Last modified: 2021-08-25 by 
christopher oehler
Keywords: gothenburg | gotaland | western gotaland | vastergotland | dalsland | bohuslan | halland | stars: 2 | mullets: 2 | crowns: 3 (yellow) | courtoisie | castle (red) | lion (yellow and black) |
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![[flag of Västra Götalands county]](../images/s/se-14.gif)
illustration by Mello Luchtenberg
See also:
The flag is a banner of the arms, which is quartered of the arms of Gothenburg (the county capital; lion with sword and shield) and the provinces Bohuslän (castle), Dalsland (bull) and Västergötland (lion and stars).
These arms were very criticized when they were presented, as they have so many fields - and why should Gothenburg be represented twice (as it is situated in Västergötland) and Lindome not at all (as it is situated in Halland)?
In the county arms, the arms of Dalsland is turned in courtoisie against
the centre of the shield - this is not really in accordance with Swedish
heraldic tradition, but is made in this case so that it should not be turned
the other way than the lion of Gothenburg, which by tradition (and originally
probably by a mistake when making a seal) is turned heraldically left.
Elias Granqvist 3 October 2000
According to the then state heraldist Clara Nevéus, the courtoisie turning
of the arms of Dalsland was made, so that one should not get the impression,
that the animals in the arms are chasing eachother. (Source: Heraldisk
Tidsskrift, Bind 9, no. 81, March 2000.) Nevéus also states, that she does
not like these county arms. They were adopted in 1997 by the organisation
committee for the new county, against the advise of the state heraldist (the
county was officially created on 1 January 1998, by merging of three earlier
counties: the County of Gothenburg and Bohus, the County of Älvsborg and the
County of Skaraborg).
Elias Granqvist, 8 October 2000
Courtoisie of fields in the same arms is not an unknown practice in
Germany, whereas in Sweden it has never been seen until the adoption of the
arms of the County of Western Gotaland in 1997. For courtoisie in the same
shield in German arms, see e.g. the arms of Schleswig-Holstein
and the arms of North Rhine-Westphalia, but it is not
so in the arms of e.g. Mecklenburg-Hither Pomerania.
Elias Granqvist, 31 October 2000
"Kvadrerad sköld, i första fältet Göteborgs vapen, i andra fältet Bohusläns vapen, i tredje fältet Dalslands vapen i courtoisie (med vapendjurets huvud vänt mot sköldens mittlinje), i fjärde fältet Västergötlands vapen."
(Gothenburg (Göteborg): "I blått fält tre av vågskuror bildade
ginbalkar av silver, överlagda med ett vänstervänt, gyllene, med sluten
krona krönt lejon med svansen kluven och tunga, tänder och klor röda,
svingande med högra framtassen ett gyllene svärd och hållande i den vänstra
en blå sköld, vari tre gyllene kronor, ordnade två och en";
Bohuslän: "I fält av silver en krenelerad röd fästning, försedd med
ett krenelerat rött torn och två portar av guld med svarta gångjärn och lås
samt åtföljd till höger av ett blått svärd och till vänster av ett mot fästningen
upprest blått lejon med tunga, tänder och klor av guld";
Dalsland: "I fält av silver en gående röd tjur med beväpning av guld,
därest dylik skall komma till användning";
Västergötland: "I av svart och guld ginstyckat fält ett lejon av
motsatta tinkturer med röd beväring, därest dylik skall komma till användning,
i övre vänstra och i nedre hörnet av fältets svarta del åtföljt av en
stjärna av silver.")
Quartered, I. Azure three bends wavy Argent overall a Lion rampant sinister
double tailed and crowned Or langued and armed Gules holding in sinister a
shield Azure three crowns Or and in dexter a sword of the same; II. Argent, a
Castle embattled Gules with one embattled Tower of the same and two doors Or
hinged Sable between a Sword point upwards and Lion rampant holding the Tower
both Azure langued and armed Or; III. Argent, an Ox passant to sinister armed
and hoofed Or; IV. per bend sinister Sable and Or, a Lion rampant
counterchanged langued and armed Gules between two Mullets Argent in the Sable
field.
English blazon by Željko Heimer, 5 October 2000
![[flag of Västra Götalands county]](../images/s/se-14b.gif)
illustration by Olivier Touzeau, 1 September 2005
In Mariestad, I saw a blue flag (ratio ~5:4 as far as I could see) with the
coat-of-arms of Västra Götaland. I saw it near the tourism office.
Olivier Touzeau, 1 September 2005
The official flag would be a banner of arms, but then sometimes the
politicians in some Swedish county or municipality get the idea to add the
crown on top of the shield in the flag or something like that, and then they
create a flag with the full arms on it for no good reason at all. The flag can
thus very well be officially sanctioned, but it should not be considered to be
the official flag.
Elias Granqvist, 4 September 2005
See also:
![[Flag of former county of Gothenburg and Bohus]](../images/s/se-14_gbl.gif)
The county of Gothenburg and Bohus had arms and flag quartered of the arms
of the City of Gothenburg (I and IV) and Bohuslän (II and III), granted on 25
May 1962. This county consisted of Bohuslän, the
short coastline of Västergötland (where Gothenburg
is situated) and a small part of Halland. It was
one of the three counties which was merged to create the county of Western
Gotaland on 1 January 1998.
Elias Granqvist, 18 February 2001
Images of the county arms (external links):
![[Flag of Västergötland]](../images/s/se-vgt.gif)
The county of Skaraborg bore the same arms as Västergötland and thus the
same flag, granted on 5 September 1942. This county covered northeast Västergötland
and a small part of Värmland. It was one of the
three counties which was merged to create the county of Western Gotaland on 1
January 1998.
Elias Granqvist, 18 February 2001
![[Flag of former county of Älvsborg]](../images/s/se-14_ael.gif)
The county of Älvsborg had arms and flag quartered of the arms of Västergötland
(I and IV) and Dalsland (II and III), granted on 5 September 1942. It was
formed by Dalsland and the southwestern part of Västergötland.
It was one of the three counties which was merged to create the county of
Western Gotaland on 1 January 1998.
Elias Granqvist, 18 February 2001
Images of the county arms (external links):
The following communes are in this county (län). The codes following the name are assigned by Sweden for statistical purposes.
