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Maribor (Civic Municipality, Slovenia)

Last modified: 2023-03-18 by rob raeside
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[Flag]   [Flag] images by Tomislav Šipek, 7 May 2022


See also:


Flag of Maribor

The new flag of Maribor dates from 2020.

https://www.vecer.com/maribor/aktualno/tako-so-pred-mariborsko-obcino-obesili-novo-zastavo-z-novim-grbom-10227754
https://maribor24.si/lokalno/dnevna-zato-je-mariborski-grb-rdece-barve
https://maribor24.si/lokalno/mestna-obcina-maribor-z-novo-zastavo

They changed the design mainly because the coat of arms was getting destroyed during use as it was at the end of the flag.
Tomislav Šipek, 7 May 2022

The Maribor parish church was originally dedicated to St. Thomas; in 1254 it was already mentioned as a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. "This is an important fact for the content of the coat of arms, because the first town seal was probably created at that time," said Aleksander Hribovšek, president of the Heraldica Slovenica association. The basis of the image of the coat of arms is a wall with gates and towers. Since there are many such seals and coats of arms of towns in Central Europe, they put on the seal something else typical of Maribor. "From the iconographic point of view, the original symbol was the parish patron saint. John the Baptist is best suited for this purpose. The symbol is in the form of a dove; the Holy Spirit descends over the towns and provides the Maribor symbol with uniqueness,” explains the president
of the association.

The silver-red combination of the Maribor coat of arms has been present since the Middle Ages and is inextricably linked to the history of the place. "It is interesting, however, that the local sports culture is so strong that football purple has also become part of the local symbolism," Hribovšek added.
Red, one of the most common colors in heraldry, was very popular in medieval times. Places that had a locally dominant structure in the seals often placed the latter in the coat of arms, usually in silver on the red field of the shield. The same is true in Ljubljana, Slovenska Bistrica, Rogatec, etc. Otherwise, in general, the color red symbolizes law, strength, courage, dignity and love.

The coat of arms was graphically corrected in 2020, but the content remained the same. "The most important thing in the proofreading was to re-observe the rules of heraldry, which, unfortunately, the design from 1995 does not follow," explained the president of the association. These included the re-establishment of a standard semicircular shield, painted windows and city gates. After all, the dove color was change to silver, the same as the color of the building.

Adaptation and change in the symbol was minimal and did not interfere with the structure and shape: “Corrections have returned the coat of arms to the original deign, which follows the heraldic rules, and arranged the flag to be more distinctive and no longer charged with the coat of arms at the free end of the flag, which was quickly damaged by wind. "

The president of the association added that the historical coats of arms do not change, “but we should always try to ensure that, despite the current design guidelines, the drawings are always very close to the original. In our case, a drawing from the Middle Ages."

The errors in the coat of arms, now corrected, were:

- An inadequate shield shape and a content not filling the available space;
- Windows not painted, although they are strongly represented this way on the 1300 seal and in all subsequent historical depictions;
- Finials on the roofs without spikes, although they must be part of them;
- The gray dove, in a color that does not exist in heraldry.

Ivan Sache, 11 May 2022


Coat of Arms

[Flag] images by Tomislav Šipek, 7 May 2022


Former flags and arms of Maribor

1995 flags

[Flag]       [Flag]       [Arms]

Flag, horizontal and vertical versions, and arms of Maribor - Images by A.H., 4 October 1999

The flag and arms of Maribor are prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu in zastavi občine Maribor (text), adopted on 30 November 1995 and published in the official regional gazette Medobčinski uradni vestnik, No. 30.

Article 2.
The coat of arms is based on the civic seal of 14th century. The coat of arms is shield-shaped with a red field. On the red field there is the entrance gate of a fortified castle, with open doors and lifted portcullis, issuant from the shield base. On either side of the entrance tower is a guard tower with a semicircular window, a watch tower and upper wider part. The towers have slate roofs with a golden knob on each side. The tower are connected by a machicolated wall. Between the two guard towers is a silver dove with spread wings flying downwards vertically. The towers and walls are white, the portcullis is golden.
In color use of the coat of arms, the colours should be, according to the Eurocolor code: red EC 090-55-70, golden-yellow EC 250-80-70, silver EC 710-80-00, white EC000-98-00, and black EC 140-25-00.

