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The flag is a real Slavic ancient one. Real Russian flag

2010 marked the 90th anniversary of the creation of the modern flag of the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia).

It’s funny that its colors are like that, because the Czechs were ahead of the Poles, taking the Czech range of national colors.

Read more about this, as well as how the Slavic states divided the colors for flags, in our review (Broadcast of the Russian service of the Czech foreign broadcasting “Radio Prague” on this topic dated May 29, 2010..

We’ll also talk about pan-Slavic flags of Slavic states and pan-Slavic colors. In this regard, we will look at the history of the flag of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Slovakia.

Note that the topic of Pan-Slavic flags and Pan-Slavic colors is not so simple: not only are such flags confused. It's funny that the almost identical flags of a number of Slavic countries are not always inspired by the ideas of Pan-Slavism, as they usually think about it in Russia.

Pan-Slavic flags of Slavic states and Pan-Slavic colors. How does the history of the flag of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Slovakia relate to this?

Pan-Slavic flags and Pan-Slavic colorseta: Pan-Slavic fl they are confused, and the almost identical flags of a number of Slavic countries are not always inspired by the ideas of Pan-Slavism, as is usually thought in Russia.

You can often hear that many Slavic countries adopted the colors of their national flags from Russia, because... in the second half of the 19th century, when the Slavic countries (particularly in the Balkans) gained independence, Russia and its trade flag were incredibly popular in the Slavic world.

Indeed, in 1848, in Prague, on the initiative of Czech supporters of Pan-Slavism (i.e., the idea of unity and brotherhood of all Slavs of the world) and with the permission of the imperial authorities of Austria-Hungary, the First Slavic Congress was held, at which the so-called Pan-Slavic flag: tricolor with three equal-sized horizontal stripes: a blue stripe on top, a white stripe in the middle and a red stripe at the bottom.

This flag was suspiciously reminiscent of the then trade flag of the Russian Empire, introduced by Tsar Peter I: a tricolor of three horizontal equal stripes of white, blue and red.

At the same time, we recall that the idea of such a tricolor in Russia was borrowed from the Netherlands.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich wanted to take the flag of the Netherlands as a basis for the Russian flag, but in practice and on a large scale this idea was implemented in 1699-1700. Peter I, who admired the Dutch and personally drew a sketch of the Russian tricolor, but in a modified form. The flag of the Netherlands has colors in a different order: red at the top, white in the middle, and blue at the bottom.

However, it cannot be said that even those Slavic countries that adopted white, blue and red colors for their flags did so based solely on pan-Slavic colors A.

At the same time, many Slavic countries used colors for their national flags that are not Pan-Slavic: for example, green (although there are also white and red colors, precisely as echoes of the ideas of Pan-Slavism and sympathy for Russia, although this is not officially recognized) , or the golden color on the blue and gold flag of Ukraine.

But we repeat, even those Slavic countries that adopted exclusively white, blue and red colors for their flags did so for various reasons.

History of the flag of Slovenia

History of the flag of Slovenia throughout history.

History of the flag of Slovenia throughout history. Here our illustration shows the origin of the flag of Slovenia.

Image No. 1: Coat of arms of the Austrian Duchy of Carniolia (Carniolia, 1364-1918), an area where mainly Slovenes lived within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It is from the colors of this coat of arms, and not from the identical colors of the trade flag of the Russian Empire (now the flag of Russia), that the colors of the flag of Slovenia come.

This version of the origin of the flag of Slovenia is also given on the official websites of the government (the official electronic brochure “Slovenian symbols. Songs of Freedom”) and the Slovenian parliament, contrary to what they think about it in Russia;

Images No. 2. and 3. respectively: Flags of the aforementioned Duchy of Carniola that existed before 1918 and the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia that existed after World War II (1946-1991);

Image No. 4 shows the modern (2014) flag of the Republic of Slovenia, adopted in 1991.

This flag bears the coat of arms of Slovenia with Mount Triglav - the highest peak in Slovenia, with two wavy blue lines symbolizing the sea and rivers, as well as three golden six-pointed stars arranged in a triangle, taken from the coat of arms of the local medieval rulers, the Counts of Celje.

For example, Slovenia, as officially stated, adopted a white-blue-red tricolor because... in the distant past, these colors were present on the historical flags of one of its lands, and this has nothing to do with the Russian flag.

Official brochure “Slovenian symbols. Songs of Freedom" (“Slovenian symbols. Songs of Freedom”), released by the Slovenian government communications office in 2011, noting the similarity of the Slovenian flag with the flags of Slovakia and Russia, writes:

“Have you heard that the three equal-sized horizontal stripes of white, blue and red on the Slovenian flag are the same as on the flag of Russia and Slovakia?

So, the national flag of Slovenia consists of three horizontal stripes of the same size but different colors: a white stripe on top, blue in the middle, and red at the bottom. In the upper left corner of the flag, between the white and blue stripes, is the coat of arms of Slovenia.

The white, blue and red color palette of the flag of Slovenia is based on the colors of the coat of arms of the historical region of Carniolia.

During the European People's Revolution of 1948, the Slovenians chose their national colors (i.e. white, blue and red. Website note) and submitted them for approval to the administration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, of which Slovenia was then a part.

On September 23, 1848, the white-blue-red tricolor was officially proclaimed the Slovenian national flag, and a few months later the new flag, proudly displayed on Wolfova ulica, welcomed the people to Ljubljana for the first time.

After World War II, the tricolor flag became the basis for the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During this period, the Slovenian flag was supplemented with a large red star. After the declaration of independence of Slovenia on June 25, 1991, the new coat of arms took the place of the star on the Slovenian flag.” End of quote.

In turn, the website of državni zbor (Parliament of Slovenia) writes: “the colors of the flag of Slovenia originate from the colors of the medieval coat of arms of the Principality of Carniola. In 1836 they were recognized by the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I as the flowers of the Carniola region, and in 1848 this color scheme was approved by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.”

Let us remember that the historical region of the Carnivo mentioned here is the territory that makes up the bulk of modern Slovenia, and the Slovenian nation was associated with the Austrian statehood for the last hundreds of years and until the end of the First World War. With the exception of the early Slovenian state, which was eventually subjugated by the Avars, the Slovenes until recently did not have their own statehood, and their historical region of Carniola over the past 700 years (with a break of several years of Napoleonic occupation), and until 1918, was owned by the Austrian Habsburgs.

