Flag of Poland

Flag of Poland
	; ;
Vexillological symbol :	?
Aspect ratio:	5: 8
Officially accepted:	August 1, 1919

The flag of Poland was introduced in 1919 and has been regulated as a state symbol by the Polish constitution since 1997 . Flag Day has been celebrated in Poland on May 2nd since 2004 .

description

Poland waving flag

The national flag of Poland is a horizontally split flag in white and red. The national flag used on official occasions also shows the Polish national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe. The red color was initially not specified after the flag was introduced in 1919. It was not until 1921 that the Ministry of Military Affairs published the brochure “Coat of Arms and Flag of the Republic of Poland”, in which purple was specified. In 1928, however, the Polish President insisted that vermilion was the correct shade. This color was retained until 1980, when the Polish Parliament set the colors of the flag to red on January 31, 1980 according to the standards of the International Commission on Illumination .

Structure of the state flag

History of the color scheme
Purple	vermilion	red	Purple 2
# DC143C	# FF4D00	# FF0000	# D4213D

1919 - 28	1928 - 80	customized	since 1980

history

Historical picture with the flag of King Sigismund III.

Polish flag in front of the Polish Pavilion in New York during the 1939 World's Fair.

The white eagle has been the symbol of Poland since the beginning of the 13th century. In connection with the red heraldic shield, it laid the foundation for many flags of the country and its rulers.

^? Vladislav II of Poland (1386 to 1434)
^? Sigismund II of Poland (1587 to 1632)

From 1815 the former Duchy of Warsaw existed as a Congress Poland in personal union with the Russian Empire . This was also evident in the flag. The white Polish eagle was in the jack on a red background on a white flag with the blue St. Andrew's cross , the symbol of Tsarist Russia. This flag remained until 1918.

Even during the November uprising of 1830/31, Poles used the white and red flag known today. During the January uprising in 1863, a coat of arms was added to the white stripe.

The current flag was officially adopted on August 1, 1919. When it was first introduced, it could only be distinguished from the old Czechoslovak flag by its aspect ratio, but the latter was changed in 1920.

During the German occupation during the Second World War , the Polish Home Army used the white and red flag with the addition of the so-called Kotwica . After the war, the old national flag was restored on March 20, 1956.

Coat of arms of the January Uprising
^?Congress Poland
Polish Home Army
5: 8 1919 to 1928
5: 8 1928-1980

More flags at national level

Naval war flag

The state flag serves as a trade and service flag at sea and is also used at the embassies of Poland and since 1990 in the country's ports. The first version had existed since 1919. In 1927 the eagle was changed and in 1956, with the reintroduction of the national symbols of the People's Republic of Poland after the Second World War , the crown was removed. With the end of the People's Republic of Poland, the crown was reinserted into the national coat of arms and thus also into the national flag of the Third Polish Republic.

The same changes went through the naval war flag of Poland, which, unlike the state flag, has a more elongated format and a dovetail.

5: 8 ^?State flag from 1919 to 1928

Flag of Poland on a photo from 1944

5: 8 ^?State flag 1955 to 1980

5: 8 ^?State flag from 1980 to 1990

5: 8 ^?Today's state flag

5: 8 ^?Naval War Flag 1919 to 1928

10:21 ^?Naval War Flag 1980 to 1990

10:21 ^?Today's naval war flag

The jack of the Polish Navy shows the arm of a knight with a sword on a paw cross. Auxiliary ships fly the naval flag in the jack of a blue flag. The Polish border guards use the state flag with a green frame.

Units of the Polish military have their own standards . They all follow the same design: a red cross on a white background and additional symbols.

The flag of the president shows the white eagle on a red background and white ornaments on the edge.

Jack of the Polish Navy
Flag of the auxiliary ships
Border Guard flag
5: 6 flag of the President
Flag of the General Staff

Subnational flags of Poland

Greater Poland Voivodeship

Both the 16 voivodships and the districts and municipalities of Poland have their own flags, some of which are based on historical models. The red and white flag of Gdańsk dates back to the Hanseatic League , while the Opole Voivodeship adopted the coat of arms and flag from Upper Silesia as a model. The Greater Poland Voivodeship uses the coat of arms and flag of King Przemysław II (1290 to 1296).