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County of Western G�taland (Sweden)
V�stra G�talands l�n
Last modified: 2002-02-01 by elias granqvist
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 the County of Western G�taland]](../images/s/se-o.gif)
![[FIS Code]](../misc/xoxxxx.gif)
by Mello Luchtenberg, September 2000
The flag is a banner of the arms;
arms adopted in 1997.
See also:
- Bohusl�n
- Dalsland
- Halland
- V�rmland
- V�sterg�tland
- West Sweden (V�stsverige)
- G�taland
- Regional flags (Sweden)
- Clickable map of Sweden (län/counties)
- Sweden
About the flag
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 Bohusl�n (castle), Dalsland (bull) and V�sterg�tland (lion and stars).These arms were very critizised when they were presented, as they have so many fields - and why should Gothenburg be represented twice (as it is situated in V�sterg�tland) 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
Blazon
Official blazon in Swedish: "Kvadrerad sk�ld, i f�rsta f�ltet G�teborgs vapen, i andra f�ltet Bohusl�ns vapen, i tredje f�ltet Dalslands vapen i courtoisie (med vapendjurets huvud v�nt mot sk�ldens mittlinje), i fj�rde f�ltet V�sterg�tlands vapen."
(Gothenburg (Göteborg): "I bl�tt f�lt tre av v�gskuror bildade ginbalkar av silver, �verlagda med ett v�nsterv�nt, gyllene, med sluten krona kr�nt lejon med svansen kluven och tunga, t�nder och klor r�da, svingande med h�gra framtassen ett gyllene sv�rd och h�llande i den v�nstra en bl� sk�ld, vari tre gyllene kronor, ordnade tv� och en";
Bohusl�n: "I f�lt av silver en krenelerad r�d f�stning, f�rsedd med ett krenelerat r�tt torn och tv� portar av guld med svarta g�ngj�rn och l�s samt �tf�ljd till h�ger av ett bl�tt sv�rd och till v�nster av ett mot f�stningen upprest bl�tt lejon med tunga, t�nder och klor av guld";
Dalsland: "I f�lt av silver en g�ende r�d tjur med bev�pning av guld, d�rest dylik skall komma till anv�ndning";
V�sterg�tland: "I av svart och guld ginstyckat f�lt ett lejon av motsatta tinkturer med r�d bev�ring, d�rest dylik skall komma till anv�ndning, i �vre v�nstra och i nedre h�rnet av f�ltets svarta del �tf�ljt av en stj�rna av silver.")
Blazoned in English: "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 embatteled Gules with one embatteled 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 Zeljko Heimer, 5 October 2000
Former counties in western Gotaland
Former County of Gothenburg and Bohus (G�teborgs och Bohus l�n)
The county of Gothenburg and Bohus had arms and flag quartered of the arms of the City of Gothenburg (I and IV) and Bohusl�n (II and III), granted on 25 May 1962. This county consisted of Bohusl�n, the short coastline of V�sterg�tland (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
Former County of Skaraborg (Skaraborgs l�n)
The county of Skaraborg bore the same arms as V�sterg�tland and thus the same flag, granted on 5 September 1942. This county covered northeast V�sterg�tland and a small part of V�rmland. 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
Former County of Älvsborg (Älvsborgs l�n)
The county of Älvsborg had arms and flag quartered of the arms of V�sterg�tland (I and IV) and Dalsland (II and III), granted on 5 September 1942. It was formed by Dalsland and the southwestern part of V�sterg�tland. 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
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