The coat of arms of the Austrian Duchy of Carniola (it was abolished in 1918, and then became part of the Slavic State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (KSHS) under the control of the Serbian royal dynasty, in the KSHS the Slovenes did not have their own symbols) was a blue eagle on a white background with a red -golden crescent on the chest (). It can be said that the white-blue-red color palette on the flags of Slovenia, including the flag of the modern Republic of Slovenia, simply coincides with pan-Slavic colors, experts say. However, it should be noted that on the crescent of the Krajina coat of arms, white fragments were often replaced with golden fragments, as a sign of the German-Austrian affiliation of this region.

The modern flag of Slovenia (2014) can be distinguished from similar flags of other Slavic countries only by the coat of arms: This is an image of Mount Triglav - the highest peak in Slovenia, with two wavy blue lines symbolizing the sea and rivers, as well as three golden six-pointed stars located in in the form of a triangle, taken from the coat of arms of the local medieval rulers, the Counts of Celje.

History of the flag of Serbia

History of the flag of Serbia throughout history.

In the image under No. 1: The oldest of all known flags of Serbia, this is the flag of the Serbian ruler Stefan Vladislav I (reigned 1234 -1243).

The colors of this flag may have been taken into account to a small extent when creating the flag of the first independent Serbian state in modern history - the Principality of Serbia (pictured No. 2.), after this principality received autonomy from the Ottoman Empire in 1835. (Note in parentheses that the so-called Serbian cross was placed as a coat of arms on the flag of the Principality of Serbia).

It is believed that the choice of the color scheme of the stripes of the flag of the Principality of Serbia was mainly influenced by sympathy for Russia and its then flag (known as the national (commercial) flag of the Russian Empire; identical to the modern Russian flag), as well as sympathy for the ideals of the French Revolution and the French tricolor .

Since then, the flag of the Serbian state has always been three equal horizontal stripes of the so-called. Pan-Slavic colors (red, blue and white), regardless of the political regime. Since then, one or another political regime of Serbia has conveyed its presence on the country’s flag not by changing the colors of the flag, but by changing the coat of arms on it, or using a flag without a coat of arms;

In the image No. 3: Flag of the Principality of Serbia from 1835 to 1882;

Image no. 4: Flag of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1882 to 1918. (i.e. from the moment of the transformation of Serbia into a kingdom and until the formation of the united South Slavic Kingdom of Yugoslavia). The flag of the Kingdom of Serbia differs from previous Serbian flags in its coat of arms: the coat of arms depicts a double-headed eagle (Serbian heraldry adopted the eagle even before the Turkish invasion from Byzantium);

In image No. 5: Flag of the Socialist Republic of Serbia during communist Yugoslavia (which existed throughout the post-war period and until 1991); In image No. 6: Flag of Serbia as part of post-communist Yugoslavia (1992-2004);

In the image No. 7: The modern flag of the Republic of Serbia. It largely replicates the flag of the Kingdom of Serbia. The same Byzantine eagle on the coat of arms, located in the center of the flag, but the colors of the flag did not change.

Flag of the former communist Yugoslavia (1945-1991)

The flag of the former communist Yugoslavia (1945-1991) was a blue-white-red banner, the so-called. Pan-Slavic flowers (Image No. 2.).

The same applied to the flag that preceded communist Yugoslavia - the flag of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (original name: State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs), which existed in 1918-1941. (Image #1.).

Flag of Serbia. The history of the flag of Serbia is perhaps the only one of the histories of the flags of the above-mentioned states that can be directly related to the ideas of Pan-Slavism.

The flag of Serbia was first adopted in 1835, five years after the first Serbian principality was re-established following nearly 300 years of direct Turkish occupation of Serbia. This state was not completely independent; formally it was under the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire (Full independence of Serbia would be achieved only after almost fifty years).

And then in Article 1 of the Constitution of 1835 (known as the Sretejski Charter, this is the first Constitution of Serbia in history), which determined the flag of Serbia, it was stated that “the status of the Serbian state depends on the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Tsar.” The Constitution of 1835 also specified that the flag of Serbia was red, white and azure.

Wherein it is believed that the choice of colors of the Serbian flag adopted in1835., was influenced not only by sympathy for Russia and its then flag (known as the national (commercial) flag of the Russian Empire; identical to the modern Russian flag), but also by sympathy for the ideals of the French Revolution and the French tricolor. Also, perhaps the description of the oldest of all known flags of Serbia was taken into account —flaha Serbian ruler Stefan Vladislav I(reigned 1234−1243). The flag of Vladislav I is described in a written source that has come down to us, dating back to 1281, where it is said about this flag that it is “equally red and blue.”

By the way, the Serbian Constitution of 1835 did not make Russia very happy, as well as Austria and the Ottoman Empire, because it guaranteed basic human rights and freedoms, and in the mentioned countries that guaranteed the existence of the then Serbian state there was no constitution at that time.

Probably, some in Russia at that time were also suspicious of the new Serbian flag, considering that it reflected more the ideas of the French Revolution than the ideas of Pan-Slavism, especially since at that time the colors of Pan-Slavism were not officially declared, because before the First Slavic War mentioned above Congress was still more than ten years away.

Despite the fact that the Serbian Constitution of 1835, adopted by the prince under pressure from local liberals, was repealed just a few weeks after its proclamation, since that time all Serbian states have in their flags a color scheme similar to the first flag of Serbia. But with one change: a white stripe, in order to better comply with the laws of heraldry, is placed at the bottom in all subsequent flags.

So, since 1835, the flag of the Serbian state has always been three equal horizontal stripes of Slavic colors (red, blue and white), regardless of the political regime. Since then, one or another political regime of Serbia has conveyed its presence on the country’s flag not by changing the colors of the flag, but by changing the coat of arms on it, or using a flag without a coat of arms.

From 1835, and during the subsequent period of the Serbian principality under the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire, the coat of arms of Serbia was the Serbian cross; during the period of the Kingdom of Serbia - a double-headed eagle (Serbian heraldry adopted it even before the Turkish invasion from Byzantium); During the period of communist Yugoslavia, the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia was a red star. Let us recall that under Yugoslavia there simultaneously existed both the flag of Serbia as part of Yugoslavia, and the Yugoslav flag itself, which in a different form repeated the traditional colors of the flag of Serbia.

