Flag of Switzerland

Switzerland’s national flag was adopted on December 12, 1889, which is one of the world’s oldest flags. The Flag of Switzerland is a red field, a white cross whose arms are one-sixth longer than their width. The relationship between the span of the cross and the width of the flag has not been established, but in practice the ratio is about 2:3 or 7:10.[1]

Swiss Confederation
UseNational flag
Proportion1:1
Variant flag of Swiss Confederation
UseState and Civil flag
Proportion2:3

History
  • War flag of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichssturmfahne) during the 13th century
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagWar flag of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichssturmfahne) during the 13th century
  • Triangular field ensign used by Swiss confederate forces from ca. the 1420s
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagTriangular field ensign used by Swiss confederate forces from ca. the 1420s
  • Field ensign used from ca. 1470 and during the early 16th century
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagField ensign used from ca. 1470 and during the early 16th century

The Swiss cross on a red field ultimately derives from a similar banner of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus has strong Christian connotations. The Swiss flag traditionally stands for freedom, honour and fidelity. The motto "Honor et Fidelitas" was inscribed on the cross of several Swiss mercenary flags of the 18th century. In modern times, through association with consistent Swiss policy, the flag has also come to mean neutrality, democracy, peace and refuge.

References
  1. Bundesgesetz zum Schutz öffentlicher Wappen und anderer öffentlicher Zeichen vom 5. Juni 1931 (Stand am 1. August 2008).


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.