^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Lastovo (Municipality, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia)

Flag of Lastovo - Image by Željko Heimer, 28 June 2008

Presentation of Lastovo
Flag of Lastovo
Coat of arms of Lastovo

See also:

Presentation of Lastovo

Lastovo is located some 100 km west of Dubrovnik, covering the island of the same name and 45 neighboring, smaller islands, with a total population under 900. The largest islands of Kopište, Mrcara and Prežba are located to the west near Lastovo, the island of Sušac is some 20 km further west, and the groups of Lastovnjaci and Vrhovnjaci is to the east. The islands are the most outlying in the southern Adriatic and therefore of large strategic value at some points in history, although the most outlying island, Palagruža, is not part of Lastovo but belongs to the Town of Komiža, Split-Dalmatia County.
The island joined the Republic of Ragusa in the 13th century but enjoyed a large autonomy at times; as a curiosity, the last alleged outbreak of vampirism in Europe was reported here in 1737. In 1806, during the Napoleonic times, France took control of the Republic of Dubrovnik and also of the island, building fortification there; in 1813, it was taken and kept until 1815 by the British, who maintained the blockade of France here. The island then became a part of the Habsburg Empire and after the First World War it was occupied by the Italians and incorporated to Italy based on the 1920 Rapallo Agreement; the island is known as Lagosta in Italian. In 1943, Tito's partisans took the control of the island. After the Second World War, the island was mainly used as a strategic military base and foreigners were forbidden to set foot on it. The Yugoslav Army left the island only in July 1992, being one of the last points from where they retreated from Croatia.

Željko Heimer, 28 June 2008

Flag of Lastovo

The symbols of Lastovo were designed by the Heraldic Art d.o.o. company, from Rijeka, and approved by the Ministry of Administration / Central State Office for Administration before 2006.

The flag (photo) is in proportions 1:2, red with the coat of arms in the middle.

Željko Heimer, 28 June 2008

Coat of arms of Lastovo

Coat of arms of Lastovo - Image by Željko Heimer, 4 January 2009

The coat of arms is "Argent two pharmacists clad gules aproned argent each holding a chalice or and jointly holding a mortar and a pestle also or and issuant from the chief a semi-sun in splendour or".
The historical seal (image), probably from around the 15th century, was, obviously, used as the base of the modern arms. It seems that the figures have originally been Sts. Cosmas and Damian, pharmacists and patrons of pharmacists. On the seal, the figures have nimbuses; in the current shield they have become laymen. There is indeed a church dedicated to these saints on the islands.

Željko Heimer & Jan Mertens, 28 June 2008