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Motovun, Croatia

Montona, Istria County

image by Željko Heimer, 14 April 2023

Presentation of Motovun
Flag of Motovun
Coat of arms of Motovun
Greater flag of Motovun
Other flag used in Motovun
Previous flag and arms of Motovun
Ceremonial flag of Motovun 1994-2018

See also:

Presentation of Motovun

The municipality of Motovun (Italian, Montona; 983 inhabitants, 531 in the village of Motovun) is an ancient town on a hill overlooking the valley of river Mirna. It is quite well-known tourist destination for its exceptional picturesque landscape as well as its recent film festival.

Željko Heimer, 2 January 2005

Flag of Motovun

The municipality previously used a two-color green-yellow flag, which was later harmonized with Croatian regulations and the flag became one-color.
The flag is (menthol) green with a gold bordered coat of arms in the middle. The single-color green flag has been displayed at the municipal hall on a ceremonial spear since 2011 at the latest, and was finally formally adopted and approved in 2018.
The coat of arms has undergone minor design changes.

https://istarski.hr/node/88051-zupana-zanimao-status-motovunskog-filmskog-festivala

Tomislav Šipek, 14 April 2023

Coat of arms of Motovun

image by Željko Heimer, 14 April 2023

The coat of arms is described in Article 4 of the Decision, as follows:

The coat of arms of the municipality of Motovun is shaped as a stylized shield. In the lower part of its field is a green field with three bulges (three hills), and in the centre of it is a dark red flower with five leaves and golden seeds. Above the green field up to the centre of the shield there are raising walls (castle) with twa double door with semi-circular arch in the centre of the walls. The door, colored golden, is above the central, highest hill. On the walls there are five towers, the one in the centre, above the walls, being highest, reaching almost the top of the shield, the two towers on each side being progressively lower towards the edges of the walls. The walls in their top edge and in a festoon, while the towers each have three festoons and two windows. The central highest tower also has a door, right above the castle doors. The walls and towers are silver, while the uncovered field of the shield is blue. Around the shield is a golden border.

Željko Heimer, 29 July 2013

Greater flag of Motovun

An other flag is prescribed in Article 10 of the Statutes, as follows:

Besides the flag described in Article 7 of this Decision, the municipality of Motovun has a greater flag dimensioned 4:1.30 m, produced of PVC materials or of balloon-silk, to be permanently displayed from the city walls of Motovun.
The flag from Paragraph 1 of this Article is made in accordance with the description of the flag from Article 7 of this Decision.

I have not seen such flag displayed in Motovun in the late 1990s or afterwards and found no photo of it, either. It may be that it was never actually produced, or that it was removed once it was damaged by the elements and never replaced.

Željko Heimer, 29 July 2013

Other flag used in Motovun

image by Željko Heimer, 14 April 2023

Another flag used in Motovun is blue with the municipal coat of arms in the middle and a golden fringe (photo, photo).
The status of this flag remains unclear. It is obviously hoisted as kind of a ceremonial flag, but the design is not appropriate (with the Is this some old flag made prior to the adoption of the bicolour, or something made to please the central authorities (requiring the monocoloured flags to be approved), or something else altogether?

Željko Heimer & Marko Vitez, 24 October 2013

Previous flag and arms of Motovun

image by Željko Heimer, 14 April 2023

The symbols of Motovun are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Općine Motovun, adopted on 8 December 1994 by the Municipality Assembly and published on 28 December 1994 in the regional official gazette Službene novine Grada Pazina i Općina Cerovje, Gračišće, Lupoglav, Motovun, Sv. Petar u šumi i Tinjan, No. 14 (text).
The symbols are described in the Municipality Statutes Statut Općine Motovun / Comune di Montona, adopted on 11 October 2001 and published the same day in Službene novine Grada Pazina i Općina Cerovje, Gračišće, Lupoglav, Motovun, Sv. Petar u šumi i Tinjan, No. 22 (text). This is repeated in the Statutes Statut Općine Motovun / Comune di Montona, adopted on 16 March 2006 and published on 17 March 2006 in Službene novine Grada Pazina i Općina Cerovje, Gračišće, Lupoglav, Motovun, Sv. Petar u šumi i Tinjan, No. 17 (text), in the Statutes Statut Općine Motovun / Comune di Montona, adopted on 3 August 2009 and published on 6 August 2009 in Službene novine Grada Pazina i Općina Cerovje, Gračišće, Lupoglav, Motovun, Sv. Petar u šumi i Tinjan, No. 13 (text), and in the current Statutes Statut Općine Motovun / Comune di Montona, adopted on 27 March 2013 and published on 11 April 2013 in Službene novine Grada Pazina i Općina Cerovje, Gračišće, Lupoglav, Motovun, Sv. Petar u šumi i Tinjan, No. 10 (text).

The symbols were designed by the Heraldic Art d.o.o. company, from Rijeka.

The flag is described in Article 7 of the Decision, as follows:

The flag of the municipality of Motovun is of rectangular shape, in the ratio of the length (height) to width 2:1, produced of atlas silk, polyester or cotton material. The flag is composed of two equal horizontal fields, the one at the top being green, and the bottom yellow. In the centre thereof, at the crossing point of the diagonals, equally distanced from the top and the bottom and from the left and the right edge of the flag is set the coat of arms of the municipality of Motovun. A half of the coat of arms is in the green and a half in the yellow field of the flag. The height of the coat of arms is 2/3 of the height of the flag. Along the edges of the flag, except the one used for hoisting at attachment to the staff, there is fringe of 6 cm colored golden.

Željko Heimer, 24 October 2013

Ceremonial flag of Motovun 1994-2018

two variants, image by Željko Heimer, 14 April 2023

The ceremonial flag is bicolor and does not include the inscription of the name of the municipality. The name might have been skipped so not to include bilingual inscriptions.
The oak branches represent the Motovun forest, surrounding the town on a steep hill, in the valley of river Mirna, which is famous for truffles growing there. The roses in the tails are inspired by the rose in the coat of arms.

Željko Heimer, 27 October 2007