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by Zeljko Heimer, 11 June 2000
See also:
Municipalities:
This site <www.uskanton.org>
contains the abstract from the 18th session of the cantonal
parliament, held on 9 May 2000. The relevant part states:
"The Parliament Commision for the choice of the new cantonal
symbols determined the preference for the proposed variant
A. After a discussion one delegate called for this proposal
also. After the Government commision for the choice of the
cantonal symbols [is that the same one? Seems not. Note ZH]
reduced the offered possibilities from three to two, the
parliament delegates elected by a public vote a variant B as the
official symbols of the Una-Sana Canton - the coat of arms and
the flag. [coat of arms, blue, three stars, walls and two
"rivers", flag: BWG w/coat of arms offset. Note ZH]
Zeljko Heimer , 14 May 2000
From the proposal as appeared at <www.uskanton.org>:
Variant B
Description of the design for the coat of arms and the flag of
USC:
The ideas behind the coat of arms and the flag of USC are
stylization of the geographic and historical characteristics of
the canton that are the most expressed or dominating either by
its position or frequency in this region. To fullfil the request
of easier reproduction in different aplications and materials the
elements are maximally simplyfied and show only the most basic
reconginizable details. Also, the choice and number of the
colours is minimized, bearing in mind to retain the
recognizability and authencity even in monochromatic
representation.
The coat of arms consists of three recognizable elements that
have symbolic and meaning in territorial determination, the
cultural and historic herritage, the three ethnical grous, the
number of the communities and they economically and politically
determine the canton. The three golden-yellow stars represent the
ethnical groups symbolizing the representation of the three
poples in the canton area, while their eight points symbolize
their equality and constitutivness in all of the eight
communities. The stylized fort as the arms element pictures the
cultural and the historical herritage of the canton. Even of they
are not the oldest characteristics telling about this region,
they are by far the most frequent. So, the symbol of the fort
comes from their representativness and frequency in the complete
territory of the canton. In them one can see the stability,
hardness, tradition. For their perion are linked many important
heistorical events. Also, with their shape, the enclosed (walled)
arcitechture they define the inner region, symbolizing the
cantonal borders. On the upper edge there are eight embattlements
symbolically for the eight communities. There are open doors in
the fort, reminding on the economical and political determination
of the canton seen in it openness, free flow of people, ideas,
merchandise and capital. The two winding stripes in the lower
part of the coat of arms symbolize the rivers Una and Sana that
form the dominant geographical element providing the territorial
determination of the region.
The flag of the canton is made as tricolour with the same coat of
arms set 60 cm from the hoist, noting that the staff diameter and
the flag material encompassing it are not counted in the basic
and shown flag dimensions. [So - what the flag looks like? From
the image, it's blue over white over gree tricolour with offset
CoA]
Zeljko Heimer, 25 April and 6 May 2000
After the decision of the High Representative on the ban of
all non-neutral and offensive symbols in 1999, the old
(1997) flag was invalidated. It seems that in USC that
decision was respected both legaly and practically, differing
from some other cantons that had, or still have no will to obey
it. So, effectively, the Canton was without symbols during the
1999/2000.
In December 1999 the Canton made a concourse for a new flag and
coat of arms. Out of 28 proposals that arrived there were three
that were chosen into further consideration and for public
debate. They were published also on the Net, at <www.uskanton.org>. In May
2000 the variant that is effectively the
"neutralization" of the previous symbols was adopted.
In the blue shield there is a white embatteled wall (with eight
embattlements) with entrance and windows, above it three golden
eightpointed stars, representing the three nations and eight
communities, and below are two green "twisted ribbons",
representing the rivers Una and Sana. The shield is bordered with
white within a golden border.
The flag is horizontal tricolour of the colours from the coat of
arms, now of stripes of equal width, blue over white over green.
The coat of arms is set in it, offset twoards hoist for better
visibility. The coat of arms is entering the blue and the green
stripe for 1/3 of the width of each, i.e. the hight of the shield
is 5/9 of the flag width. The length from the hoist of the coat
of arms axis is 3/5 of the hoist
size. Ratio of the flag is 1:2.
Similary as with previous symbols, it is hard to determine what
are the exact colour shades. Also, the ratio of the coat of arms
seems to be different in the sources (and in the same source on
two images).
The laws regulating the new symbols are:
(a) Zakon o grbu i zastavi Unsko-sanskog kantona, 9. maja 2000.
(b) Zakon o upotrebi grba i zastave Unsko-sanskog kantona, 31.
maja 2000.
Both are quoted from the text of proposals that were adopted,
since they are not yet published in the official gazette (no
doubt, only because of the short time resons). The text of the
law (a) contains additionally some explanations on law changes
and reasoning behind prepaired for the members of the Cantonal
Assembly. (all the important and interesting details from those
ared included in this material).
Both laws are more or less adapted versions of the previous laws
- so all the interesting and notworth deatils said about previous
flag are valid for this one, too. So, it is prescribed also as
the war flag, and could be used as basis for military unit,
command and rank flags. Also, when hoisted