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Citluk (Herzegovina-Neretva, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Opc'ina C^itluk

Last modified: 2005-02-19 by dov gutterman
Keywords: citluk | herzegovina-nertava |
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by Željko Heimer, 16 May 2004



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Overview

The community of Citluk (C<itluk) is in the Hercegovina-Neretva Canton (Canton nr. 7), just south of Mostar. It is world reknown as the site of the Marian pilgrimage Medjugorje, that is situated in the south of the community. The coat of arms and the flag are shown and described on the community web site at <www.citluk.ba>. The coat of arms is in a 14th century gothic shieldshape: per fess azure a Calvary cross argent between two branches of madder vert and gules two bars argent.
The Calvary cross such as shown in the coat of arms is erected on a mountain near Medugorje. The madder plant (Rubia Tinetorum) called in Croatian broc is canting for the ancient name of Citluk, that is today preserved as the name of the paltteau on which the community is situated - Brotnjo. The plant growing abundantly there was an important medieval texitle dye. The red and white stripes are reminiscent to the Croatian chequy of gules and argent.
The flag is golden yellow with the coat of arms in the middle. Ratio 1:2. I estimate the adoption date to around 2002. Information located by Pascal Gross.
Željko Heimer, 16 May 2004

The correct spelling of the name of the plant should be Rubia trinctorum, literally dyers' madder. Rubia is the ancient name of the plant, from ruber, rouge. The flowers of the madder are indeed yellowish, but the dye was made with the roots of the plants. In the past, the root of the madder was called alizari, a Spanish word derived from the Arabic word al asarah, juice, sap. The dye extracted from the root is called alizarin.
In France, the madder, called garance, was used to dye the trousers of the soldiers of the line infantry regiments, which make them very visible and cause great loss during the First World War. The economist Alfred Sauvy made a famous parallel between France, which state-protected madder cultivation and Germany, where Badische Anilin developed the industry of synthetic dyes. Madder cultivation was of course ruined in France.
Garance is the main character of the wonderful movie "Les Enfants du Paradis", played by Arletty, who says with her working-calss Paris accent: "Je m'appelle Garance. C'est le nom du fleur" ["I am Garance. This is the name of a flower").
Other plants of the family Rubiacae are the coffee tree, the gardenia and the quinquina.
Ivan Sache, 18 May 2004

The latter shows in the Coat of Arms, and thus on the state flag, of Peru.
Anto'nio Martins, 19 May 2004

The flag and the Coat of Arms can be seen at the bottom of <www.tel.net.ba/brotnju.htm>. Brotnjo is the name of the region where the community of Citluk is situated.
Željko Heimer, 6 January 2005


Coat of Arms


by Željko Heimer, 16 May 2004