Back to Blog
It resembles the inverted flag of today’s national flag of Lithuania and was designed as a tri-colour similar to the new French flag. The first version of an official national flag was actually green, red and yellow, used by the puppet state established by Napoleon in 1798. The first Swiss national flag was the same as modern-day Lithuania Both countries are outliers in international events thanks to their unusual flag shape. Switzerland is not alone in having to ditch its square flag in favour of a rectangular one for the Olympics - Vatican City has a square flag too. The only other country with a square national flag is Vatican City Dufour proposed the organisation’s flag should be the Swiss flag, simply inverted - causing confusion still to this day. The humanitarian International Committee of the Red Cross organisation was created by Henri Dunant (a merchant and author from Geneva, Switzerland) and Swiss general Henri Dufour in 1864. Here are some of the most interesting facts about Switzerland’s national flag: The Swiss flag is very often confused with the Red Cross Like much of Switzerland’s history, the national flag has many untold secrets and interesting stories surrounding it. Interesting facts about the flag of Switzerland The Swiss civil ensign (maritime flag) is also rectangular. In 2004, the International Olympic Committee ruled that each country competing in the Olympics must use the same rectangular format so that no one flag stands out - meaning for many international sporting events, the country now uses a rectangular version of its national flag. Its unusual shape has, however, caused several problems over the years, namely during international events such as sporting competitions. The official flag of the Swiss confederation held on to the white cross emblem, eventually incorporating a thicker version of it into the flag seen today, in the year of 1848.Īfter the Battle of Laupen, the Swiss cross became the centre point of the country’s national flag, the square nature of the flag comes from the standard one being hung off a halberd pole, the favoured weapon of Swiss soldiers at the time. The old Swiss confederation incorporated a similar flag as their uniting standard, with a thinner white cross on a red background. Soldiers fighting in the Battle of Laupen on June 21, 1339, attached a white cross to their armour to distinguish themselves from their enemies. The white cross of Switzerland and the red background on the flag have their origin in the late middle ages. The bold red background of the Swiss national flag corresponds to Pantone 485 C which is a mixture of magenta and yellow. Since then, the flag has remained one of the only square national flags in the world, making it instantly recognisable as the flag of Switzerland. Though the Swiss are known internationally for their neutrality, the country’s national flag was first seen in battle. The flag of Switzerland, with its unusual square shape and bold red and white cross is recognised across the world for its iconic design.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |