Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries
- Thread starter Transparent Blue
- Start date
Thank you for the announcement and my sincere thanks to everyone who voted for my design.
The new challenge is up. Alternate condominiums ! If people will need more time beyond the 7th of March, I'll extend the round.
Murun Tri-State Zone
The history of the Murun Tri-State Zone begins in the 1920s, when during the border delimitation between the Sakha State, the Far Eastern Republic, and the Republic of Siberia, the world's only deposit of the silicate mineral Charoite was found. Since the deposit was located just on the border of the three states, it was decided to declare it a tripartite condominium. Because of the circumstances of the discovery and, despite the just ended war, a peaceful resolution of the conflict over ownership, Charoite has become a symbol of international democratic cooperation.
The flag of the Murun Tri-State Zone is the image of the flags of all three states on the Charoite background.
The flag of the Murun Tri-State Zone is the image of the flags of all three states on the Charoite background.
Nice! Had an idea for one, if I get my Internet working properly in my new place I'll get to work on it
The City of Stettin
By the Treaty of Versailles the navigation on the Oder became subject to international agreements, and following its articles 363 and 364 Czechoslovakia was entitled to lease in Stettin its own harbour bassin, then called (in German) Tschechoslowakische Zone im Hafen Stettin.
After WWII, Czechoslovakia argued for extension of the lease, given the new German-Polish border (specified at the Oder river) left the status of the city itself unclear. Following 1946, the city of Stettin (Czech: Štětín, Slovak: Štetín) was put under Czechoslovak administration. This caused protests by the Polish (both the Provisional Government of National Unity and the (irrelevant) London government in exile) and the relations between Poland and Czechoslovakia remained strained until, following the Czechoslovak February coup in 1948, a treaty of friendship between Czechoslovakia and Poland has been signed, mediated by the USSR. Poland recognized the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia over the city, while the port has been put under common Polish-Czechoslovak administration, making it de iure a condominium.
Czechoslovakia also asked for the control over the city of Königsberg, but Soviet Union very firmly made it very clear that this is not a good idea (and indeed, the whole East Prussia has been divided between Poland and the USSR shortly afterwards). It is not clear if this was meant seriously, or it was only a joke or a mistake. In fact, this would be such a preposterous demand that many historians doubt the veracity of this claim.
Following the victory of Solidarność in Poland, the Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia, the hitherto restrictive and secluded city was open for travel, and after the start of the German re-unification talks, the borders between Poland and Germany were quickly re-asserted as inviolable, but (west) Germany successfully renegotiated the status of Stettin with Czechoslovakia to as Czechoslovak-German condominium (for a hundred million marks paid to Czechoslovakia), while a separate agreement with Poland made the port itself a triple Czechoslovak-Polish-German administered area. (In practice his meant the citizens of Germany and Czechoslovakia had the right to work and reside in the city, people with permanent residentship in the city of longer than 5 years had the right to move and work in Germany; Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia could freely use the port facilities. This became quite irrelevant after all the countries joined the EU.).
When Czechoslovakia split in 1993, the previous agreements were extended to cover both Czech Republic and Slovakia “jointly and severally”, the city thus became a Czech-Slovak-German condominium, and the port a Czech-Slovak-German-Polish one, an agreement that lasts till today.
In 1946, a special naval ensign for a (never to materialize) “Czechoslovak Baltic fleet” has been designed, using elements from the flag of the city, defaced with the Czechoslovak coat of arms.
This flag has been (unofficially) used throughout the city itself, alongside the Czechoslovak flag, while a similar version with the Polish coat of arms has been used by the Polish authorities in the port.
After 1993, there were several proposals for the new (and official) flag of the city, but including all the three (four) coats of arms was deemed impractical, and at the end, a simpler design incorporating the colours from respective national flags has been adopted, giving the flag its infamous garish look (and the less said about the numerous occasions when it is mistaken for an LGBT flag nowadays, the better).
By the Treaty of Versailles the navigation on the Oder became subject to international agreements, and following its articles 363 and 364 Czechoslovakia was entitled to lease in Stettin its own harbour bassin, then called (in German) Tschechoslowakische Zone im Hafen Stettin.
After WWII, Czechoslovakia argued for extension of the lease, given the new German-Polish border (specified at the Oder river) left the status of the city itself unclear. Following 1946, the city of Stettin (Czech: Štětín, Slovak: Štetín) was put under Czechoslovak administration. This caused protests by the Polish (both the Provisional Government of National Unity and the (irrelevant) London government in exile) and the relations between Poland and Czechoslovakia remained strained until, following the Czechoslovak February coup in 1948, a treaty of friendship between Czechoslovakia and Poland has been signed, mediated by the USSR. Poland recognized the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia over the city, while the port has been put under common Polish-Czechoslovak administration, making it de iure a condominium.