Article 3.
The flag for vertical hoisting is vertically divided in two fields of equal size, the left field in front view being white, and the right one red. The ratio of the flag's width to length is one to two. On the flag, in the lower half, perpendicularly to the flag width, is placed the coat of arms in colors. The coat of arms is equally spaced from left and right edges of the flag, and equally spaced from the lower edge and the imaginary median horizontal line of the flag. The width of the coat of arms is 48% of the flag's width, and its height is 29% of the flag's height. The part of the coat of arms spreading over the red field of the flag is bordered by a white border whose width is 1% of the flag's width.
The flag for horizontal hoisting is horizontally divided in two equal fields, of which the upper field in front view is white while the lower one is red. The ratio of the height to length is one to two. On the flag, on its right half, perpendicularly to the flag length, is the coat of arms in colors. The coat of arms is equally spaced from the top and bottom edges of the flag, and equally spaced from the right edge and imaginary median vertical line of the flag. The width of the coat of arms is 24% of the flag's length, its height is 58% of the flag's height. The part of the coat of arms spreading over the red field of the flag is bordered by a white border whose width is 1% of the flag's width. The colours of the flag should be, according to the Eurocolor code: white EC 000-98-00 and red EC 090-55-70.

Article 5.
The flag shall be used only in colours. The flag shall be made of a fabric that should not be transparent.

Article 9.
The coat of arms shall be used:
- on the seal, stamps and document symbols of the body of the Civic Municipality of Maribor and Civic administration of the Civic Municipality of Maribor, its body, district assemblies and local assemblies;
- in areas and buildings where is housed the Civic Municipality of Maribor, in areas and buildings where are housed bodies of the Civic Administration, and in areas and buildings where are housed regional assemblies and district assemblies;
- on invitation cards, greeting cards, calling cards and similar official documents that are used by the President of the Civic Assembly, members of the Civic Assembly and Supervising Council, the Mayor and his Deputy, the Secretary, chiefs, directors and leaders of services of bodies of the Civic Administration of the Civic Municipality of Maribor;
- on special sessions of the Civic Assembly, especially on holidays and commemoration days of the Civic Municipality of Maribor;
- on non-traffic signs that indicate the area of the Civic Municipality of Maribor.

Article 10.
The coat of arms may be used:
- during international, national, and intermunicipal meetings, sports, culture and other events, humanitarian and other instances and public meetings, in which the Civic Municipality of Maribor is represented, that is, is member, in compliance with rules and customs of such events;
- on vehicles of public bus transportation and other public means of transportation;
- on official uniforms of the members of the Civic Administration of the Civic Municipality of Maribor;
- on local traffic signalization on traffic-lighted crossroads;
- on informative civic panels;
- during other appropriate instances, if the use of the coat of arms is not in contradiction with this Article.
The Mayor of the Civic Municipality of Maribor shall decide of the use of the coat of arms in instances determined by first line of this Article

Article 12.
The flag shall be hoisted on holydays and commemoration days of the Civic Municipality of Maribor, and on holidays of the Republic of Slovenia, together with the flag of the Republic of Slovenia. The flag shall be hoisted on buildings in which are officially housed the Civic Municipality of Maribor and district and local assemblies. It may also be hoisted on other public grounds, dwellings and other appropriate places. The flag shall remained hoisted during the whole holiday.

Article 14.
The flag may also be hoisted:
- during international, national and intermunicipal meetings, sport, culture and other events, humanitarian and other instances and public meetings in which the Civic Municipality of Maribor is represented, that is, is member, in compliance with rules and customs of such events.
- during other appropriate events, if the use of the flag is not in contradiction with this article.
The Mayor of the Civic Municipality of Maribor shall decide of the hoisting of the flag during events determined in the first line of this Article.