History of the flag of Croatia

History of the flag of Croatia throughout history.

Image No. 1: Flag of Ban Josip Jelačić Bužimski, adopted in 1848.

The red, white and blue stripes of Jelačić's flag are usually derived from the colors of his soldiers' uniforms.

Moreover, the flag of modern Croatia originates precisely from the flag of Ban Jelačić, who ruled Croatia as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thus, the colors of the Croatian flag cannot be derived from pan-Slavic colors.

Under No. 2.: Flag of the Croatian Banovina (autonomy, created in 1939 by agreement with the government in Belgrade) as part of the previously unified State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (KSHS, Kingdom of Yugoslavia), which Croatia joined back in 1918, after the collapse Austria-Hungary;

Under No. 3.: Flag of the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), which existed in 1941-1945. under the patronage of Nazi Germany. The NDH was considered an Ustasha state, from the name of the national Ustasha organization (ustaše - lit. "rebels"), which was its ruling party;

Image No. 4: Flag of the Socialist Republic of Croatia as part of Yugoslavia, which existed after 1945 and until 1991;

Image No. 5: Flag of the modern Republic of Croatia with the coat of arms, which is a shield with a checkerboard (šahovnica), complemented by a stylized crown from the five historical coats of arms of the regions with a Croatian population: Croatia, the Republic of Dubrovnik, Istria, Dalmatia and Slavonia.

The origins of the checkerboard coat of arms are thought to date back to the coat of arms of an independent Croatian principality in the 11th century.

Croatia also does not officially derive the colors of its red-white-blue tricolor from the colors of Pan-Slavism, much less from its sympathies for Russia.

The flag of Croatia has the same color scheme as the flag of Slovenia, just in a different order: the top stripe is red, the middle stripe is white and the bottom stripe is blue.

It is believed that this flag was first created in 1848 by the ban Josip Jelacic (Josip grof Jelačić Bužimski, years of life 1801 - 1859, ban (viceroy) of Croatia from 1848 to 1859, until the time of his death). At the same time, the red, white and blue stripes on the modern flag of Croatia are usually derived from the colors of the uniform of Jelačić’s soldiers. Then Jelacic actively participated in the fight against the Hungarian revolution of 1848 on the side of the Austrian troops.

Ban Josip Jelacic did not share the ideas of Pan-Slavism, he simply wanted to remove Croatia within the framework of Austria-Hungary from the administrative subordination of Hungary.

As is known, since 1102 Croatia was part of the Kingdom of Hungary as an autonomous unit, and after the defeat of the Kingdom of Hungary by the Turks in 1526 at the Battle of Mohács, it found itself divided between the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian Habsburg Empire, under whose speaker the Hungarian statehood was transferred along with the remaining non-Turkish-occupied patches of the former Kingdom of Hungary.

The Austrian emperor was then also proclaimed king of Hungary and Croatia, and his interests in the Banska Region (i.e., most of Croatia) were represented by the ban - the royal governor, in other words, Croatia continued to be part of the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary.

Jelacic failed to free himself from Hungarian influence, and in 1868 the Hungarian element in the Habsburg monarchy was even strengthened: the monarchy became dualistic. Note that at the same time the so-called The Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (existed until 1918), but at the same time the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia was considered the lands of the Hungarian crown with the preservation of self-government but under the control of the Hungarian ministries, and the king of Croatia and Slavonia was the Habsburg Emperor of Austria-Hungary .

At all, like Slovenia, Croatia did not have its own statehood for 700 years. The Croatian principality became part of Hungary, as already mentioned in the 12th century, after which the Croatian lands were always under someone else’s control (even the existence of the trading Republic of Dubrovnik confirmed this fact: it paid tribute to Byzantium, the Ottomans, and the Venetian Republic).

Based on the above, it is not surprising that the soldiers of Ban Jelačić, even in the service of Austria, act as symbols of a rare manifestation of Croatian statehood.

According to the guide to Croatia, published with the participation of the Croatian Ministry of Tourism, “Ban Jelacic led a liberal democratic revolution aimed at liberating Croatia from Hungarian occupation and unifying all Croatian lands.”

In 1918-1941. Croatia was part of the Slavic State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (KSHS, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) under the control of the Serbian royal dynasty), in which it had its own autonomy (banovina) since 1939.

In 1941-1945. there was a so-called Independent state of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) under the patronage of Nazi Germany. Both during the Banovina period of 1939-1941 and during the NDH period, the colors of the Croatian flag did not change, as did the main coat of arms.

Also, during the period of communist Yugoslavia, the Socialist Republic of Croatia (existed in the post-war period, until 1991), had a flag with colors identical to the previous and modern Croatian flags: the same red-white-blue stripes, but with a different coat of arms: a large red five-pointed with a star in the middle, so the flag was very similar to the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia of the same period, it was not for nothing that the countries were part of the same state - Yugoslavia.

And as in the case of Slovenia, the modern flag of Croatia can be distinguished from similar flags of other Slavic countries only by the coat of arms, although very memorable and older than the Croatian flag: the coat of arms is a shield with a checkerboard (šahovnica), complemented by a stylized crown of five historical coats of arms of regions with a Croatian population: Croatia, the Republic of Dubrovnik, Istria, Dalmatia and Slavonia. The origins of the coat of arms with a checkerboard design, according to the mentioned Croatian edition, go back to the coat of arms of the independent Croatian principality of the 11th century.

Like the Czechs with the flag, the Poles were ahead of them, taking away the Czech range of national colors. History of the flag of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. View from Prague

How the Slavic states divided the colors for flags, and here in the illustration: under No. 1: Czech tricolor - the flag of the current Czech Republic, and formerly Czechoslovakia;

No. 2.: The flag that Czechoslovakia dreamed of and even used from 1918 to 1920, but such a flag eventually went to Poland;

No. 3.: Flag of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1939-1945. - the only time the Czech Republic changed its tricolor;

No. 4.: Flag of Slovakia 1939-1945.

During the period of the first independent Slovak state, the Slovaks did not think (like the government in Prague in 1920) that their then flag could be identical to the traditional Russian one (especially since these colors were not used in Soviet Russia at that time). The Slovak state under Tiso 1939-1945 simply used in its flag the traditional colors associated with the Slavic peoples;

No. 5.: Flag of the current independent Slovakia. It has been used since the emergence of this state in 1993.

