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Ribnica (Municipality, Slovenia)

by Zeljko Heimer

Presentation of the municipality
Description of the flag
Coat of arms
Vertical flag

See also:

Presentation of the municipality

Ribnica had municipality status before 1990.

Zeljko Heimer, 10 March 2000

Description of the flag

The coat of arms and flag of Ribnica are shown in Banderas municipales de Eslovenia, published in Banderas [ban] #58 (March 1996), claiming source Slupscinski Dolenski List, XV/11 str. 1. art. 6" (I believe there might be a typo there for Skupscinski), with the Decision of 20 April1978.

The flag is rectangular in ratio 1:2, horizontally divided blue-green with the coat of arms in the middle.

The same description of the coat of arms and flag is given in four latter documents, i.e. the new Statutes of the Community:

(1) Statut Obcine Ribnica, adopted on 19 December1991, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, nr. 5, 31 January 1992, p. 371;
(2) Statut Obcine Ribnica, adopted on 29 June1995, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, nr. 44, 28 July 1995, p. 3483;
(3) Zacasni statutarni akt Obcine Ribnica, adopted on 2 February 1995, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 11/95;
(4) Statut Obcine Ribnica, adopted on 6 April 2000, and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 37/2000.

Each of these texts describes the coat of arms and the flag in nearly the same words. As the coat of arms of Ribnica is ancient, following the heraldical tradition the shape of the shield and artistic details of the representation are not fixed, and are left to the artist.
I believe that the flag is not older then 1978. From the municipal website, it seems that the current design of the coat of arms is as shownabove, set on the flag within a white border. It seems also that the vertical flag has the blue stripe on the viewer's right, just opposite to what would be expected.

Zeljko Heimer, 6 October 2002

Coat of arms

by Zeljko Heimer

The coat of arms can be blazoned as:

Gules on a bend sinistre argent a fish azure.

The choice of a fish for the symbol of Ribnica was a natural one (riba means fish in Slovene). Such a coat of arms is shown already in Valvasor's collection in the XVIIth century.

According to the municipal website, the coat of arms recalls the legend of the naming of the town
Once upon a time, the valley of Ribnica was a large lake, rich in all kinds of fishes. Among others, there was one beautiful goldfish there. In the nearby mountain Velika gora lived also a mighty giant, who slept the day, and went fishing in the lake by night. The goldfish shining in the night helped him fishing. In Suha krajina ("Drylands") there were no watter, and people living there went to the lake to get water. Once taking the water, they also caught the goldfish, and they threw it away amidst some rocks, where the fish turned to stone. When the giant woke up andcould not find the fish, he went searching for it. Unable to find it, he went in rage, throwing into the lake anything he got his hands by - trees and stones. These stones made numerous openings at the bottom of the lake, though which all the watter leeked out. Numerous fishes were left dry and people came to take them with wagons from everywhere. And, therefore, the place was named after the fishes.

Zeljko Heimer, 6 October 2002