Slovak heraldry

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Slovak heraldry is the study and practice of heraldry in the territory of Slovakia.

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The Heraldic register of the Slovak Republic 19-04-O01.jpg
The Heraldic register of the Slovak Republic
Ladislav Vrtel, chief state counsel for heraldry Ladislav Vrtel.jpg
Ladislav Vrtel, chief state counsel for heraldry

In 1975 a heraldic commission of the Ministry of Interior was created in order to give recommendations to municipal councils on the use of coats of arms. [1] [2] [3]

Heraldický register Slovenskej republiky (The Heraldic register of the Slovak Republic) is the national heraldic authority of Slovakia constituted within the Slovak Ministry of Interior. It functions as the country's official record for coats of arms and flags. [4]

Coat of arms of Slovakia

Regional heraldry

Article 1 of the Law on Self Government of Regions says:

The self-governing region has its symbols, which can be used in execution of self-government. Symbols of self-governing region are its coat of arms, flag and seal, in some case a melody. [5]

Municipal heraldry

Article 1b of the Law on Municipal Arrangement says:

The municipality has right to its own symbols. A municipality which has own symbols is obliged to use it in exercise of self-government. Municipalities' symbols are a municipal coat of arms, a municipal flag, a municipal seal, and in some cases a melody of the municipality. [6]

In practice every municipality has its own coat of arms, as it is needed for everyday conduct of administration. [7] [8]

Common themes

Agricultural, viticultural and mining motifs are most common in Slovak municipal heraldry. [9]

Viticultural

In the 13th century, German settlers commenced the cultivation of wine in the Little Carpathians region of western Slovakia. [10] [11] [12]

When some of settlements gained city rights, their older charges were combined with royal/state charges. In that way, emperor Ferdinand I granted a coat of arms to Častá in 1560 [13] [14] and emperor Rudolf II amended older viticultural charge of Modra with royal stripes in 1607. [15] [16]

As viticulture became widespread, new wine growing areas arose. Today there are six recognized wine growing regions. [17] That is why viticultural symbols are quite common in modern Slovak municipal heraldry.

Wine-producing regions in Slovakia. Vinohradnicke oblasti Slovenska.png
Wine-producing regions in Slovakia.

Viticultural symbols used: a bunch of grapes, grapevine, even vinedresser. As of instruments depicted, a type of billhook, so called viticultural knife is widely used.[ clarification needed ] [18]

Mining

St. Katherine's cult became significant in several German inhabited mining towns in the northern part of the ancient Kingdom of Hungary, today's Slovakia, and her popularity there suggests that she was venerated as a miners' saint. [19] [20] As a consequence, her attribute - a breaking wheel - is considered a mining symbol in modern Slovak municipal heraldry. It is common in those municipalities with history of German settlement and mining, like Handlová and Kremnica. [21] [22]

The notable mining town of Banská Štiavnica preserved the oldest known town-seal from the ancient Kingdom of Hungary in a document issued in 1275., [23] boasted to be oldest mining sign in Europe altogether. [24] Despite existing St. Katherine's cult in town, [25] [26] its armory is explicit with pickaxe, hoe and hammer.

However, most common sign of ancient mining communities is a charge with a hammer and pick symbol:

A distinctive charge in several urban shields is a two-barred cross. [27]

Ecclesiastic heraldry in Slovakia

Latin rite dioceses in Slovakia CoA SK Dieceze.jpg
Latin rite dioceses in Slovakia

After the Velvet Revolution, church heraldry in Slovakia has been more publicly used; the Roman Catholic church, the Greek Catholic Church and some Protestant denominations has reinvented their own symbols.

Historically, Catholicism is the major Christian tradition in the country. As is common practice worldwide, Catholic bishops are represented in an episcopal conference. [28] In order to provide correct use of ecclesiastic coats of arms, the Episcopal Conference of Slovakia in 2008 adopted canonic regulations [29] and established its own heraldic consultant. [30]

Armory of notable prelates

Heraldic societies

In support of all those interested in genealogy, heraldry and other related disciplines, there is a Slovak genealogical-heraldic society. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banská Bystrica</span> City in Slovakia

Banská Bystrica is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With approximately 76,000 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia. The present-day town was founded by German settlers, invited by the Hungarian Árpád-kings, during the Middle Ages, however it was built upon a former Slavic/Slovakian/Avar settlement. A part of Zolyom county after the Hungarian conquest. During the reign of Béla IV of Hungary it obtained the municipal privileges of a free royal town of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1255 and resettled with Germans from Thüringen. The copper mining town acquired its present picturesque look in the late Middle Ages when the prosperous burghers built its central churches, mansions, and fortifications. It is the capital of the kraj and the okres. It is also the home of Matej Bel University. As a historical town with an easy access to the surrounding mountains, Banská Bystrica is a popular winter and summer tourist destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banská Štiavnica</span> City in Slovakia