Article 16.
The coat of arms and the flag together, or each separately, may be used also for informative and propaganda use. The user should bring in the base or type of such use for confirmation to the Secretary of the Civic Administration of the Civic Municipality of Maribor.

Article 22.
For the use of the coat of arms and hoisting of the flag are used in the same sense the decisions determining the use of the coat of arms and the flag of the Republic of Slovenia, except in cases the coat of arms and the flag are used in the area of the Civic Municipality of Maribor and the coat of arms and the flag are not used together with the coat of arms and the flag of the Republic of Slovenia.
If the coat of arms and the flag are used together with the coat of arms or the flag of the Republic of Slovenia, the decisions determining their use are those that determine the use of the coat of arms and the flag of the Republic of Slovenia.

Article 23.
If the flag for vertically hoisting is used, the colors should be ordered so that in front view white is on the left and red on the right, the coat of arms being in the center of the lower half of the flag.
If the flag for horizontal hosting is used, the colors should be ordered so that in front view white is at the top and red at the bottom, the coat of arms being in the center of the right half of the flag.

Željko Heimer, 26 June 2010


Earlier flag

[Flag]       [Arms]

Former flag and arms of Maribor - Images by Željko Heimer, 12 September 2004

Zalokar [zal90] gives the following extract from the undated Statutes of the town of Maribor, probably dating from the early 1980s):

Article 11.
The Town [of Maribor] has an emblem.
The emblem is the coat of arms of the town of Maribor.
The town has a flag, that is white with the coat of arms of the town of Maribor with a red field.

The graphical design of the castle and bird in the shield are virtually the same as currently, though made only in argent.
In that period Maribor was a town (so called: Civic Assembly of Municipalities) composed of several municipalities: Pesnica, Pobrežje, Rotovž, Ruše, Tabor and Tezno. In theory each of those could have adopted its own symbols, though none of them did so until 1990 (so claims Zalokar). However, I believe that at least Pesnica could have had its own coat of arms already in use (apparently still used today). Anyway, certainly no flags for those municipalities were reported, and they all used the flag of the town of Maribor.
In 1995 Pesnica and Ruše seceded from Maribor as separate municipalities, and the remaining four were united to form the municipality of Maribor that was granted in 1998 the status of a Civic Municipality.

Željko Heimer, 12 September 2004


Educational and cultural institutes in Maribor

University of Maribor

The University of Maribor (Univerza v Mariboru; website) is Slovenia's second largest and second oldest university. The university's roots reach back to 1859, when a theological seminary was established with the encouragement of Maribor bishop and patriot Anton Martin Slomšek. More faculties were established during the late 1950s and early 1960s; the faculties of economics, business, and technology in 1959, agronomy and law in 1960, and pedagogy in 1961. The university's opening ceremony occurred on September 19, 1975.
The High School of Theology in Maribor (Visoka bogoslovna šola v Mariboru), which operated from 1859 to 1941, is the predecessor of the University of Maribor (as its first Faculty) and inspiration for the continuation of the Diocesan Secondary School "Anton Martin Slomšek".

The university's flag (photo, photo) is blue with the logo of the university in inverted colors.

Esteban Rivera, 26 December 2017


Diocesan Secondary School "Anton Martin Slomšek"

[Flag]

Flag of the Diocesan Secondary School "Anton Martin Slomšek" - Image by Ivan Sache, 27 May 2012

After long negotiations with the Ministry of Education, the Diocesan Secondary School "Anton Martin Slomšek" (website) was established in 1997 in Maribor. The school is part of the educational institution of the same name. Today almost 500 students attend this school. The diocese's educational centre is at Vrbanska Palace, situated at the foot of the Calvary Hill.
The school is named for Bishop Anton Martin Slomšek (1800-1862), a Slovene lawyer and writer, ordained Bishop of Lavant in 1846. On 4 September 1859, Slomšek obtained the transfer of the See of Lavant from Sankt Andrä (today in Austria) to Maribor. Slomšek was beatified on 19 September 1999 by Pope John Paul II. Renamed in 1964 the Diocese of Maribor-Lavant, the diocese was elevated on 7 April 2006 to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Maribor (website).

