Coat of arms
Flag
National anthem
Slovenian symbols following EU accession
Slovenian coat of arms
Form and colours
The coat of arms of Slovenia has the form of a shield. In the middle of the shield, on a blue background, is a representation of Mount Triglav in white, under which there are two undulating blue lines symbolising the sea and rivers and above which there are three golden, six-pointed stars forming a downward-pointing triangle. The shield is bordered in red. The coat-of-arms was designed in accordance with a set standard of geometry and colour by the academy sculptor Marko Poga?nik.
The shield has a red border at the sides and so features all three colours of the Slovenian tricolour: white, blue and red (the mountain is in white, the waves in blue). The gold stars recall one of the colours of the historical flag of the province of Carniola, regarded as the forerunner of the tricolour.
Slovenian symbols
The lower part of the coat of arms symbolises the Slovenian landscape, which comprises Alpine peaks in the northwest, the Adriatic sea in the south, and the plain of the ancient Pannonian Sea in the east.
The verticality of the Alps is represented by the highest mountain, Triglav, while the level expansiveness of the maritime and lowland areas is expressed in the two horizontal waves.
The mountain and the water at its foot can equally be understood as a universal symbol which does not refer uniquely to the Slovenian landscape. It symbolises the fundamental inner balance of the human individual, the balance between the masculine and feminine principles. The vertical extensions of the mountain denotes will and masculine power within the human being, while the horizontality and suppleness of the water symbolises attributes of femininity, all-encompassing and entire. The balance water between the feminine and masculine principles touches the very essence of humanity, and can at the same time be constructed on the global level as a symbol of the balance between nature and civilisation. In this way the coat-of-arms addresses an age which once more observes and cherishes balance in all things.
The balance between the mountain and the water-levels is a token of Slovenian identity in terms of landscape. Slovenian identity on the spiritual and ethnical level is symbolised by the three six-pointed gold stars placed above in the form of a triangle pointing from the sky to the earth. The stars are aligned with the triangle formed by the three peaks of Triglav (whose name means "three- headed"), symbolising the terrestrial world. The coat-of-arms thus symbolically conjures the realm of the spiritual and ethereal principle and the world of earth and landscape, whereby the two are coextensive, interdependent and complementary.
The three six-pointed golden stars are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, whose rule in the late Middle Ages united almost the entire Slovenian territory that is known today. The stars of the Counts of Celje thus symbolise the cultural and administrative tradition of Slovenian lands in the context of their involvement in the currents of European history.
The design of the coat of arms
The primeval pattern of the Slovenian coat of arms can be traced back to the poem "Krst pri Savici" (The Baptism on the Savica) by France Pre?eren who is considered one of the founders of modern Slovenian nationhood. The poem deals with the question of Slovenian identity in the context of the conversion to Christianity. In the first stanza, the poet presents Mount Triglav, the lake beneath it, and the golden light above it. These same elements are represented in the coat of arms.
The image of the Slovenian coat of arms was first encountered on Mary's column standing in front of the parish church at Bled, which was created by the architect Jo?e Ple?nik in 1934. The reverse side of Mary's coat features a chiselled out coat of arms of the then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Instead of the official coat of arms, the artist created a coat of arms composed of the shape of Triglav and a six-pointed star above it.
Geometric design
The Slovenian coat-of-arms is composed according to a precise geometric design based on the two equilateral triangles: the "celestial" and the "terrestrial" triangles whose tips meet at the lower of the three stars.
The "terrestrial" part of the shield has two internal poles. One is the meandering of the two waves, while the other is Triglav, which is made up of three equilateral triangles. Together, they form the "terrestrial" triangle.
Slovenian flag
History
The Slovene national flag first appeared in 1848, during the times of "national awakening", when the Slovenes chose the colours on their flag on the basis of the coat of arms of Carniola.
Recognised as the official colours of Carniola by the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I in 1836 and approved by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior a decade later, the white-blue-red tricolour became a remarkable feature of the Slovenian cultural and national identity.
The today's national flag of the Republic of Slovenia was chosen by the Slovenian Assembly on 24 June 1991.
Colours
The flag of Slovenia is the white-blue-red Slovene national flag with the coat-of-arms of Slovenia positioned in the upper left portion of the flag. The colours of the flag are in the following order: white, blue and red. Each colour occupies a horizontal band covering one third of the area of the flag.
Slovenian national anthem
Text
"God's blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o'er earth's habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbours be!"
The national anthem of Slovenia is the seventh stanza of the poem "Zdravljica" ("A Toast", translated by Janko Lavrin) by France Pre?eren (1800-1849). The melody was written by Stanko Premrl (1880-1965).
The Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia had chosen "Zdravljica" to be the Slovenian national anthem already on 29 March 1990, a year before Slovenia became an independent country. The Assembly's decision was one of the many symbolic acts towards asserting the Slovene national identity.
By addressing the positive wishes to all nations of the world, the poem transcends the Slovenian national framework and symbolises the peacefulness and openness of the Slovenian nation.
Slovenian symbols following EU accession
Slovenia has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004. The use of the EU flag and anthem in Slovenia is regulated by the Decree on the use of the European Union's flag and anthem in the Republic of Slovenia of 2004.
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