Banská Štiavnica is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as the Štiavnica Mountains. Banská Štiavnica has a population of more than 10,000. It is a completely preserved medieval town. Because of their historical value, the town and its surroundings were proclaimed by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Slovakia</span> National flag

The current form of the national flag of the Slovak Republic was adopted by Slovakia's Constitution, which came into force on 3 September 1992. The flag, like many other flags of Slavic nations, uses Pan-Slavic colours. Pictured to the left of centre of the flag is Slovakia's national coat of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Hungary</span>

The coat of arms of Hungary was adopted on 11 July 1990, after the end of communist rule. The arms have been used before, both with and without the Holy Crown of Hungary, sometimes as part of a larger, more complex coat of arms, and its elements date back to the Middle Ages.

The coat of arms of Hungary shall be a vertically divided shield with a pointed base. The left field shall contain eight horizontal bars of red and silver. The right field shall have a red background and shall depict a base of three green hills with a golden crown atop the central hill and a silver patriarchal cross issuing from the middle of the crown. The Holy Crown shall rest on top of the shield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kremnica</span> Town in Slovakia

Kremnica is a town in central Slovakia. It has around 5,300 inhabitants. The well-preserved medieval town built above important gold mines is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matica slovenská</span> Cultural institution based in Martin, Slovakia

Matica Slovenská is the oldest Slovak national, cultural and scientific organization. The headquarters of Slovak Matica is the town of Martin, Slovakia as the center of the national culture of Slovaks, where it was founded in 1863 and revived in 1919. Slovak Matica is a public institution that operates as a national scientific and cultural centre. It has facilities both in the Slovak Republic and abroad. Slovak Matica works to develop and protect the national rights, identity, and development of Slovak culture and the Slovak nation. Slovak Matica is a legal entity. It establishes its organizational units on the territory of the Slovak Republic as well as abroad. The position and activity of Slovak Matica is regulated by Act no. 68/1997 Coll. on the Slovak Matica as amended and the Statutes of Slovak Matica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Slovakia</span>

The coat of arms of the Slovak Republic consists of a red (gules) shield, in early Gothic style, charged with a silver (argent) double cross standing on the middle peak of a dark blue mountain consisting of three peaks. Extremities of the cross are amplified, and its ends are concaved. The double cross is a symbol of its Christian faith and the hills represent three symbolic mountain ranges: Tatra, Fatra, and Matra.

Detva is a town in central Slovakia with a population of 14,686. It is situated beneath the mountain Poľana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion (heraldry)</span> Element in heraldry

The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christian symbolism. The Lion of Judah stands in the coat of arms of Jerusalem. Similar-looking lions can be found elsewhere, such as in the coat of arms of the Swedish royal House of Bjälbo, from there in turn derived into the coat of arms of Finland, formerly belonging to Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nová Baňa</span> Town in Slovakia

Nová Baňa is a small town in the west of central Slovakia and the largest town of the Žarnovica District, located in the Banská Bystrica Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinosady</span> Municipality in Slovakia

Vinosady is a village and municipality in western Slovakia in Pezinok District in the Bratislava Region, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ľubietová</span> Village in Slovakia

Ľubietová is a village in central Slovakia. Originally an ancient mining town, it is known for precious minerals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handlová</span> Town in Slovakia

Handlová is a town in the Prievidza District, Trenčín Region in the middle of Slovakia. It is made up of the three parts Handlová, Nová Lehota and Morovno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kúty</span> Village in Slovakia

Kúty, is a village and municipality in Senica District in the Trnava Region of western Slovakia.

Finnish heraldry has a common past with Swedish heraldry until 1809 and it belongs to German heraldric tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hont-Pázmány</span>

The Hunt-Poznan family, or Huntovci-Poznanovci, was a Hungarian noble family.

A heraldic authority is defined as an office or institution which has been established by a reigning monarch or a government to deal with heraldry in the country concerned. It does not include private societies or enterprises which design and/or register coats of arms. Over the centuries, many countries have established heraldic authorities, and several still flourish today.