However, a year earlier, the newly formed Russia began to use its traditional flag again, so the new Slovak state was forced to add to its flag the image of the coat of arms (Trekhgorje, symbolizing the three mountains - Matra, Tatra and Fatra - historical areas inhabited by Slovaks, as well as the Christian cross) .

Let us note that today some other Slavic countries also have problems with the identity of flag colors - Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia.

The color palette of their flags is all white, blue and red.

The flags of Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia differ mainly in their coats of arms, although it must be said that, for example, the Croatian coat of arms on the flag of this country in the form of a checkerboard pattern is memorable and quite difficult to confuse with others (for the history of the flags of Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia, see . in the main text).

The Czech flag was approved by the Parliament of Czechoslovakia in 1920, while in Prague they discovered that they could not use the flag of the Czech national movement: white and red (which was also the symbol of the newborn Czechoslovak Republic from 1918-1920), because Poland has already adopted an identical flag.

After some deliberation, Czechoslovakia got a tricolor - in white, blue and red, i.e. the same colors as the flag of France and the traditional Russian flag, but in Czechoslovakia they were forced to invent a somewhat artificial way of arranging these colors on the flag - the horizontal and vertical stripes simply disappeared - this arrangement was already taken.

The Czechs remained faithful to their tricolor even after 1993, when Slovakia fell away from Czechoslovakia (although the blue color supposedly symbolized Slovakia), as well as during communist times, when the tricolor was the flag of the united Czechoslovak Socialist Republic - Czechoslovakia.

However, we note that the period of the German occupation of the Czech Republic 1939-1945 and the existence of an autonomous Czech state within the Reich - the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, led by President Emil Hacha - was the only time when the tricolor of the government in Prague was somewhat modified, its colors were then simply displayed as horizontal stripes. (Slovakia was an independent state then, as it is now) .

The Russian broadcasting “Radio Prague” talked about the fate of the flag of their country in a program dated 05/29/2010. Also listen to the audio of this broadcast by the Russian service of the Czech foreign broadcasting “Radio Prague” dated 05/29/2010 audio file in the website entry:

audio file No. 1

“The artists of post-war Czechoslovakia (meaning the First World War) faced a difficult task - to create a simple flag, in the traditional Slavic palette, but at the same time unique, unlike the banners of France and Russia. At the same time, do not forget about Slovakia, so that the flag expresses unity with the rest of the young Republic. For the first two years since the formation of the First Republic, Czechoslovakia was represented by a two-color red and white flag - derived from the traditional symbol of the Czech Kingdom - a silver lion on a red background... " At first our national flag was supposed to be white and red, because the white and red banner already existed during the time of Austria-Hungary and bore the colors of the Czech coat of arms.

Czechoslovak legionnaires also marched under banners of the same color. There are documents that say that the Czechs who lived in America created an army of volunteers, which then fought in France.

Then the famous Czech graphic artist Vojtech Preissig proposed a sketch of a flag that was a little reminiscent of the American one. It depicted four stars, which symbolized the Czech Republic, Moravia, Silesia and Slovakia.

However, there are also documents that say that (the first president of independent Czechoslovakia since 1918) Tomas Garrigue Masaryk did not want the flag to have colors other than the traditional red and white,” says Aleš Brozek, director of the North Bohemian Research Library, who studies the history of the Czech flag.

Why was this flag of Czechoslovakia not approved in 1920? It's very simple - the Poles turned out to be more agile - in 1919 they passed a law that approved the white and red flag as the Polish national flag. This was quite logical, since the Polish national coat of arms is a silver eagle on a red background.

Therefore, the Czech commission, consisting of heraldists and archivists, was forced to find a different solution. The solution to this situation was to add blue to the Czechoslovak flag. The fact that the Slovak flag wore red, white and blue also played a role. And it is the blue color on today’s Czech flag that expresses good neighborliness with the Slovaks.

“However, it was not easy at all. Many counter-offers appeared. This was greatly influenced by the deputies in the Constitutional Committee, who put forward their proposals and wanted to advance due to this.

The first sketch was slightly different from the adopted flag. Although it had a blue wedge, it was short and reached only a third of the length of the flag.

In January 1920, the artist František Kisela proposed to the commission members to extend the length of the blue wedge to the middle of the flag, thus improving the aesthetic appearance of the sketch. And already at the March meetings of the Revolutionary National Assembly, this sketch was approved,” continues Ales Brozek.

In view of all the difficulties with creating a new flag, a specially established commission began to deal with this issue. Various options were weighed. All kinds of “striped” ones were immediately discarded.

As a result, they came to the conclusion: place some blue heraldic symbol on the red and white flag. Options considered included cross, circle, rafter and wedge.

They say that the artist Frantisek Kisela placed various versions of the flag on the ship, and then the commission observed how it looked from afar. Then it was important to create a new flag for the newly formed young state, so there was no special mention about the author of the sketch - he seemed to get lost in the significance of his creation. And only later, at the end of the twentieth century, the question arose: who really is the author of the Czech tricolor?

“Then it didn’t matter at all who the author was - a new symbol was created. Therefore, it turned out that in the 1960s a number of articles were published saying that the author of our flag was the artist Jaroslav Yaresh, and that the flag appeared during an artist competition. We began to take an interest in this issue and found in the National Archives all the documents relating to the adoption of new state symbols.

From this it became obvious that the author of the Czech flag was a group of heraldists and archivists, among whom was a man named Jaroslav Kursa, who was very good at drawing. It was he who sketched out all the proposals and ideas so that the commission members could evaluate whether the sketch was suitable or not.”

So, the Czech flag as we know it today was adopted by law on March 30, 1920. During the division of Czechoslovakia, the flag passed to the Czech Republic, despite the fact that the Slovaks tried to prevent this, appealing to the law, which had a provision that limitrophe borders from Lat. limitrophus - border) states do not have the right to inherit the symbols of the federation.

“So the Czech deputies in the Czech National Council acted a little treacherously when, in December 1992, when they voted that from January 1, 1993, with the emergence of a new state, the old Czechoslovak flag would become the national flag G».

Of course, the symbolism of the Czech flag is interesting. But even here researchers cannot come to a consensus.

