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Kranj (Civic Municipality, Slovenia)

Flag of Kranj, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

Flag of Kranj
Coat of arms of Kranj
Short-lived flag of Kranj, 1990
Former coat of arms of Kranj

See also:

Flag of Kranj

Tracking the exact history of the flag and arms of Kranj (51,923 inhabitants) in the last three decades of the 20th century and onwards is far from being an easy job. The Decisions are relatively numerous and hard to compile. The fact that the municipality still often uses incorrect representations of the arms and that the report in Banderas municipales de Eslovenia [drn96i], published in Banderas [ban] #58 (March 1996), is also full of mistakes does not help much to the research. I have to thank Stanislav Jesenovec, of Jest d.o.o. from Kranj, who helped me entangling the story, providing me with the texts of the pre-1995 Decision from his archive. Mr. Jesenovec, an heraldry activist, is the designer of the current flag of Kranj.

The flag and arms of Kranj are prescribed by Decision Odlok o spremembah in dopolnitvah odloka o simbolih občine Kranj, adopted on 19 December 1990 and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 2/1991.
Decision Odlok o spremembi in dopolnitvi odloka o simbolih občine Kranj (text), adopted on 28 June 1995 and published on 28 July 1995 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 44/1995, amends Article 2 of the 1990 decision, adding he provision that the eagle symbol may be used without the shield on monuments if madein relief.
Decision Odlok o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (prečiščeno besedilo) (text), adopted on 23 February 2000, and published on 23 March in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 25/2000, includes drawings of the coat of arms.
Decision Odlok o spremembah in dopolnitvah Odloka o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (text), adopted on 25 January 2006 and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 14/2006, changes the fees for misuse of the symbols into Euros.
Decision Odlok o spremembah Odloka o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (text), adopted on 28 May 2008 and published on 13 June 2008 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije amends Article 5 of the 1990 Decision so that now the flag may expressly be used on private houses on holydays, and updates the fees.
Decision Odlok o spremembi Odloka o simbolih Mestne občine Kranj (text), adopted on 22 October 2008 and published on 3 November 2008 in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 104/2008, amends the preamble including some changed state legislation.

The flag is rectangular, in proportions 1:2, horizontally divided white-Bordeaux red.

Željko Heimer, 25 June 2010

Coat of arms of Kranj

Coat of arms of Kranj - Images by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004
Left, correct version
Right, incorrect version still often used

The coat of arms of Kranj is prescribed by Decision Odlok o simbolih opčine Kranj, adopted on 26 September 1990, and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 38/1990, on 19 October 1990, with effect on 26 October 1990, and confirmed by Decision Grafična podoba grba opčine Kranj, adopted on 16 September 1991, and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 15/1991.

The coat of arms of Kranj is based on the coat of arms shown on the town seal dated 1530.
According to the 1991 Decision the colour specifications are:
Cobalt grey-black: Pantone 428c (a very light grey shade) for the shield
Cinober red: Pantone 179c for the eagle and the border.
However, the coat of arms is (still today) often printed with a light blue background, which is, nevertheless, erroneous. Otherwise, based on the good heraldic tradition, the coat of arms is printed also with the silver metallic background coloured with Pantone 877u.

Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

Short-lived flag of Kranj, 1990

Former flag of Kranj - Image by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

A flag and arms are prescribed in Decision Odlok o simbolih obcčine Kranj, adopted on 26 September 1990, and published in Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 38/1990, on 19 October 1990, with effect on 26 October 1990.
This flag was officially prescribed for less than a year and was superseded with the flag currently in use. It is therefore possible that the short-lived flag was never introduced into real use.
The coat of arms remained unchanged until today.

The flag is light grey with the coat of arms in the middle. The shade of grey is the same as for the coat of arms (Cobalt grey-black), and defined as Pantone 428c.

Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

Former coat of arms

Former coat of arms of Kranj - Image by Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004

The former coat of arms of Kranj is prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu občine Kranj, adopted on 17 January 1979 and published in the regional official gazette Uradni vestnik Gorenjske, 1/79.

This coat of arms marks a break with the ancient heraldic tradition, according to the taste of the art of the time. It is a white shield with a blue fimbriated red carnation. In its center, the carnation includes a five-pointed red star with a blue border. In the chief of the shield is written "KRANJ" in blue. The colours of the coat of arms are the same as the Slovene national tricolour, while the carnation is both the Slovene national flower and the symbol of the Socialist revolution. No municipal flag was adopted nor used to go with this coat of arms.

Željko Heimer, 30 August 2004