Demir Hisar (Municipality, Macedonia)

Демир хисар

Last modified: 2013-12-30 by ivan sache
Keywords: demir hisar | sopotnica | cross (yellow) | sun: vergina | waves: 3 (yellow) | hammers: 2 crossed (black) |
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• Presentation of Demir Hisar
• Flag of Demir Hisar
  • Reported flag
  • Proposed flag
• Former municipality of Sopotnica

See also:

• Macedonia
• Macedonia: Municipal flags

Presentation of Demir Hisar

The municipality of Demir Hisar (9,497 inhabitants; 480.13 sq. km) is made of the town of Demir Hisar and the 40 settlements of Babino, Bazernik, Barakovo, Belče, Boište, Brezovo, Vardino, Velmevci, Virovo, Golemo Ilino, Grašte, Dolenci, Edinakovci, Žvan, Železnec, Žurče, Zagoriče, Zašle, Kočište, Kutretino, Leskovo, Malo Ilino, Mrenoga, Novo Selo, Obednik, Pribilci, Padovo, Pakitnica, Pastojca, Sveta, Sladuevo, Slepče, Sloeštica, Smilevo, Sopotnica, Strugovo, Suvo Grlo, Suvodol, Utovo and Šerovo.

Ivan Sache, 10 June 2006

Flag of Demir Hisar

Reported flag

Reported flag of Demir Hisar, uncertain status - Image by Mello Luchtenberg, 15 February 2009

A flag of Demir Hisar is shown on Wikipedia (only on the Macedonian version, without further detail and source), as red with the municipal coat of arms placed near the top of the flag.

Valentin Poposki & Ivan Sache, 15 February 2009

Proposed flag

Proposed flag of Demir Hisar - Image by Valentin Poposki, 10 August 2012

This design was chosen by the Municipal Commission tasked to choose the new symbols of the municipality. The Municipal Council will make a decision on the very next session.
In several instances, the Municipal Council did not approve the proposal drafted by the commission. So until the moment it is officially published, it is not official.

Valentin Poposki & Jovan Janovski, 10 August 2012

Former municipality of Sopotnica

Flag of Sopotnica - Image by Mello Luchtenberg & António Martins, 18 November 2006

Sopotnica (2,319 inhabitants in 2002) is located on the Plakjenska mountain and the valley of Crna river, that is between Ohrid and Kičevo.
According to Bostjan Burger's Slovene-English dictionary, Sopotnica means "stream where are waterfalls" (old name) and is cognate to sopot, sapet, supot, the old name for waterfall, usually stream where are whitewaters or small waterfalls. There are indeed several places (city, rivers) named Sopotnica, in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Poland.
The Sopotnica mine was the subject of the industrial film Demir Hisar Mine - "Sopotnica" (1971, 14 minutes), created in standard technique, with sound, in black and white and 35 mm. The film presents the process of opening the new mine, the stages of mounting of the new lines and the new miner's settlement.
Sopotnica was incorporated into the municipality of Demir Hisar in 2004.

As shown on the website of the United Nations Development Program in Macedonia, the flag of Sopotnica is red with the municipal arms in canton.

Coat of arms of Sopotnica - Image from the UNPD website, 27 January 2004

The arms are red, quartered by a yellow cross, with yellow attributes. I bears the "sun of Vergina", II bears three wavy lines probably symbolizing a river, III bears three firs and a mountain, as well as two crossed hammers symbolizing mining industry, and IV bears a flower.

Ivan Sache & Pascal Vagnat, 27 January 2004