According to the most popular version, the blue wedge on the Czech flag signifies the Slovak Three Mountains, which gave the flag a Slovak format in 1920. (The image of the three mountains, symbolizing the three mountains - Matra, Tatra and Fatra, inhabited by the Slovaks of the region, can be seen on the flag of modern independent Slovakia. Note website). Moreover, blue is also the color of a number of Moravian banners.

However, some people, especially from church circles, criticized the wedge. In their opinion, he resembled free masons, that is, Freemasons, who played a significant role in the emergence of Czechoslovakia. For example, the Minister of Finance Alois Rashin was a famous Freemason.

“In some books they write that red is the color of our blood, and white is the purity of our thoughts. The same symbolism was present in the Czech white and red flag. Well, as for the rest - this is no longer about symbolism - some people have problems when they hang out our flag or when they draw it. Sometimes people get confused about where the red color should be - at the top or at the bottom. There is a good mnemonic for this. A person should imagine a mug of beer with white foam on top and yellow foam, as if red, at the bottom.

My father, an artist, taught me another mnemonic aid. He said: “If you paint a red stripe on top with watercolors, the red paint will flow down onto the white color and ruin the drawing, but if it’s the other way around, you’ll get a beautiful picture,” Aleš Brozek continues the story.

It turns out that sometimes, if the flag is hung vertically, problems also arise - where should the red stripe be - on the right or on the left? The correct option is the white stripe on the left, and the red stripe on the right from the perspective of the person who is looking at the flag,” reported the Russian service of the Czech foreign broadcasting “Radio Prague” on 05/29/2010.

History of the flag of Slovakia

And now to the flag of Slovakia, which we already started talking about above. The flag of Slovakia, with three equal-sized horizontal stripes: a white stripe at the top, a blue stripe in the middle, and a red stripe at the bottom, is identical to the design of the national (commercial) flag of the Russian Empire and the modern flag of Russia.

The Slovak flag can be distinguished from the current Russian one only by the coat of arms placed on it.

The Slovak coat of arms contains an image of the Lorraine cross on top of three mountains. The cross symbolizes the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius to spread Christianity during their missionary trips to the Danube lands, now known as Slovakia. The three mountains symbolize the three levels of the Carpathians: Lesser Tatras, High Tatras and Lesser Fatras, an area long inhabited by Slovaks.

Thus the coat of arms of Slovakia represents both the spirituality and geography of the Slovak people.

It is believed that Slovak symbols were brought back to life in 1848 by Ludovit Štúr (Ľudovít Štúr, lived 1815-1856), a teacher of the Slovak language, journalist and member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Hungary, and his circle.

The stamp of the Slovak city of Nitra from the time of the Hungarian king Béla IV was taken as the basis. (1235-1270) with the image of a white double cross in a scarlet (dark red) field. It is also believed that in those ancient times the flag of the Slovak regions consisted of two horizontal stripes: white and red.

Stuhr was an opponent of Hungarian hegemony. In general, the history of Slovakia was similar to Slovenian. Slovakia had an independent state, namely the so-called. the state of Samo and Great Moravia, only in ancient times.

Then for almost 1000 years Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Ottoman Empire occupied most of the territory of the former Kingdom of Hungary, and Bratislava (Presburg) in the period 1531–1783. became the capital of the unoccupied part of Hungary (part of the Habsburg Monarchy). At that time, meetings of the Hungarian parliament were held in Bratislava and the coronation of the Habsburgs with the crown of the Kingdom of Hungary as part of Austria-Hungary took place.

After 1686 Hungary was again retaken by the Habsburgs from the Turks. Slovakia continued to be considered part of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary. In 1848, the Slovaks rebelled against Hungarian rule and fought on the side of Austria. During the uprising, the Slovaks used a two-color (red and white) flag, and a blue stripe was added a few years later, taking the Russian flag as a model, because Russians were considered protectors of the Slavs.

Similar to today's flag of Slovakia (but without a coat of arms on it) was the flag of the independent so-called. the first Slovak Republic (1939-1945), at a time when the Czech Republic and Moravia were occupied by the Third Reich, Slovakia was able to become an independent country for the first time in 1000 years, albeit under German protectorate.

The year before, the newly formed Russia began to use its traditional white-blue-red flag again, so the new Slovak state was forced to add an image of the coat of arms to its historical flag.

The history of the flag of our Motherland is not only interesting, but, I would say, even unique. Raising the flag as part of major state events, with the participation of top officials of the state, is always accompanied by the performance of the country's national anthem. This ceremony rightfully marks the greatness of the state and its history.

And in general, there is no flag on the planet that does not represent some kind of ambition, pride, greatness. And all of them, no matter monochrome or with a complex pattern, with stripes or patterns, with stars or crosses, have their own history.

Initially, the ancient Slavs used the word “flag” instead of the word “flag”, which comes from “to pull together, to gather a squad.” The banner always marked the middle of the army. He was guarded by the best heroes, who were called “Styagovniki”. The task of the bannerman was not only to hold the banner at all costs in battle, but also to use it to give signs to the entire army. If the banner had a slight tilt towards the enemy, then the enemy was pushed through in battle; if the squad was defeated (the banner fell, was not held properly, or special signals were given), then the princes also saw this and made proactive decisions.

The oldest banner and symbol of our ancestors, which was used long before the Baptism of Rus', was a red cloth with a pagan symbol personifying the god Svarog. According to a number of versions, Svarog personified the sun in a clear sky, giving life on earth (red color). Later, the symbol of Svarog was replaced by an image of the sun. And, since the Slavs more than once had to defend themselves and their land, such a banner logically identified the modern expression “For the Motherland!”

From that time, even after the Baptism of Rus', the traditional banner continued to be red. For many centuries, Russian squads under the leadership of Svyatoslav the Great, Dmitry Donskoy, and Ivan the Terrible fought under red wedge-shaped banners. This is also confirmed by the drawings on the most famous monument of ancient Russian literature - the chronicle “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, that in the 11th-12th centuries in Rus' there were mainly triangular banners, predominantly red.

