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Mostar (Herzegovina-Neretva, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Coat of Arms
by Zeljko Heimer, 19 May 2004

Overview
Western Mostar - Previous Symbols

See also:

Overview

The city of Mostar in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton probably needs no presentation. It was in the early 1990's divded during the war into the eastern Bosniak and the western Croat city. The Croat administration used a flag: red with a white cross throughout and the coat of arms in the middle. The coat of arms of that Croat Mostar (also known as Western Mostar, though I don't believe that eaither was an official name) was in a shield of medieval form (with a notch) argent three bendlets gules overall a Latin cross or, shield is crowned with a golden crown and below is a ribbon inscribed with date 1452. This was based on the coat of arms of medieval rulers of Mostar family Hrvatinic (the most well known member was Hrvoje Vukcic Hrvatinic). See Western Mostar - Previous Symbols.
After the Dayton Agreement in 1995 it was organized as a complex of six civic communities (as far as I know these have not adopted any symbols) , and finally in 2004 it was integrated into one community named City of Mostar.
The decision on the flag is not yet made, probably it is too early, and probably it shall not be an easy decision like any other decision regarding Mostar, and shall probably have to be imposed by the international governors of Bosnia-Herzegovina. But let's hope it shall not be that way, and that the local people shall come to agreement.
The official web site of the city at <www.mostar.ba> showes as yet only the statutes of the city and the coat of arms (which is temporary?). The statutes determine that the coat of arms and the flag shall be adopted by the decision of the city assembly with 2/3 majority. However, the coat of arms used now by the city is clearly shown on the site: blue with the image of the Mostar bridge over the Neretva river.
Zeljko Heimer, 19 May 2004

Western Mostar - Previous Symbols

The Flag

by Zeljko Heimer, 1988

Mostar (Western) - Ratio 1:2. Adopted: around 1995 ?
The flag is red with white cross and coat of arms Hrvatini? (?) family (medieval rulers of Mostar) in the middle. This coat of arms was adopted as the coat of arms of the western (Croat held) city of Mostar
Zeljko Heimer, 1988

Coat of Arms

from <www.jugozapad.mostar.com>

Mostar itself is divided into I think 6 muncipals. I am not sure if this Coat of Arms is the emblem of Mostar city or just Mostar Southwest muncipal.
Goran, 4 August 2002

I guess that the oval the arms of the city of Mostar (Western Mostar, if you wish) in recent years, is the closes thing to the emblem of the SW Mostar community they currently have. On the site mentioned above there is a link to on line version of the statute of the community, which in one of the first articles (art. 6, IIRC) declares that the community has a coat of arms and a flag. It is then declaired that details about these symbols shall be further regulated by a decision of the assembly, as it is very often case for flag regulations in this region. At least the oval emblem is used in place of the coat of arms in a document available on line that the community of SW Mostar signed with Orkdal Community of Norway.
In a quick browsing over the other pages there, there is no indication of it's use on flag (or any flag, for that matter), nor there is any mention of the eventual decision regulating these emblems as required by the statutes. I guess that the matter of symbols did not yet come to the order, Mostar having much more importaint problems to solve. Also, symbols in Mostar are always a hot issue...
On the other hand; it is possible that the flag of previous "Western Mostar" is used by SW Mostar, just as the Coat of Arms emblem is, maybe with some smaller changes like the oval wattle is in the Coat of Arms. The flag of Western Mostar was red with white cross thoughout and overall the Coat of Arms - bendy gules and argent with latin cross or, crowned or and with ribbon bearing the year.
Zeljko Heimer, 5 August 2002