Flag of the Czech Republic

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Flag of the Czech Republic
Flag of the Czech Republic
Use National flag and civil and state ensign. National flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion 2:3
Adopted 30 March 1920
Design Two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side.
"Flag of Czechoslovakia" redirects here. For the flag of Slovakia, see Flag of Slovakia.

The flag of the Czech Republic is the same as the flag of the former Czechoslovakia. Upon the dissolution of Czechoslovakia the Czech Republic kept the Czechoslovak flag while the Slovak Republic adopted its own flag. The first flag of Czechoslovakia was based on the arms, and was white over red. This was identical to the flag of Poland, so a blue triangle was added at the hoist. The flag was banned by the Nazis in 1938, and a horizontal tricolor of white, red, and blue was enforced. The original flag was restored in 1945. When the new Czech Republic and Slovakia separated in 1993, the Czechs decided to keep their existing flag, recalling the 2 principal parts of the country. White and red are the heraldic colors of Bohemia.

Contents

[edit] History

Flag of Bohemia, and ČSR 1918–20

The author of the flag is somewhat disputed but most vexillologists agree [1] on Jaroslav Kursa (1875–1950), an archivist of the Department of Home Affairs, as the original author of the present flag appearance. The flag contains red and white colors derived from the ancient Coat of arms of Bohemia; because the flag was almost identical with the Polish flag and had the same colors as the Austrian flag, a blue wedge was added in 1920 (The version without the wedge is identical to the flag of Bohemia).

The flag has been officially approved by the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia (ČSR) on 30 March 1920. Since then, the flag has been used continuously, excluding the World War II occupation years.[2] During the Prague Spring (1968) and the Velvet Revolution (1989) the flag served as the dominant symbol of national unity.

During the 1992 negotiations about the details of dissolution of Czechoslovakia, on demand by several Slovak politicians, a clause forbidding use of state symbols of Czechoslovakia by successor states was inserted into the Law about dissolution of ČSFR. Eventually, after a search for new symbology the Czech Republic decided to keep the flag with an altered meaning, and this was accepted by prominent Slovak vexillologists[citation needed].

[edit] Dimensions

The blazon of this flag is per pall fesswise Argent, Azure, and Gules. The flag is formed from an isosceles triangle that extends halfway along the triangle (it's a common mistake to draw it shorter) and two bands: one white and one red.

[edit] Literature

  • Zbyšek Svoboda, Pavel Fojtík: brochure Naše vlajka. Vznik a vývoj české vlajky (Our Flag. Origin and evolution of the Czech flag), Libea, 2005, ISBN 80-239-5862-3.
  • Petr Exner, Pavel Fojtík, Zbyšek Svoboda: brochure Vlajky, prapory a jejich používání (Flags, banners and their use), Libea, 2004, ISBN 80-239-2873-2.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Czech society of vexicologists about the origin of the Czechoslovak state flag (MS Word) (Czech). Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
  2. ^ Government of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic's national flag. Retrieved August 13, 2007.

[edit] External links

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Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Entirely in Southwest Asia.  2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions.  3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Has part of its territory in Asia / North America / South America / Africa.  7 / 8 Entirely on the North American Plate / African Plate.