Traditionally red, but with the image of Christ, Russian regiments marched to storm Kazan. And in the chronicle of 1522 about the siege of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible it says: “...And the sovereign ordered the Christian cherubs to unfurl, that is, the banner, on them the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, Not Made by Hands.” It is worth noting that it was after

At the baptism of Rus', the banner began to be called “banner,” which comes from the word “sign.” In essence, the banner is a banner, but with the image of Orthodox faces - George, Christ, the Virgin Mary. From the time of the great princes who united Rus' until the era of Peter I, Russian soldiers marched under such banners. Under Tsarina Sophia Alekseevna, it took part in the Crimean campaigns, and under Peter I himself it brought success in the first Azov campaign and in the war with the Swedes.

In preparation for the second Azov campaign, Peter I in 1696, in the best traditions of his ancestors, made a banner with a central part and a slope. Made of red taffeta with images of saints, it was complemented by a double-headed eagle holding spears entwined with ribbons and a sea with sailing ships. But the banner did not “live” long due to the euphoria that overwhelmed Peter I throughout Europe.

The order stated: “On ceremonial occasions, when it is considered possible to allow the decoration of buildings with flags, only the Russian flag was used, consisting of three stripes: the top - white, the middle - blue and the bottom - red.”

What is noteworthy here is that this decision was preceded by a number of important events, disputes and even meetings. I will tell you about the most important of them.

Back on April 9, 1667, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet), the State Moscow colors were established: black (red), white and azure (blue).

It is difficult to say today on what basis these colors were chosen, but there are a number of assumptions:

1. Supporters of this point of view believe that the correlation of the colors of the flag is associated with the historical regions of the Russian Empire: White, Little and Great Rus', which is confirmed by the full title of the tsars and emperors of Russia: “All Great, and Little and White Russia”, symbolizing the unity of the Great Russians , Little Russians and Belarusians.

2. Others believe that everything is much simpler. White is interpreted as the color of freedom and the Orthodox faith, blue is the color of royal power, and red from time immemorial has personified the Russian people.

3. There are those who argue that the colors were chosen according to the Old Slavonic principle, where white meant faith, frankness and nobility, blue meant chastity, honesty and fidelity, and red was endowed with courage, love of life and one’s land.

It is believed that it was Quiet who introduced the word “flag” into the Russian language to replace the established term “banner”, which was derived from the Dutch name for pure wool worsted fabric “flagtuh”, which, due to its special strength, was used by Europeans to make flags.

Then Peter I, trying to make Russia a great European power, began to “practice” in creating flags for the Russian fleet and ground forces. And Peter I “made” a great many flags; almost every regiment of the Life Guards had its own banners. For example, the Preobrazhensky Regiment had as many as 16 banners in 1700.

And before the Kerch campaign, Peter I himself drew another design of a flag for Russian ships, the same “today’s” three horizontal stripes of white, blue and red, and set off under this flag. After the campaign, by separate decrees, this flag became the banner of the entire naval and civil fleet of the country.

After the end of the Patriotic War of 1812 with Napoleonic France, a black, yellow and white flag symbolizing the Romanov dynasty began to be flown in Russia on special days. By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, it was introduced as the official coat of arms. The black, yellow and white banner was based on the Russian imperial heraldic tradition: black from the double-headed eagle, yellow from the golden field of the coat of arms, and white from the color of St. George.

And already in 1883, at the behest of Emperor Alexander III, Peter’s white-blue-red naval tricolor appeared in the “arena” as the state one.

However, both flags continued to share the right to be state flags until 1896, since there was no resolution to abolish the previously designated black-yellow-white flag. And at all national events and celebrations, black-yellow-white and white-blue-red flags began to be hung on the facades of houses.

But the presence of two flags drove many historians and critics into a frenzy and literally led to the formation of two camps. Some diligently tried to show that the white-blue-red version has no Russian roots. For example, the Western philosopher Belinsky V.G. He has stated more than once that “all efforts to pass off the white-blue-red colors as original Russian colors are just completely fruitless work”, that under the black-yellow-white flag Russia has not lost a single war. Others snapped that there could be nothing originally Slavic or Russian in general in a black flag.

Nicholas II put an end to all disputes before his coronation in March 1896. On his personal initiative, a special meeting was held “on the issue of the Russian national flag.” As a result of many hours of discussion, it was decided that “the white-blue-red flag has every reason to be called Russian, or national, and its colors: white, blue and red - to be called state.” After which, on April 29, 1896, Nicholas II announced that “the national flag in all cases is the white-blue-red flag, all other flags should not be allowed.”

And just recently in Donetsk the results of the competition for the best state symbols of the Union of New Russia were summed up. Where white, yellow and black colors began to be called the state colors of the flag of New Russia. As the competition commission explains, “today’s Novorossiya chose the white-yellow-black state flag not by chance, because the connection of its own history is always inseparable from the history of the Russian state and will always be so.”

In 1917, after the February Revolution, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and the revolution itself took place not under the national, but under the red flag. The white opposition defended itself to the last under the white-blue-red banner, considering it a true national shrine. And Soviet Russia, after an almost 700-year break, again returned the old Russian red and gold colors as the official symbols on the state flag.

In 1924, when the USSR was formed, the official flag of the state became a red flag with a golden sickle and hammer and a red star framed in gold.

Under these flowers, the Russian people won another great victory in their and world history over fascist Germany, just as in 1242, Prince Alexander Nevsky, who entered into battle with dog knights under red and gold flags, just as on the Kulikovo Field the enemy was defeated under red banners.

Times changed, eras passed, and with them the flags. Thus, after the controversial changes of August 1991, the official flag of our country again became the white-blue-red tricolor.

By the way, this is what the flag of the Russian Armed Forces looks like now:

In ancient times, instead of the words “flag” and “banner”, the word “banner” was used, because an army was gathered under it. The flag marked the middle of a huge army. He was guarded by heroes - styagovniki. From afar it was clear whether the squad was suffering defeat (the banner fell) or whether the battle was going well (the banner “stretched out like clouds”) The banner comes from the word “sign”, these are banners with the image of Orthodox faces - George, Christ, the Virgin Mary. Since ancient times, great princes have gone on campaigns under such banners. The traditional banner for Rus' is red. For many centuries, squads fought under wedge-shaped banners, with pommels in the form of a spear with a crossbar, that is, in the shape of a cross. Svyatoslav the Great, Dmitry Donskoy, Ivan the Terrible led squads under red flags.

