Last modified: 2005-04-29 by phil nelson
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 Götaland]](../images/s/se-14.gif)
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
Official blazon in Swedish: "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.")
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 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
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 Former County of Gothenburg and Bohus (Göteborgs och Bohus län)
Elias Granqvist, 18 February 2001
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
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
The following communes are in this county (lan). The codes following the name are assigned by Sweden for statistical purposes.