Flag of Liechtenstein
The national flag of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Template:Langx) consists of two horizontal bands, one blue and one red, charged with a gold crown in the canton. In use since 1852 and officially enshrined into the nation's constitution in 1921, it has been the flag of the principality since that year. The crown was added to the flag in 1937, after the country discovered at the Summer Olympics held the previous year that their flag was identical to the Haitian civil flag. A design with a modified crown was adopted on 30 June 1982.[1]
History
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Liechtenstein was established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in 1719 and gained its complete independence from the German Confederation in 1866.[2] Within this period, the new livery colours of blue and red, were first utilized by Prince Joseph Wenzel I in 1764.[3] In 1852, these colours were selected to be featured on the flag, instead of the gold and red from the coat of arms which were customarily employed with two horizontal bands and was used as the national flag from Liechtenstein’s creation until 1852, when the yellow was swapped out for blue.[4]
A new constitution for the Principality was formulated and proclaimed in October 1921.[3][5] It made the blue and red banner the national flag by granting it "official status".[3] Fifteen years later, during the 1936 Summer Olympics, the country came to the realization that its flag was identical to the flag of Haiti (Haiti took part in the Opening Ceremony but its sole athlete did not compete). Because of this finding, the government added the prince's crown to the canton.[3][6][7] This change served two purposes – to signify Liechtenstein's position as a principality, and to distinguish its flag from Haiti's.[6][8] This modified design was adopted on 24 June 1937.[8] A design with a modified crown was adopted on 30 June 1982.
Design
[edit]Construction
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Symbolism
[edit]The colours and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The blue represents the sky, while red alludes to the "evening fires" that are lit inside houses throughout the country.[3] The crown is gold[6][7] or yellow[3] in colour.[8]
Color scheme
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| File:Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Colour scheme |
Blue | Red | Yellow | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAL | 5010 | 3020 | 1016 | 9005 |
| CMYK | 100-70-0-50 | 0-96-84-19 | 0-15-77-0 | 0-0-0-100 |
| HEX | #002780 | #CF0921 | #FFD93B | #000000 |
| RGB | 0-39-128 | 207-9-33 | 255-217-59 | 0-0-0 |
Other flags of Liechtenstein
[edit]Government flags
[edit]| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Liechtenstein princelystandard 1912.png | 1912–1957 | Standard of the Prince of Liechtenstein | |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (1719–1852).svg | 1957–1982 | Standard of the Prince of Liechtenstein | |
| File:Standard of the Prince of Liechtenstein.svg | 1982–present | Standard of the Prince of Liechtenstein | |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (state).svg | 1982–present | Standard of the Government of Liechtenstein | |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein princely house.svg | Banner of the Princely House of Liechtenstein | ||
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein princely house pennant.svg | Pennant | ||
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein princely house vertical.svg | Vertical |
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Municipal flags
[edit]Each of the eleven municipalities has its own flag, all flown as vertical banners.
Historical flags
[edit]| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (unknown-1719) 1.svg | 1437–1719 | Lordship of Schellenberg | |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (unknown-1719) 2.svg | 1342–1719 | County of Vaduz | |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (1719-1852).svg | 1719–1852 | Principality of Liechtenstein | Two horizontal gold and red bands at 3:5 proportions |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (1852-1921).svg | 1852–1921 | Principality of Liechtenstein | Two vertical blue and red bands at 3:5 proportions |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (1921-1937).svg | 1921–1937 | Principality of Liechtenstein | Two horizontal blue and red bands at 3:5 proportions |
| File:Flag of Liechtenstein (1937-1982).svg | 1937–1982 | Principality of Liechtenstein | Two horizontal blue and red bands at 3:5 proportions, and princely crown in the canton |
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References
[edit]- ↑ "Flags, Symbols, & Currencies of Liechtenstein". WorldAtlas. 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
- ↑ "Liechtenstein profile". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Smith, Whitney (July 17, 2013). "Flag of Liechtenstein". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved June 26, 2014. (subscription required)
- ↑ Crouch, Alex, ed. (2015). "Flag of Liechtenstein". Flag Institute. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ "History of Liechtenstein". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Liechtenstein". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rainey, Venetia (July 24, 2012). "Flag bearing: a potted history". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Kindersley, Dorling (November 3, 2008). Complete Flags of the World. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 148. ISBN 9781405338615. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Liechtenstein. |
- Template:FOTW
- Original Law text (in German)