Murtosa Municipality (Portugal)

Concelho de Murtosa, Distrito de Aveiro

Last modified: 2014-07-19 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: murtosa | bordure | lattice | seagulls(3) | fish(4) |
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• About the Flag
• Version without Coat of Arms
• Presentation of Murtosa

• Murtosa Communes
• Portugal

About the Flag

It is fairly typical Portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain red background.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 July 2007

The arms are Argent three seagulls Proper flying dexterwards set in counterchevron above two fesses wavy joined Vert and Azure charged with four fish naiant two on the upper fess and one on the bottom fess and a bordure fretty Or and Gules. Mural crown argent with four visible towers (town rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "VILA DA MURTOSA".
Meaning:
"Murtosa" is a place where myrtle (murta) grows - which do not feature in the arms. These in turn refer to the traditional local importance of fishing and the seaside and lagoon-side location of this municipality: the lattice in the bordure (**), the waves, the fish and the seagulls. Though the law, as translated above based on the text quoting in Sérgio Horta, prescribes only three fish, most depictions show four, as in the attached images. The official blazon prescribes a golden shield with a silvery escutcheon, while the interpretation above seems to be heraldically more correct .
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 July 2007

Flag and coat of arms adopted and published in the official journal Diário do Governo : I Série in 1933.06.20.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 July 2007

Version without Coat of Arms

Plain (monocoloured) portuguese subnational flags are not allowed to have variations without arms: plain flags always carry the coat of arms.
Jorge Candeias, 18 July 1999

Presentation of Murtosa

Murtosa municipality had 9458 inhabitants in 2001 and consists of 4 communes covering 73,65 km². It is part of Aveiro District, traditional province and 1999 ref. adm. region Beira Litoral, C.C.R. / NUTS II Centro, and NUTS III Baixo Vouga.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 July 2007

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