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

Mežica (Municipality, Slovenia)

Flag of Mežica - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 April 2006

Presentation of Mežica
Municipal flag of Mežica
Coat of arms of Mežica

See also:

Presentation of Mežica

There have been in Mežica lead and zinc mines since at least the XVth century. Mining industry stopped at the end of the XXth century. The mine is now a popular museum.

Željko Heimer, 5 September 2002

Municipal flag of Mežica

The flag and arms of Mežica are prescribed by Decision Odlok o grbu, zastavi, občinskem prazniku in priznanjih v Občini Mežica, adopted on 18 May 1998 and published in the official Slovene gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije, 47/1998.

Stanič [stj05] shows the flag as vertical, in ratio 4:7, divided vertically into three stripes - black on the viewer's left covering one third of the flag width, then a thin yellow stripe covering about 3% of the flag width and, to the viewer's right, a green stripe charged with the municipal coat of arms in the middle.

Željko Heimer, 23 April 2006

Coat of arms of Mežica

by Željko Heimer

The coat of arms of Mežica is a light blue shield bordered with grey, containing a green disk surrounded with five darker green balls and one crowned and "bearded" golden dot.
The big green disk represents the mountain Peca and the five small disks are for the five surrounding hills.
The golden figure at the top is a stylized representation of King Matias (Kralj Matjaž), a legendary king who sleeps in the mountain together with all his army, waiting for the time to rise and deliver the Slovenian people. The legend stems from the time of Turkish raids even so far to north.
The two crossed black hammers represent mining industry.

Željko Heimer, 5 September 2002

A similar legend predicts the awakening of King Arthur. Another one concerns the German Emperor Frederic Barbarossa.

Ivan Sache, 6 September 2002

A similar ending is known in the Armenian epic David of Sassoun, where the last hero, David's son Meherr or Mherr is so old the earth refuses him shelter. At Mherr's prayer, God opens the Rock of Van (now in Turkey), and Mherr, with his stallion Jalali, disappears into it. This legend is still alive among the Armenian people, who believe that once a year, on the Eve of Ascension, the Rock of Van splits open and Mherr sees the light of day.
Meherr is equalled to Mithras, and his stallion to his army - possibly all these legends are related to the Mithraic cult, which was widespread in the later years of the Roman Empire.

Source: David of Sassoun, translated by Aram Tollegian, 1961.

Jarig Bakker, 6 September 2002

A similar legend features various mystical leaders of Brazilian popular uprisings in the XIXth and early XXth centuries. Also, in a way, the twelfth (hidden) imam in Shi'a Islam and perhaps even the original Jewish understanding of the Messiah.
There is also a similar legend that the priests who were celebrating the liturgy in St. Sophia in Constantinople when the Turks captured the church disappeared into the walls and will reemerge to continue the liturgy when the city is again in Orthodox hands.

Nothing to substantiate the origin of the legends, however. I would note that they understandably seem to develop in situations where historical events turn disastrously against a society that has a strong expectation of being divine favor or protection.

Joe McMillan, 6 September 2002

In 1578, the Portuguese King Sebastian disappeared in Alcaçar Quivir, Morocco, leaving no descent and opening a dynastic crisis that led a couple of years later to the loss of independence to Spain, starting those 63 years of Spanish domination on Portugal. To this day there is the legend that some day Sebastian will return on a foggy morning in order to inaugurate the "Fifth Empire" and restore Portugal tlost glory.
Moroccans, of course, laugh at this. The battle of Al-Qasar al-Qibir was one of the most important military victories in the whole history of the country and is there known as the "Battle of the Three Kings", since three kings died in it, Sebastian and two Moorish kings.

Jorge Candeias, 7 September 2002