Bilje (Osijek-Baranja, Croatia)

Opc'ina Bilje

Last modified: 2004-05-22 by dov gutterman
Keywords: osijek | baranja | osjecko-baranjska | croatia | osijek baranja | bilje | barley |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

by Zeljko Heimer, 26 April 2004

• The Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Previous Flag
• The Community

See also:

• Croatia
• Osijek-Baranja County

Other Sites:

• Collection of Croatian Local Flags at FAME
• Bilje Site

The Flag

It seems that in the mean time they changed the symbols (the Previous one was current around 1998). Unfortunately, the image I have drawn shall have to pass as provisory, as I have no good details of the Coat of Arms.
The coat of arms is Vert a hunting horn proper and in chief a garb fesswise or. The flag is (almost definitevly) yellow with the coat of arms in the middle.
There is also a ceremonial flag, with fly ending as triangule, with the coat of arms in the middle, green inscription of the community name above and two green branches below.
The ceremonial flag I saw few days ago in an interview with a local official, as a table flag. From it I assume that the normal flag would be yellow, too, which is quite resonable assumption. The coat of arms is shown on the official web site of the community at <www.bilje.hr> (unfortunately only very small image, no description no on line documentation that I found).
Zeljko Heimer, 26 April 2004

Coat of Arms

by Zeljko Heimer, 26 April 2004

Previous Flag

by Zeljko Heimer

The plant showed on Bilje flag is not wheat but three-row barley. The difference is to be seen in the geometrical arrangement of grains, which are arranged in rows (3 or 6) in barley and in quincunx in wheat. This is difficult to figure out but evident if you have two barley and wheat spikes in the hand. It is often reported that only barley spikes have awn, but several wheat varieties, including modern popular ones, have awn too.
Awn is the generic terms for the "hairs" which emerge from the spike and cause unpleasant itching and allergy to experimentators. In the early time of manual harvesting, breeders tried to eliminate awns. This elimination is now unnecessary because of mechanical harvesting and quite common linkage between awn presence and interesting characteristics.
Ivan Sache , 27 October 1999

The Community

Information provided by Leo Rakovac (Opæina Bilje):
"Community of Bilje is located in Baranya, north of Osijek.The importance of agriculture, in first place grain production is showed with three wheat stalks. National park of Kopacevski Rit, marshy region around confluance of Drava in Dunav, provided food to the inhabitants for centuries, and is still today very atractive fishing area. "
Zeljko Heimer