Czechoslovakia also asked for the control over the city of Königsberg, but Soviet Union very firmly made it very clear that this is not a good idea (and indeed, the whole East Prussia has been divided between Poland and the USSR shortly afterwards). It is not clear if this was meant seriously, or it was only a joke or a mistake. In fact, this would be such a preposterous demand that many historians doubt the veracity of this claim.
Following the victory of Solidarność in Poland, the Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia, the hitherto restrictive and secluded city was open for travel, and after the start of the German re-unification talks, the borders between Poland and Germany were quickly re-asserted as inviolable, but (west) Germany successfully renegotiated the status of Stettin with Czechoslovakia to as Czechoslovak-German condominium (for a hundred million marks paid to Czechoslovakia), while a separate agreement with Poland made the port itself a triple Czechoslovak-Polish-German administered area. (In practice his meant the citizens of Germany and Czechoslovakia had the right to work and reside in the city, people with permanent residentship in the city of longer than 5 years had the right to move and work in Germany; Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia could freely use the port facilities. This became quite irrelevant after all the countries joined the EU.).
When Czechoslovakia split in 1993, the previous agreements were extended to cover both Czech Republic and Slovakia “jointly and severally”, the city thus became a Czech-Slovak-German condominium, and the port a Czech-Slovak-German-Polish one, an agreement that lasts till today.
In 1946, a special naval ensign for a (never to materialize) “Czechoslovak Baltic fleet” has been designed, using elements from the flag of the city, defaced with the Czechoslovak coat of arms.
This flag has been (unofficially) used throughout the city itself, alongside the Czechoslovak flag, while a similar version with the Polish coat of arms has been used by the Polish authorities in the port.
After 1993, there were several proposals for the new (and official) flag of the city, but including all the three (four) coats of arms was deemed impractical, and at the end, a simpler design incorporating the colours from respective national flags has been adopted, giving the flag its infamous garish look (and the less said about the numerous occasions when it is mistaken for an LGBT flag nowadays, the better).
Last edited:
Chesapiok Coastal Zone Accords
(in this TL non-anglo colonies in north america survives and thrives, so the east coast is host of multiple nations from differents cultures; transohio is basically virginia with is originals claims up to the great lakes)
The Chesapiok coastal zone is the region extending roughly from the south of Neuw-Amsterdam to the tidewater region of Transohio. Taking is name from the bay bording the Chersonese peninsula, its waters have a strategic value, being the main access for regional competiting states to the wider atlantic trade, have a great potential of halieutics resources, and are an vital asset to control for military superiority.
It's no wonder these waters were home to a lot geopolitical turmoil during the progress of the mid atlantic nations from backwater colonials pawns forgotted by europeans empires to modern, powerful independant states. Even if full blown war haven't happen since the 19th century, tensions were still high during the 20th, and the 50's and 60's infamous "clams wars" are a remainder of these rivalities.
The Chesapiok accords were a decisive action in creating a community from nations that see themselves at odd with one another, especially as they are isolated pockets of cultures clinging to a wildly diverse continent. A true diplomatic tour-de-force, the so-valued coast was placed under the joint jurisdiction of three nations separated by langage and culture but bound by geography and future common interest. New Netherlands, New Sweden and Trans Ohio signed the agreement, openning to scientific, policing and economic cooperation.
It's common in geopolitics analysis to state that the accords were one of the building bloc of the Trans Atlantic Union of Nations, and that in such, they favorised a new era of economic prosperity and perhaps more crucially helped ease tensions between vying countries which can have resorted to military actions.
Or, in the words of the geopolitical consultant Hendrik Kissinger "without these, we would have lost five minutes on the doomsday clock"
The Condominium of Bransfield-Bellingshausenia
Because I'm a slave to my passions, have an Antarctica where Russia and the UK got into a long-running diplomatic row over who discovered the continent first. This accelerated efforts to settle the coasts and divy up the continent, at least on paper, as a means to one-up the other and demonstrate naval and technological superiority. Think of it as the Space Race to the Great Game's Cold War. Following the German Revolution, cooperation between two of the largest imperial powers was seen as a necessity against the threat posed by a Spartacist Mitteleuropa, leading to the creation of the Condominium of Bransfield-Bellingshausenia. Despite greatly assisting the flow of the name, the Russians raised hell about Bransfield coming first despite sighting the continent three days later than Bellingshausen, forcing a compromise on the flag. The British wished to combine the British and Russian naval jacks, while the Russians believed a pure combination would imply British colonization of the Russian Navy. Instead, a flag quartering the Union Jack and Russian jack eventually won over public approval, and now proudly flies over naval and mining outposts all over the Great White South. The fact that most of the civilian population, British and Russian, is made up of transported criminals, rebels and rabble-rousers is very loudly ignored by both, though the Mitteleuropans have been quietly fanning the flames of the Antarctic Spartacist movement. As for how long such an ungainly creature can exist, only time will tell...
