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Brinje (Municipality, Lika-Senj County, Croatia)

images by Tomislav Šipek, 23 August 2021

Presentation of Brinje
Flag of Brinje
Coat of arms of Brinje
Former symbols of Brinje (1998-2017)
Former symbols of Brinje (1997-1998)

See also:

Presentation of Brinje

The municipality of Brinje (4,108 inhabitants in 2001, 1,707 in the village of Brinje), located some 60 km north of Gospić, was an important medieval fortified town held by the Frankopan family.

Željko Heimer, 7 September 2003

Flag of Brinje

The Ministry approved the wolves design, but in 1998 it was replaced with the hawk as the supporter of the tower. The original design was reintroduced and has been in use since December 2017, after the FAME inquired regarding the officially approved design, the community officials recognized what the Ministry approved.

The hawk design is still the de jure coat of arms and flag according to the 1998 community regulations, pending to be formally abrogated (?).
https://zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr/descr/hr-gs2.html#hr-gs-br
Ivan Sache, 18 August 2021

Photo: https://ika.hkm.hr/novosti/misa-na-28-obljetnicu-pogibije-cetvorice-redarstvenika-u-zutoj-lokvi/
Tomislav Šipek, 23 August 2021

Coat of arms of Brinje

image by Željko Heimer, 27 January 2015

The coat of arms is described in Article 6 of the Decision as follows:

The coat of arms of the Municipality of Brinje is in a triangular shield shape, on a blue field, a silver spreading hawk looking to the right with golden beak, red tongue and claws, holding a white chapel of the Holy Trinity with a red roof.

The tower is a representation of the 14th century three-storey Gothic Holy Trinity chapel, part of Castle Sokolac, around which Brinje was formed. The arms are canting, sokol meaning "a hawk" in Croatian.
The ceremonial coat of arms (image) is ornamented with the branches of fir and juniper. The common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) makes the arms canting, being locally named named brinje.

Željko Heimer & Ivan Grbac, 27 January 2015

Former symbols of Brinje (1998-2017)

images by Željko Heimer, 27 January 2015

The symbols of Brinje are prescribed by Decision Odluka o izmjeni Odluke o grbu i zastavi Općine Brinje, adopted on 29 September 1998 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 30 December 1998 in the County official gazette Županijski glasnik Županije ličko-senjske, No. 9, superseding the Decision prescribing the former symbols.

The flag is described in Article 11 of the Decision as follows:

The Municipality has a flag with a ratio of width to length of one to two.
The flag of the Municipality of Brinje is light blue with the coat of arms set in the middle of the flag at the crossing point of the diagonals.

The flags in actual use are light blue, with the coat of arms either of the same shade of blue (photo) or darker (photo, photo).

Željko Heimer & Ivan Grbac, 27 January 2015

Former symbols of Brinje (1997-1998)

(reconstruction) - images by Željko Heimer, 27 January 2015

The first symbols of Brinje are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Općine Brinje, adopted on 22 February 1997 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 1 July 1997 in Županijski glasnik Županije ličko-senjske, No. 5.

Decision Rješenje o imenovanju Komisije za određivanje dana općine, izradu grba i zastave općine Brinje, adopted on 23 September 1995 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 15 November 1995 in Županijski glasnik Županije ličko-senjske, No. 9, appointed a three-member Commission to propose a flag and a coat of arms.

The flag is described in Article 11 of the Decision as follows:

The Municipality has a flag with the ratio of width to length of one to two.
The flag of the Municipality of Brinje is light blue with the coat of arms set in the middle of the flag at the crossing point of the diagonals.

The coat of arms is described in Article 7 of the Decision as follows:

The coat of arms of the Municipality of Brinje is in a shield shape, at the bottom slightly pointed.
The coat of arms is blue with two golden wolves in battle posture looking at each other and holding a silver tower-chapel with a red roof.

The two wolves holding the tower must have been inspired by the the coat of arms of the former rulers of Brinje, the Frankopan family, being two lions holding a loaf of bread. This design was not approved by the central authorities since there is already a number of towns and municipalities using designs inspired by the Frankopan arms.

Željko Heimer, 18 October 2011