1 VIII century - 988. Kolovrat

The oldest Russian and Slavic flag, which depicts the pagan symbol of the sun - Kolovrat on a red background. It was used more as a talisman. The flag was used until the baptism of Rus' in 988 by Prince Vladimir I.

2 966 - 988. Banner with bident

The vuzubets was a symbol of the Khazar Kaganate. Prince Svyatoslav the Great, after the destruction of the Khaganate, introduced banners with images of a bident, as a symbol of victory over Khazaria. The banners with bidents were transformed into the image of Rarog on the coat of arms of Vladimir I.

3 XI - XII centuries. Scarlet Banner

Scarlet banners were used in Rus' in the 11th-12th centuries. There were mostly red triangular banners, although there were yellow, green, white, and black banners.

4 Banner of Ivan the Terrible

Traditionally red with the image of Christ. In 1552, Russian regiments marched under him for a victorious assault on Kazan. The chronicle record of the siege of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible (1552) says: “and the sovereign ordered the Christian cherubs to unfurl, that is, the banner, on them the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, Not Made by Hands.” This banner accompanied the Russian army for a century and a half. Under Tsarina Sophia Alekseevna, it visited the Crimean campaigns, and under Peter I - in the Azov campaign and in the war with the Swedes.

5 Flag of Alexei Mikhailovich

Before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Russia did not have a single state banner. Zhruzhina used various symbols to identify her folk, Russian essence - banners, icons, Cossack horsetails, banners of streltsy regiments. The first state flag was created in the likeness of the Streltsy banners. The flag of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich is deeply symbolic. It is based on the Cross. Thus, this flag indicates the mission of Russia in the universe, as the last bearer of the true faith - Orthodoxy.

6 Armorial banner of Peter I

The coat of arms of Peter I (1696) was red with a white border; in the center was a golden eagle soaring over the sea, on the eagle’s chest in a circle the Savior, next to Saints Peter and Paul, the Holy Spirit. But this banner was not destined to last long; Peter I created new banners and flags with new symbols.

7 Tricolor

Peter I, abandoning everything Russian and introducing European things, also abandoned the cross on the state flag, replacing it with three parallel stripes based on the model of enlightened Europe. He drew the pattern with his own hands and determined the order of the horizontal stripes on the flag. Also, the Russian tricolor flag became the basis for the national flags of other Slavic peoples, who saw and see in Russia their only protector. The tricolor, introduced by Peter I as part of the standard of the Moscow Tsar and the army banner, became the ship flag of Russia in 1705, and was used until 1917 of the year.

8 Naval standard of Peter I

A black eagle in a yellow field, with the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, which has three crowns: two royal and one imperial, on the chest of which is St. George with a serpent. Eagle holds maps of the White Caspian, Azov and Baltic seas.

9 Imperial Standard (1721-1742)

The imperial standard was used from the creation of the Russian Empire until the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna. The standard was made of yellow cloth with a modified image of an eagle from the former naval standard.

10 State Banner of the Russian Empire 1742−1858

In 1742, in connection with the upcoming coronation of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the state banner of the Russian Empire was made, which became one of the insignias and was used at ceremonies, coronations, and burials of emperors. It consisted of a yellow panel with an image on both sides of a black double-headed eagle surrounded by oval shields with 31 coats of arms, symbolizing the kingdoms, principalities and lands mentioned in the imperial title.

11 St. Andrew's flag

In 1712, a new, “St. Andrew’s” flag flew over the naval ships - white with an azure cross, in honor of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The Apostle Andrew the First-Called was crucified on an oblique cross. For this reason, Christians associate the oblique cross with the name of this apostle. Andrew the First-Called in his wanderings reached the shores of the Black Sea and baptized the ancient Rus. In Rus' they were proud that the beginning of Russian Christianity was connected with the actions of the very first of Christ’s disciples. After this change, the Russian fleet began to win decisive victories in naval battles.

12 Flag of the Romanov dynasty

For the first time in Russia, the black-yellow-white flag began to be flown on special days after 1815, following the end of the Patriotic War with Napoleonic France. By decree of Alexander II of June 11, 1858, it was introduced as a “heraldry” flag. The designer of the flag was probably B. Kene. The black-yellow-white banner is based on the Russian heraldic tradition. Its black color is from the double-headed eagle, yellow is from the golden field coat of arms, and white is the color of St. George.

13 Tricolor with eagle

In 1914, by a special circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a new national white-blue-red flag was introduced “for use in private life” with a yellow square with a black double-headed eagle added at the top of the staff (a composition corresponding to the palace standard of the emperor); the eagle was depicted without titular coats of arms on its wings; the square overlapped the white and about a quarter of the blue stripes of the flag. The new flag was not introduced as mandatory; its use was only “allowed.” The symbolism of the flag emphasized the unity of the king with the people.

14 Flag of the USSR 1924

The flag was a red rectangular panel with an image in the upper corner, near the shaft, of a golden sickle and hammer and above them a red five-pointed star framed by a gold border. It was “a symbol of the state sovereignty of the USSR and the unbreakable alliance of workers and peasants in the struggle to build a communist society.” The red color of the flag is a symbol of the heroic struggle of the Soviet people to build socialism and communism; the hammer and sickle mean the unshakable alliance of the working class and the collective farm peasantry. The red five-pointed star on the flag of the USSR is a symbol of the final triumph of the ideas of communism on the five continents of the globe.

15 Flag of Russia 1993 - present

The official state symbol of the Russian Federation, along with the coat of arms and anthem. It is a rectangular panel of three equal horizontal stripes: the top is white, the middle is blue and the bottom is red. Many symbolic meanings are attributed to the colors of the flag, but there is no official interpretation of the colors of the State Flag of the Russian Federation.

The most popular decryption is as follows:

White color symbolizes nobility and frankness;
Blue color - fidelity, honesty, impeccability and chastity;
Red color - courage, boldness, generosity and love.

Raising the flag as part of major state events, with the participation of top officials of the state, is always accompanied by the performance of the country's national anthem. This ceremony rightfully marks the greatness of the state and its history.

Initially, the ancient Russians used the word “flag” instead of the word “flag”, which comes from “to pull together, to gather a squad.” The banner always marked the middle of the army. He was guarded by the best heroes, who were called “Styagovniki”. The task of the bannerman was not only to hold the banner at all costs in battle, but also to use it to give signs to the entire army. If the banner had a slight tilt towards the enemy, then the enemy was pushed through in battle; if the squad was defeated (the banner fell, was not held properly, or special signals were given), then the princes also saw this and made proactive decisions.

