Castelo Branco Municipality (Portugal)

Concelho de Castelo Branco, Distrito de Castelo Branco

Last modified: 2015-08-13 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: castelo branco | castle(white) | cross(christ knights;latin) |
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2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998

2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Aug 2014

• About the Flag
• Version without Coat of Arms
• Presentation of Castelo Branco

• Castelo Branco Communes
• Portugal

• Page about Castelo Branco at the Portuguese Municipalities’s Association website (incl. image of the arms)
  reported by António Martins, 18 Nov 2001

About the Flag

The flag is gyronny of eight, white and black, with the municipal coat of arms in the centre (city rank).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998

The arms are gules, a castle argent ,masoned sable with port and windows sable. Mural crown argent with five visible towers (which, toghether with the gyronny partition shows the municipality seat in city rank), white scroll reading "CIDADE DE CASTELO BRANCO" in black capitals and Order of Christ collar and badge showing under the shield, partly covering the scroll. (This is quite unique, since all other municipality seats granted with chivalry orders are of the Tower and Sword Order.) (see left flag image above)
There are two variants reported: sometimes the shield is purpure instead of gules, and the cross is shown or voided gules, instead of the usual gules voided argent. (see central flag image above)
Meaning:
The castle, as usual, stands for the local castle, which appropriately is white, following the meaning of the toponym "castelo branco" ("white castle").Hence the arms are canting.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998

Flag and arms were approved and published in Diário do Governo : I Série on 11 January 1936.

Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Aug 2014

Version without Coat of Arms

Presentation of Castelo Branco

Castelo Branco is a 1440 km² municipality in the Castelo Branco district and in the old province of Beira Baixa, with 54 070 inhabitants in 19 communes.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998

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