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Lubraniec commune (Poland)

Włocławek county, Kujawsko-Pomorskie Vojvodship

image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 29 Apr 2008

Lubraniec commune flag
Lubraniec Coat of Arms

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Lubraniec commune flag

Here is a flag of Lubraniec (urban-rural commune) in Wloclawek County, Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship.
It carries my clan's Coat-of-Arms, so it was especially interesting to me.
The Statut of the Commune says: "Coat of Arms of the Commune is a stylized Coat of Arms of Godziemba, which was for long time in the possession of the Lubranski family. It shows a tree with three green crowns and five brown roots on the red field. The colors of the Commune are prescribed by its flag, in this instance they are: green, brown and red. On the flag, the priority is given to the colors of the Coat of Arms: pine tree with three green crowns; the trunk and the roots in the brown color. The third color, transferred from the heraldic shield, is red. The flag is composed by three horizontal bands representing the colors. In the left, upper part of the flag - on the green band - the Coat of Arms of the commune is placed."

My family (Kretowicz) belongs to the Godziemba clan for about half a millenium. Godziemba flags and banners were employed on various battlegrounds of the Commonwealth of Both Nations against the Russians, the Swedes and the Turks. The Coat of Arms dates, supposedly, to the XIth Century.
There is a popular legend about the origins of the Godziemba Coat of Arms: "In 1094 A.D., Sieciech was a Voivode of Krakow. In this year the Moravians invaded Poland in force. When the Poles learned that the enemy had camped for the night within the vicinity, a vanguard was assembled to engage in a surprise offensive. The Polish vanguard subsequently ambushed the enemy, and brought them to battle. The knight Godziemba, a member of the Polish vanguard, lost his weapon in the skirmish, and retreated into a nearby forest.
One of the Moravians, seeing that he was unarmed, pursued him. Godziemba sprang from his horse and uprooted a young pine tree from the soil. He fended off his attacker with the makeshift weapon and eventually managed to knock his pursuer from his horse. He then disarmed him, made him a prisoner and delivered him to Voivode Sieciech.
In commemoration of the brave and noble deed he received a coat of arms depicting the spruce, with his heroic image displayed on the crest." (wiki)
The heraldic description of the blazon is as follow:
"Gules field with three pronged pine (sometimes fir, sometimes spruce) eradicated proper. Out of the crest coronet, Hero Godziemba in argent armor holding the three pronged spruce in dexter hand, all proper."
Chrystian Kretowicz, 29 Apr 2008

Lubraniec Coat of Arms

image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 29 Apr 2008