![[Municipality flag]](../images/h/hr-du-ml.gif)
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Flag of Mljet - Image by Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
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The Municipality of Mljet is situated on the island of the same name, being the eight largest of the Croatian islands in the Adriatic and the largest southernmost island roughly situated in front of Dubrovnik. Mljet is known in Latin as Melita and in Italian as Meleda. Due to the similarity of the name, it was often mistaken in stories with the much better known island of Malta. Thus both the Ulysses and St. Paul (Acts of the Apostles, 27-28) may have been shipwrecked here, rather then on Malta. Certainly, the island was much infested by snakes so the story with St. Paul would fit much better. Anyway, the snakes were extinct from the island only in the 20th century, by introduction of mongooses. There are theories that the
Maltese dog breed indeed originates from Mljet, but they are not
generally accepted yet.
The island is considered the most wooded of the Adriatic islands
(which are generally rather bare in comparison), mostly by pine woods,
among which Aleppo pines are the most abundant. The island's western part is protected as the oldest national park in the Adriatic and the eastern
part as a natural reserve. The island is almost 40 km long and not
more the 3 km wide, with much diversified coastline with several
secluded bays and lagunas.
Since the 14th century the island has been ruled from Dubrovnik and the subsequent rulers of the town (except during the Italian rule 1941-1943).
The first census made by Dubrovnik counted some 660 inhabitants, a
number that increased steadily until 1948, peakingpeak with somewhat
over 2,000, while it halved since (1,111 according to the 2001 census). There are 17 small towns and villages throughout the island, the largest being Babino Polje (336 inh.), also the seat of the municipal administration.
Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
The flag of Mljet (photo, 29 June 2011; better seen in the video clip Dan opčine 2010) is in proportions 1:2, light blue with the coat of arms, bordered yellow, in the middle.
Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
![[Municipality coat of arms]](../images/h/hr)du-ml.gif)
Coat of arms of Mljet - Image by Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
The coat of arms is "vert within a bordure or and azure". This symbolically represents a green island with sandy shores in the middle of the sea.
Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
The aforementioned video also shows a table flag, vertical, ending triangularly, with the coat of arms in the midddle above ornaments of green branches, without the name of the municipality inscribed.
Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
1994-1997
The early symbols of Miljet are prescribed by Decision Odluka o izgledu zastave i grba Općine Mljet Općine Mljet, adopted on 12 April 1994 by the Municipality Assembly but not published in any official gazette.
The symbols are described in Article 5 of the Municipality Statutes Statut Općine Mljet, adopted on 12 April 1994 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 18 May 1995 in the County official gazette Službeni glasnik Županije Dubrovačko-Neretvanske, No. 2.
The Municipality shall have a coat of arms and a flag.
The coat of arms of the Municipality has a shield shape. On the yellow background of the top part of the coat of arms, in the right corner is inscribed: "Statute di Meleda 1345", and in the left corner there are nine red and white cubes interlaced in three rows. On the blue background in a wattle shape there is a stylized medieval defence tower.
The flag of the Municipality is light blue with the coat of arms of the Municipality in the middle.
A more detailed description of the coat of arms and the flag, their preservation and use shall be determined with a separate Decision.
I have not seen any depiction of these symbols; like for several other such "complex" coats of arms, the actual drawing following the description might have never been published, neither produced. Certainly, such a design had no chance to be approved by the central authorities.
Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
1997-?
Decision Odluka o izgledu grba i zastave Općine Mljet, adopted on 3 September 1997 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 30 December 1997 in Službeni glasnik Dubrovačko-neretvanske županije, No. 6, prescribed a second set of symbols, still being way to much far from having any chance of approval.
The coat of arms is described in much length in Article 1:
The coat of arms of the Municipality of Mljet is based on heraldic symbolic derived from natural and historical characteristics of the island. In a shield - of the usual ratio (V = 2r + r/2) - executed in cobalt blue colour, the symbol of the sea, there is a cone of Swiss Pine [indeed, Aleppo pine] (pinetum helepensis [indeed, Pinus halepensis]), the symbol of evergreen plants, the basic characteristic of Mljet, the most wooded island in the Adriatic sea. The cone is edged with a white line, representing the rocky shores. In the cone is pictured the Great Lake, and in the lake an island, indicating the unique natural sight of the island of Mljet. On the lake island, along the central vertical axis, there is a tower as a symbol of the old island architecture. At the top edge of the shield, is placed a row of squares from the Croatian coat of arms, and on the flanks the Croatian wattle coloured golden. The red and white squares combined with the blue sea have the symbolic of the flag of the Republic of Croatia.
The flag is described in Article 2:
The flag of the Municipality of Mljet is light blue, in proportions 2:1. In the middle of the flag is the described coat of arms edged with golden.
Article 5 invalidates the 1994 Decision on the design of the flag and arms of the Municipality of Mljet.
Željko Heimer, 16 June 2012
