to be redesigned to conform to the requirements of a single-colored flag with the coat of arms in it.

Željko Heimer, 11 April 2009