The entry time for Round 284 has concluded. Please use the poll for Round 284 to vote for the flag you liked best.
The poll will conclude in 7 days, on Tuesday, the 21st of March 2023.
The poll will conclude in 7 days, on Tuesday, the 21st of March 2023.
Very hard to choose this time around.
All four flags are really good in my opinion.
All four flags are really good in my opinion.
Zeleny Klyn, officially the Ukrainian Democratic Amur Republic (UDAR)
The UDAR's independence from the Far Eastern Republic is sometimes known as the Charoite Divorce, a reference to the bloodless Charoite Revolution of 1966, which had led to the end of Chita's rule over Zeleny Klyn.
The UDAR's independence from the Far Eastern Republic is sometimes known as the Charoite Divorce, a reference to the bloodless Charoite Revolution of 1966, which had led to the end of Chita's rule over Zeleny Klyn.
OOC: That took quite a while to figure out, but here we go.
IC:
Zakytaishchyna Provisional Administrative Region
匝克伊泰使契丹临时行政区
Possessing the characteristics of an autonomous region and a Special Administrative Region, Zakytaishchyna, or Transcathay, was formed as a Chinese-backed buffer state in the chaos of the Second Russian Civil War. While officially recognized as part of the new Russian Federation, the territory had been under Chinese occupation since 1992, officially designated as a Provisional Administrative Region in 1998 as a formal consolidation of warlord states and local administrations by Beijing. Composed of the former provinces of Primorsky Krai, Amur Oblast, southern Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Transcathay theoretically possesses wide-ranging autonomy, ostensibly as a temporary measure until its eventual reintegration with Russia. In practice, all representatives of the new Transcathay Rada are vetted by Beijing for potential anti-Chinese sentiment, with Russian unionists disproportionately barred from local elections.
One unusual effect of such measures is the ascendance of the 'Green Ukraine' party. While starting out as an autonomist fringe movement among the Ukrainian diaspora in the occupied zone, Green Ukraine quickly established itself as the dominant party in Transcathay, melding Russian imperial ideology with the romanticism of the Kievan Rus. Believing Russian culture to be tainted by so-called 'Muscovite deficiencies', the party advocated for the promotion of Ukrainian language and culture. While overtly supportive of protecting Russian language rights and culture, the Green Ukraine-dominated Rada soon initiated widespread reforms aimed at their replacement, with growing emphasis on Ukrainian-medium education, culture and history. Even the choice of flag design, a sunflower motif akin to the SAR flags of Hong Kong and Macau, are indicative of Green Ukraine's far-reaching ambitions. And while Beijing remain outwardly supportive of the government for its promotion of Chinese investments, indecision on its rapprochement with Moscow and Transcathay's radical policies has put the state's future in doubt.
IC:
Zakytaishchyna Provisional Administrative Region
匝克伊泰使契丹临时行政区
Possessing the characteristics of an autonomous region and a Special Administrative Region, Zakytaishchyna, or Transcathay, was formed as a Chinese-backed buffer state in the chaos of the Second Russian Civil War. While officially recognized as part of the new Russian Federation, the territory had been under Chinese occupation since 1992, officially designated as a Provisional Administrative Region in 1998 as a formal consolidation of warlord states and local administrations by Beijing. Composed of the former provinces of Primorsky Krai, Amur Oblast, southern Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Transcathay theoretically possesses wide-ranging autonomy, ostensibly as a temporary measure until its eventual reintegration with Russia. In practice, all representatives of the new Transcathay Rada are vetted by Beijing for potential anti-Chinese sentiment, with Russian unionists disproportionately barred from local elections.
One unusual effect of such measures is the ascendance of the 'Green Ukraine' party. While starting out as an autonomist fringe movement among the Ukrainian diaspora in the occupied zone, Green Ukraine quickly established itself as the dominant party in Transcathay, melding Russian imperial ideology with the romanticism of the Kievan Rus. Believing Russian culture to be tainted by so-called 'Muscovite deficiencies', the party advocated for the promotion of Ukrainian language and culture. While overtly supportive of protecting Russian language rights and culture, the Green Ukraine-dominated Rada soon initiated widespread reforms aimed at their replacement, with growing emphasis on Ukrainian-medium education, culture and history. Even the choice of flag design, a sunflower motif akin to the SAR flags of Hong Kong and Macau, are indicative of Green Ukraine's far-reaching ambitions. And while Beijing remain outwardly supportive of the government for its promotion of Chinese investments, indecision on its rapprochement with Moscow and Transcathay's radical policies has put the state's future in doubt.