DescriptionCoat of Arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1998).svg
Bosanski: Grb Republike Bosne i Hercegovine (1992 - 1998.) / Грб Републике Босне и Херцеговине (1992 - 1998.)
English: Coat of Arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992 - 1998)
Date
This coat of arms was created during 1991 and 1992, and was officially adopted as the new symbol of the Republic on May 4, 1992. The SVG version was made in February 2025 and published on March 1, 2025.
Source
The main source is: Prijedlozi državnih i vojnih obilježja Republike Bosne i Hercegovine (Sarajevo, april-maj 1992. godine, E. Imamović i Z. Bebek) / Proposals for the State and Military Symbols of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo, April-May 1992, E. Imamović and Z. Bebek).
All other sources and information can be found on the new main Wikimedia Commons file of the Republic’s coat of arms. A must-visit if you want to learn more.
Author
The authors of the final version of the officially adopted coat of arms are Prof. Dr. Enver Imamović and graphic designer Zvonimir Bebek. Other authors from the Working Group prior to the dissolution can be found in the cited sources.
The SVG version was created based on official documentation and other relevant sources, as cited above, by LeCorbusierB NRMostar (Reddit username u/LeCorbusierB) and FiliusBosnensis (Reddit username u/filius_bosnensis). It was entirely created from scratch, without using other people’s work.
This image shows a flag, a coat of arms, a seal or some other official insignia. The use of such symbols is restricted in many countries. These restrictions are independent of the copyright status.
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For a detailed discussion on the correct colors of the flag, visit this Wikimedia Commons link.
About
Previously, due to the unavailability of technical and graphic documentation of the Republic's symbols and parts of the amended Constitution to the public, coats of arms and flags of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina were created arbitrarily. As a result, today we have hundreds of variations of the same coat of arms and flag, both in physical and digital form.
The problem that existed during the war, unfortunately, continued afterward as well. Everything was based on visual interpretations and artistic liberties. With this, I hope we can correct that and establish a single, accurate version that has been officially adopted.
This current (latest) version is correct, created according to the officially adopted solutions for the new national symbols from 1992 and improved based on later changes. If I come across new information, it will be applied in the form of updates.
Compared to the original sketches of the coat of arms in our possession, we made two modifications based on a careful analysis of a large number of sources related to the coat of arms in official use. These are: updating the fleur-de-lis to the final 1993 version, and centering the sixth fleur-de-lis (the one in the third row / the lowest fleur-de-lis below the bend). These are the changes that were made over time, but it appears they were not documented.
The modifications can be seen in the following image. Comparison between the most commonly used version of the coat of arms and the original sketch. Some examples of coats of arms with more accurate colors and shape.
TODO
• Use this version of the coat of arms to create the coats of arms (preferably in SVG formats) for the:
- Patriotic League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Territorial Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final update
The version marked with the date "20:13, 4 April 2025" is the last one I’ll upload, unless I come across new information in the meantime, as there’s still a part of the documentation I haven’t managed to find. It’s not much, maybe 10-20 pages. It might contain something new, or not, we’ll see.
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Captions
Coat of arms of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992 - 1998)
Grb Republike Bosne i Hercegovine (1992 - 1998.) / Грб Републике Босне и Херцеговине (1992 - 1998.)
Final adjustments: The coat of arms' width-to-height ratio is set to 1:1.33; the fleur-de-lis are better distributed, with a height of 1/5 of the coat of arms' width and a 1:1.33 ratio; the band width is 1/7 of the coat of arms' width, with more refined ends.