Flag of Austria

The national flag of Austria was adopted after the restoration of independence in 1945 and consists of three horizontal stripes of equal size - red at the top and bottom with a white stripe in the center. The national and military versions of the flag additionally have the Austrian coat of arms on a white stripe. The coat of arms depicts a black eagle with a crown and yellow talons. In its talons, the eagle holds a hammer and sickle with broken shackles. On the eagle's chest is a red, white, and red national shield. Both flags have a ratio of 2:3.

The meaning of the Austrian flag

• The red color represents courage, blood shed for freedom and symbolizes strength, valor and courage;
• White represents purity and peace and symbolizes truth and honesty.

The coat of arms of Austria

The coat of arms consists of the following elements:

• The black eagle represents the independence and sovereignty of Austria and symbolizes the power and unity of the country;
• The crown symbolizes the country's historical heritage, municipalities and emphasizes the importance of democracy and people's participation in government;
• The sickle in the eagle's right paw represents agriculture and farmers;
• The hammer in the left paw represents the working class. Together, these two tools symbolize social equality;
• The broken chains on the eagle's paws, which appeared after World War II, symbolize liberation from Nazi rule and the restoration of independence.

The legend of the Austrian flag

Leopold V, Duke of Austria, participated in the Crusades in 1191. According to legend, he invented the flag after participating in the siege of Acre. After the battle, the duke took off his belt and saw that the fabric under the belt remained white, although the rest of the white cloak was covered with red blood. The red-white-red combination surprised him, and he used these colors on his flag. After the real banner of the Austrian duke was lost during a battle or stolen by King Richard the Lionheart of England, Emperor Henry VI allowed the Babenbergs to fly the red, white, and red banner as their new flag.

However, this legend cannot be substantiated historically. It is also difficult to establish how the Babenbergs got the so-called "Bindenschild" (red, white, and red coat of arms). There is speculation that the coat of arms came from the possessions of Count Waldwertel; other historians suggest that the shield and double-headed eagle came to the Babenbergs from the German Duchy of Swabia via Carinthia, Friuli, and Styria.

However, regardless of where the coat of arms actually originated and how it came to the Austrian dukes, historians know that the shield was used by the Austrian dukes from the mid-13th century at the latest. The earliest black-and-white image of the shield was made by Frederick II and is found on a document from the Lilienfeld Abbey in Lower Austria, dated 1230. The red, white, and scarlet colors were also first documented in writing two years later in Jan von Enickel's Fürstenburg. In it, the poet describes the solemn declaration of a young nobleman mature and capable of bearing arms in the knighthood of Duke Friedrich by Bishop Gebhard of Passau. On this occasion, 200 young nobles were dressed in red, white, and scarlet robes.

What flags does the Austrian flag look like?

The flags of Austria, Lebanon, and Latvia have a similar look, using red and white, but the symbolism of each has a different meaning. Lebanon's flag has three horizontal stripes: two red stripes at the top and bottom, and a white stripe in the middle with a green cedar tree. The red color symbolizes the blood shed in the struggle for independence, the white color symbolizes peace and the snow-capped peaks of the Lebanese mountains, and the cedar is a traditional Lebanese symbol, a symbol of eternity and strength.

The Latvian flag also consists of three horizontal stripes: two wide dark red stripes and a narrow white stripe in the middle, which is much thinner than the flags of Austria and Lebanon. Legend has it that the dark red color comes from the blood of a Latvian soldier who was wounded and wrapped in a white cloth that was soaked in blood, leaving only a white stripe in the center. The Austrian flag inspired the Stars and Stripes, the official national flag of the United States of America. And on European inland waterways, the “No Trespassing” sign is used, which has the same design as the Austrian flag.

A brief history of the Austrian flag

The Austrian flag with red, white, and red stripes was created by Frederick II the Warrior in the 13th century as a symbol of the independence of the Duchy of Austria. The first images of the flag date back to 1254, where it depicts Count Otto von Plain und Gardek calling himself "Signifer Austriae". This flag had red, white and scarlet stripes and was used for many centuries.

In 1786, Emperor Joseph II introduced a new naval flag with a crowned shield that had red, white, and red stripes in the Babenberg colors. During the military monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the flags bore the image of a double-headed eagle. Modern military flags are used to convey the morale of previous military branches and to maintain a connection with the ruling house and the nation.

After the proclamation of the Austrian Republic in 1918, there was an incident when red flags were raised instead of the red, white, and red flags. This caused a crisis of national symbolism, as the image of the white stripe was demolished. For the first time since World War II, the red, white, and red colors were restored as a symbol of Austrian national independence in 1945, which made the nation feel strong and confident. This was confirmed by the State Treaty of 1955, which enshrined the country's full independence.