Slovakia: flag and state emblem

Slovakia, whose flag was formally adopted 1September, 1992, since the eleventh century was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. This continued until 1918, when Czechoslovakia was formed. Until the time of the division, none of its republics had its own symbolism. The fact is that she was all one.

Modern look

In a country like Slovakia, the flag isa rectangular canvas that consists of three strips arranged horizontally. From the top down they have white, blue and red colors. In addition, on the canvas in the white contour, the state emblem is also applied, which is to the left of the center. It should be noted that such a combination of colors of the Slovaks consider their national symbols since 1848.

History of the flag

Slovakia, the flag of which is described above, received itsthe first state symbol in the thirteenth century. Then it consisted of two bands: from the bottom of white color, and from above - red. During the reign of the Hungarian King Bela Fourth, this image was even placed on the seal of the city of Nitra. During the revolution of 1848-1849, a blue band appeared on the symbol. Slovaks borrowed it from Croatian and Russian flags. This is due to the fact that in all of the Hungarian Kingdom they considered their brotherly people Croats. As for the Russians, they always had a reputation as defenders of all the Slavs. A similar flag of Slovakia was used during the First Republic (1939-1945) and was introduced after the end of the so-called velvet revolution of 1990. At the same time, in order to prevent confusion with the banners of Slovakia and Russia, since 1992 the national emblem has been additionally applied to the national emblem.

Symbols of the country in local legislation

In a country such as Slovakia, the flag, coat of arms and so onstate symbols are approved at the legislative level. The corresponding provisions are prescribed in the eighth and ninth articles of the country's constitution. In 1993, the state law came into force, which determined the proportions and dimensions of the cloth.

Coat of arms of Slovakia

The Slovak national coat of arms is in many respects similar toHungarian analogue. It is made in the form of a double six-pointed silver cross, which is placed on a red shield and stands simultaneously on three mountains of blue color. Residents of the country identify them as Matra, Tatra and Fatru - a place long inhabited by Slovaks. It should be noted that they appeared on the coat of arms roughly in the thirteenth century, and in 1848 they received a blue color. The double cross is of Christian origin. It began to be used in Byzantium from the ninth century, and came to Slovakia thanks to Cyril and Methodius. As for the red shield, on the heraldic signs its image has been very popular since time immemorial.

History of the appearance of the modern coat of arms

The double Byzantine cross originally beganused in the territory of Hungary as a symbol of the Nitra Principality. Later he became a sign of the peasants in this state. In the fifteenth century it appeared on the Slovak lands. Since 1848, patriotic residents of the country consider it to be their national symbol. During the time of the Czechoslovak Republic, it became an integral part of its coat of arms. Some time later, in 1960, he was replaced by a shield on which Krivan Mountain was adorned along with a partisan bonfire denoting a popular uprising of the Slovak people. However, thirty years later the cross returned to its former place. In 1992, the coat of arms was officially approved and placed on the flag of Slovakia. The photos above are a vivid confirmation of this. It should be noted that even on the coat of arms of modern Hungary, by tradition on the right side there is an image of this Slovak symbol.