In heraldry, a mount is a representation of a hill or mountain as a curved terrace in base. When the mount is included in the lower part of the shield, it may be considered an ordinary rather than a charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladislav Čisárik</span> Slovak heraldic artist

Ladislav Čisárik was a Slovak heraldic artist, painter, and graphic designer. In 1990, Ladislav Čisárik and Ladislav Vrtel co-designed the coat of arms of Slovakia, the current flag of Slovakia, and the presidential standard of the president of Slovakia. He also designed or modified the coat of arms and seals for more than 100 towns and municipalities in Slovakia.

References

  1. ↑ "Heraldika". Encyclopaedia Beliana (in Slovak). 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. ↑ https://www.tyzden.sk/casopis/7235/erb-vlajka-zastava-koruhva/ interview with heraldist Ladislav Vrtel  [ sk ]
  3. ↑ https://myturiec.sme.sk/c/6004891/j-novak-rodinne-erby-pre-heraldiku-nie-su-prinosom.html interview with heraldist Jozef Novák  [ sk ]
  4. ↑ "Heraldický register Slovenskej republiky, Ministerstvo vnútra SR - Verejná správa". www.minv.sk. (in Slovak) Heraldic register of the Slovak Republic on Ministry of Interior of the Slovak republic website
  5. ↑ "302/2001 Z.z. - Zákon o samospráve vyšších územných". (In Slovak)"Law on Self Government of Regions No. 302/2001 Coll."
  6. ↑ "369/1990 Zb. - Zákon Slovenskej národnej rady o ob..." Slov-lex. (In Slovak)"Law on Municipal Arrangement No. 369/1990 Coll."
  7. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "Každá obec i mesto musí mať erb". www.sme.sk. (in Slovak) "Every municipality and town has to have coat of arms"
  8. ↑ a.s, Petit Press. "Do konca roka musí mať každá obec erb i vlajku". domov.sme.sk. (in Slovak) "By the end of the year every municipality must have a coat of arms and a flag"
  9. ↑ "Pre slovenské erby je typický najmä agrárny, banícky a vinohradnícky motív." dobrenoviny.sk (in Slovak)
  10. ↑ "English :: KRAJČOVIČ MODRA - R. K. VIN". 16 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Through the Small Carpathians". 24 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Die Karpatendeutschen - Geschichte".
  13. ↑ Vrteľ, Ladislav (1999). Osem storočí slovenskej heraldiky – Eight Centuries of Slovak Heraldry (in Slovak). Matica slovenská. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-8308-3430-3.
  14. ↑ "História". 9 February 2015.
  15. ↑ Vrteľ, Ladislav (1999). Osem storočí slovenskej heraldiky – Eight Centuries of Slovak Heraldry (in Slovak). Matica slovenská. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-8308-3430-3.
  16. ↑ "Symboly – Modra".
  17. ↑ "Wine-growing - Slovakia.travel".
  18. ↑ Vrteľ, Ladislav (1999). Osem storočí slovenskej heraldiky – Eight Centuries of Slovak Heraldry (in Slovak). Matica slovenská. p. 270. ISBN   978-0-8308-3430-3.
  19. ↑ Uhrin, Dorottya (13 February 2024). "The Cult of Saint Katherine of Alexandria in Medieval Upper Hungarian Towns". The Hungarian Historical Review. 5 (3): 557–586. JSTOR   44390790.
  20. ↑ https://epa.oszk.hu/02400/02460/00017/pdf/EPA02460_hungarian_historical_review_2016_03_557-586.pdf
  21. ↑ "Symboly mesta - Mesto Handlová".
  22. ↑ "Minerály a horniny Slovenska".
  23. ↑ "UNESCO World Heritage – Banská Štiavnica and the Technical Monuments in its Vicinity".
  24. ↑ "Immerse yourself in the history and beauty of the Old Castle in Banská Štiavnica". 27 February 2023.
  25. ↑ "St. Catherine's Church, Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia - SpottingHistory".
  26. ↑ https://epa.oszk.hu/02400/02460/00017/pdf/EPA02460_hungarian_historical_review_2016_03_557-586.pdf
  27. ↑ "Ďalším slovenským špecifikom je časté vyobrazenie dvojitého kríža v mestských erboch. Príkladom sú erby Žiliny, Topoľčian, Šurian, Zvolena, Gelnice či Nitry" dobrenoviny.sk (in Slovak)
  28. ↑ "Katolicka cirkev na Slovensku".
  29. ↑ http://www.cirkevneerby.sk/pril/pc-2.pdf
  30. ↑ "Heraldický konzultor - menovací dekrét". Archived from the original on 13 August 2019.
  31. ↑ "Slovak genealogical-heraldic society". www.genea.sk.

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