![[Canton flag]](../images/b/ba-07.gif)
Last modified: 2014-03-01 by ivan sache
Keywords: herzegovina-neretva canton | star: 9 points (yellow) | police | fleurs-de-lis: 6 (yellow) |
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Flag of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton - Image by Željko Heimer, 31 December 2012
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The symbols of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton are prescribed by Law Zakon o grbu i zastavi Hercegovačko-neretvanske županije-kantona, adopted on 7 October 2004 by the Canton Assembly and published on 4 November 2004 in the official Canton gazette Narodne novine Hercegovačko-neretvanske županije, No. 7. The companion Law Zakon o uporabi grba i zastave Hercegovačko-neretvanske županije-kantona, adopted the same day and published in the same issue of the gazette, prescribes the rules of use of the symbols.
The flag is described in Article 3 of the Law as follows:
The flag of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is rectangular in shape with five horizontally arranged, proportional fields of equal size, from top to bottom: red, white, blue, white, and red. In the middle of the flag is the coat of arms of the Herzegovina-Newretva Canton as determined in Article 2 of this Law. The coat of arms is set so that it begins and ends in the middle of the white fields. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 3:5.
The red, white and green stripes refer to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to the Croat and Bosniak majorities, while the blue stripe in the middle represents river Neretva.
Željko Heimer & Jos Poels, 31 December 2012
![[Canton arms]](../images/b/ba)07.gif)
Coat of arms of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton - Image by Željko Heimer, 31 December 2012
The coat of arms is described in Article 2 of the Law as follows:
The coat of arms of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is of shield shape. The top part is of lighter blue colour, covering one third of the length of the arms. In the centre of the top part is a golden yellow sun with nine points (rays). The radius of the sun is equal to the length of the sun rays and their length together takes up the two thirds of the length of the top part of the coat of arms. The lower part of the arms is of a darker blue colour, covering two thirds of the length of the arms. In the lower part are three wavy parallel white lines, whose length proportionally decreases towards the bottom of the arms. The coat of arms is edged with a ribbon coloured golden yellow. The endpoints of the arms form the vertexes of an equilateral triangle.
The adoption of the symbols of the canton was quite a difficult process and the solution eventually adopted is an obvious compromise to avoid any ethnical reference. The wavy lines no doubt refer to river Neretva that is important in the life of the people here, but also to the sea coast - Herzegovina-Neretva Canton being the only canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina with access to the sea. The three lines possibly also refer to the three constitutional nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The nine-pointed star refers to the nine municipalities of the Canton.
Željko Heimer & Jos Poels, 31 December 2012
![[Canton proposed flag]](../images/b/ba!07.gif)
Proposed flag for Herzegovina-Neretva Canton - Image by Željko Heimer, 1 January 1998
A TV coverage from Mostar shows a flag horizontally divided blue-white-blue (1:2:1) with the former arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina (fleur-de-lis and bend) offcentered towads the hoist.
This was an "unofficial variant of a flag proposed for the flag of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton". The proposal was rejected by the Canton Assembly.
Željko Heimer & Jaume Ollé, 1 January 1998
![[Canton police flag]](../images/b/ba-07^pl.gif)
Flag of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Police - Image by Željko Heimer, 13 February 2005
The flag of the cantonal police is light blue, bordered golden, with the police badge in the middle. The badge contains the Canton coat of arms and the inscription "POLICIJA" above, "MUP" (Ministry of the Interior) below, and on the sides "HERCEGOVAČKO" and "NERETVANSKI", respectively.
Željko Heimer, 13 February 2005
It appears that in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, like in Tuzla Canton, the law requires the municipal symbols to be approved by the cantonal Ministry of Justice, Administration and Local Self-Government, at least, this is implied by the requirement stated in Article 8 of the the Statutes of the Municipality of Čitluk (text).
Željko Heimer, 24 December 2012