The flag of the Diocesan Secondary School "Anton Martin Slomšek" (photo, photo) is diagonally (per bend) divided blue-yellow-blue with the school's emblem in the middle. The emblem is made of a blue disc with a yellow cross, placed over a white open book.

Ivan Sache, 27 May 2012


Cultural Society of German-speaking Women "Bridges"

The Cultural Society of German-speaking Women "Bridges" (Kulturverein deutschsprachiger Frauen "Brücken" / Kulturno društvo nemško govorečih žena "Mostovi") (website) was founded on 12 January 2000 in Maribor.
The objective of the association is to maintain the linguistic, ethnic and cultural identity of the German-speaking inhabitants of Slovenia. The association deepens and expands contacts between the German-speaking people and their offspring at home and around the world and strives to create and nurture links with other nationalities in the Republic of Slovenia, as well as across borders.
The "role model" of the association is the Romantic musician Hugo Wolf (1860-1903), who was born in Slovenj Gradec (then called Windischgrätz), studied in Maribor (then called Marburg) and moved to Vienna, where he composed the Mörike-Lieder and some other 300 pieces that yielded him the nickname of "Lied's Prince".

The flag of the association is in proportions 1:2, white with a green horizontal stripe at the top and bottom of the flag, of height 1/5 the flag's fly. The name of the association is written in capital yellow letters, in German in the top stripe, in Slovene in the bottom stripe. In the middle of the flag is placed the association's coat of arms.
The coat of arms, designed by Marjan Pungartnik, is made of a light green oval placed on a cartouche argent. The oval bears a green bend and a six-pointed yellow stars in dexter base and sinister chief.

Marjan Pungartnik (b. 1948) is a noted writer, journalist from Maribor. He founded Locutio, the first Slovene literature webzine. He seems to be deeply involved in the association, showing up on several photos of events organized by the association.

Ivan Sache, 4 February 2012


NK Maribor

[Flag] image by Tomislav Šipek, 14 May 2022

NK Maribor was established on 12 December 1960. That year, the "Purples" won the Slovenian championship and advanced to the Second Federal League. The club played in the First Federal League from 1967 to 1972. In 1992, NK Maribor won the first Cup of Slovenia, defeating the first national champion Olimpija (0-0; pen.). Winner of another eight Cups (1994, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2016), NK Maribor won 15 league titles (seven in a row from 1997 to 2003, 2009, five in row from 2011 to 2015, 2017 and 2019). NK Maribor is the only Slovene club to have managed to qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (1999-2000, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2014-2015 and 2017-2018).
https://www.nkmaribor.com/
Club website
Ivan Sache, 13 May 2022

The flag of NK Maribor is seen at https://www.vecer.com and https://www.nogomania.com. It is purple with narrow deep yellow upper and lower borders and the crest toward the hoist.
Tomislav Šipek, 14 May 2022

Fan Flags

[Flag] image by Ivan Sache, 13 May 2022

A fan flag of NK Maribor is horizontally divided white-purple-yellow with the club's emblem in upper hoist.

Photos
https://www.sportida.com/gallery-image/
https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10158025799094126
https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10157913427004126
https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10157790965404126
https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10156557581179126

[Flag]   [Flag]   [Flag]   [Flag] image by Ivan Sache, 13 May 2022

Supporters also use as purple with the club's emblem in the center, surmounted by a yellow star, and "en klub ena čast" (One Club One Honor) in yellow in base.

Photos
https://www.prlekija-on.net/galerija/7197/maribor-gabala/230815/zastava-nk-maribor-v-radencih.html
https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10156607667399126

Supporters also use square flags:
- horizontally divided purple-yellow-white-purple;
- white with a purple cross;
- purple with a white cross.

Photo: https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10157791116079126
and also rectangular flag divided white-purple-white (1:3:1)
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/nkmaribor/photos/10153921686659126

Ivan Sache, 13 May 2022