In essence, the banner is a banner, but with the image of Orthodox faces - George, Christ, the Virgin Mary. From the time of the great princes who united Rus' until the era of Peter I, Russian soldiers marched under such banners. Under Tsarina Sophia Alekseevna, it took part in the Crimean campaigns, and under Peter I himself it brought success in the first Azov campaign and in the war with the Swedes.

In Russia, until 1858, military squads, although they used common symbols that made it possible to identify the nation-wide, Russian essence, still did not have a single state national banner. And only in 1883, despite all the disputes and debates among historians and heraldists, Emperor Alexander III, with the “Command on flags for decorating buildings on special occasions,” ordered the white-blue-red tricolor, which is familiar to us today, to be recognized as the national flag of the country. The order stated: “On special occasions, when it is considered possible to allow the decoration of buildings with flags, we use exclusively the Russian flag, consisting of three stripes: the upper one is white, the middle one is blue and the lower one is red.”

What is noteworthy here is that this decision was preceded by a number of important events, disputes and even meetings. I will tell you about the most important of them.

Back on April 9, 1667, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet), the State Moscow colors were established: black (red), white and azure (blue). It is difficult to say today on what basis these colors were chosen, but there are a number of assumptions:

And already in 1883, at the behest of Emperor Alexander III, Peter’s white-blue-red naval tricolor appeared in the “arena” as the state one.

And just recently in Donetsk the results of the competition for the best state symbols of the Union of People's Republics of New Russia were summed up. Where white, yellow and black colors began to be called the state colors of the flag of New Russia. As the competition commission explains, “today’s Novorossiya chose the white-yellow-black state flag not by chance, because the connection of its own history is always inseparable from the history of the Russian state and will always be so.”

Croatia, Slovakia, Serbia, as well as other countries and regions. They are called Pan-Slavic flowers, but what does this term mean? How did he appear? Let's find out.

Panslavism

From the end of the 18th to the 19th centuries. most of the lands of Central Europe were under the control of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. It was at this time that the ideology of Pan-Slavism began to develop - the unification of Slavic peoples, both culturally and politically.

The prefix “pan” from the ancient Greek language is interpreted as “unity, whole, whole,” and the idea itself implied the creation of a certain community. This is how various groups arise that revive and fuel interest in national folklore, ethnography and pan-Slavic history, and even an attempt arose to create a single language.

Of course, each nation understood this idea in its own way. For example, Russian Slavophiles dreamed, with the help of Russia, to free the peoples close to them from the control of empires and create a unified Slavic federation. In the Balkans, Pan-Slavists wanted to unite the southern Slavs under the auspices of the Serbian nation. Since Austria was too strong an enemy, they also hoped for Russian help.

What are Pan-Slavic colors?

In 1848, the First Slavic Congress took place in Prague, where all “like-minded people” gathered on the issue of uniting fraternal peoples. Participants were able to express their positions and visions, as well as make several common decisions.

One solution was to choose a common anthem called "Gay, Slavs." Pan-Slavic colors were also adopted here, which served as the basis for the national symbols of many countries participating in the congress. Since 1848 they have been present on the Moravian flag (white-red-blue banner) and on the flag of the Slovak Revolution with a white triangle on the right side).

In the same year, the tricolor appeared on the banners of Croatia as part of the Habsburg Monarchy, and was finally established in 1868 during the existence of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia. In 1863, Pan-Slavic colors became a symbol of the Polish uprising, and in 1877 they decorated the Samara Banner (symbol of the Bulgarian armed forces).

Russia has long used this set for the trade flag, and from 1914 to 1917 it was present on the unofficial national symbols. The newly emerged Yugoslavia in 1918 also chose these colors for the banner.

Origins of Pan-Slavic flowers

Where did the congress participants get such a range of symbols? The answer to this question is very ambiguous. According to one version, the colors were taken from the banners of the Great French Revolution, which took place in the 18th century. Another common version reports that the Pan-Slavic colors of the flags appeared from the Russian trade banner, which they, in turn, came from Holland.

The veracity of both options is not easy to prove. At the same time, there is a fact - red, white and blue in various combinations were found in the symbolism of the Slavic peoples long before the conference in Prague. Perhaps that is why they were chosen as common to all.

From about the 9th to the 14th centuries, red and blue served as symbols of Stephen Vladislav the First. The checkerboard red and white design has been on the coat of arms of Croatia since the 16th century and on the flag of Ban Jelačić since 1848. The coat of arms of Dubrovnik was decorated with red and blue stripes, and all three common Slavic colors were present in the symbolism of the Slavonia region (only white and blue are on the flag).

In medieval Slovakia, the main colors were red and white. In Slovenia, the tricolor has been present on the flag of the Duchy of Carniola region since the 14th century. In Bulgaria, the historical set is a set of white, green and red stripes. White and red colors are also found on the historical symbols of Poland, the Czech Republic and Belarus.

Modern flags

The meaning of Pan-Slavic flowers, like their origin, is ambiguous. According to the heraldic tradition, red is a symbol of struggle, blood and courage, white means purity and nobility, blue is a sign of heaven, honesty, fidelity and generosity.

Some countries, regions and movements still retain these colors on their flags. But the order of the stripes is different. Let's look at exactly how:

white-blue-red - Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia;
red-blue-white - Serbia, (unofficial flag);
red-white-blue - Croatia;
blue-white-red - the flag of Crimea, the Rusyn movement in Transcarpathia.

The modern banner of the Czech Republic also represents all these colors, but in a slightly different way. It has only two stripes - red and white. The triangle is painted blue, which is located at the shaft and seems to cut the stripes with one end. differs from others in that instead of a blue stripe it has a green one.

Exception countries

Some Slavic countries do not use the triune set of colors chosen at the congress in Prague. For example, it shows a yellow sun on a red background; the symbols of Montenegro use red, yellow, blue and green.

The national colors of Ukraine are yellow and blue. White and red are present in the symbolism of Poland. Belarus chose green, white and red, and Bosnia and Herzegovina - blue, yellow and white.

A number of countries use Pan-Slavic colors on their flags, but they are in no way connected with this ideology. Among them are France, USA, Netherlands, Great Britain.