Flag of the Czech Republic

The national **flag of the Czech Republic** (Czech: *státní vlajka České republiky*) is the same as the flag of the former Czechoslovakia. Upon the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic kept the Czechoslovak flag while Slovakia adopted its own flag. The first flag of Czechoslovakia was based on the flag of Bohemia, and was white over red. This was almost identical to the flag of Poland (only the proportion was different), so a blue triangle was added at the hoist in 1920. The flag was banned by the Nazis in 1939, and a horizontal tricolor of white, red, and blue was enforced. The 1920 flag was restored in 1945.

## History

The traditional colours of Czechia, originating from a 1192 coat of arms (depicting a rampant lion with a double silver tail on a red background), are white and red. Due to historical considerations, the flag of the Czech Republic bears identical resemblance to that of Czechoslovakia.

After the establishment of an independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, the country had been using the red and white flag of Bohemia, identical to the Polish flag. Following calls for a new flag to be adopted by the fledgling state, a committee picked a design by Jaroslav Kursa, an archivist in the Czechoslovak Ministry of the Interior. His design included the red and white horizontal stripes derived from the coat of arms of Bohemia, and added a blue wedge extended halfway along the flag.

The flag was officially approved by the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia on 30 March 1920 and since then, it has been in continuous use, with the exception of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia during World War II, Additionally, during a short period following the Velvet Revolution, between 1990 and 1992, the Czech part of the Czechoslovak federated state adopted the previous red and white flag.

During the 1992 negotiations on the split of Czechoslovakia, a clause forbidding the use of the state symbols of Czechoslovakia by either successor state was inserted into the legislation concerning the dissolution of the federation. The Czech Republic violated this clause, passing legislation overruling the previous agreement and keeping the use of the flag.

## Czechoslovakia

Flag of the Czech Republic (WFB 2000).pngDesign used in the past, but now abandonedFlag of Czechoslovakia (1920–1992)Naval Ensign of Czechoslovakia 1935-1939 1945-1955.svgDesign used in the past, but now abandonedNaval Ensign of Czechoslovakia. (1935–1955)Naval Ensign of Czechoslovakia 1955-1960.svgDesign used in the past, but now abandonedNaval Ensign of Czechoslovakia. (1955–1960)
## Dimensions

File:Czech flag construction.svgFile:Flag of Czech Republic (vertical hoisting).svg
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 rectangle (a common mistake is to draw it shorter) and two bands: one white and one red. The most similar foreign flag is the flag of the Philippines but the latter has dimensions 1:2, the three colors permuted, and additional golden-yellow symbols added on it.

Tricolour of the Czech Republic.svgCzech Republic tricolour
## Presidential standard

Another Czech official symbol is the Standard of the President of the Czech Republic. It was first introduced in 1918 for the President of Czechoslovakia. The current version, which was designed by heraldist Jiří Louda, was adopted upon the creation of an independent Czech Republic in 1993.

### Previous versions

Presidential Standard of the Republic of Czechoslovakia (1918-1939).pngDesign used in the past, but now abandonedPresidential standard of First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1939), and Czechoslovak Republic (1945–1960)Bohemia Moravia President Standard 1939-1945.svgDesign used in the past, but now abandonedPresidential standard of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (1939–1945)Flag of the President of Czechoslovakia (1960-1990).svgDesign used in the past, but now abandonedPresidential standard of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960–1990)Czechoslovakia COA Flag 1990.svgDesign used in the past, but now abandonedPresidential standard of Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (1990–1992)
## See also

* The red boxer shorts over Prague Castle

## 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.

## References

1. ↑ Czech society of vexicologists on the origin of the Czechoslovak state flag (Czech) (MS Word). Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
2. ↑ Government of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic's national flag. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
3. ↑ Law defining state symbols of the Czech Republic 67/1990 Sb, from 13 March 1990
4. ↑ Ústavný zákon č. 542/1992 Zb. o zániku Českej a Slovenskej Federatívnej Republiky, Čl. 3 ods. 2
(*Constitutional act. No. 542/1992 Col. on the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, art. 3 sect. 2*)
5. ↑ Law defining state symbols of the Czech Republic 3/1993 Sb, from 17 December 1992
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Zomrel heraldik Jiří Louda, autor českého štátneho znaku a prezidentskej zástavy", *Aktuality.sk*, 2015-09-02. Retrieved on 2015-09-28.

## External links

* History of the Czech and Czechoslovak flag (in Czech)
* Czech Republic at Flags of the World
* Czech flag - facts, history, colors (in Czech)