- Flag of Luxembourg
The flag of
Luxembourg consists of three horizontal stripes, red, white and blue, and can be in 1:2 or 3:5 ratio. It was first used between1845 and1848 and officially adopted onJune 23 1972 .Luxembourg had no flag until 1830, when patriots were urged to display the national colors. The flag was defined as a horizontal tricolor of red, white, and blue in 1848, but it was not officially adopted until 1972. The tricolor flag is almost identical to that of the Netherlands, except that it is longer and its blue stripe is a lighter shade. The red, white, and blue coloring was derived from the Grand Duke's coat of arms, which dates from the 13th century.Description
According to the Règlement Grand-Ducal from
July 27 1993 , the proper colors are:History
The colors of the Flag of Luxembourg were first adopted around
1830 during theBelgian Revolution . They were probably derived from the counts, dukes and later grand-dukes of Luxembourg's coat of arms which in turn was derived from the combination of the dukes of Limbourg's Lion and the supposed stripedbanner of the early counts of Luxembourg. The three-colored horizontal design was fixed onJune 12 1845 .It took until
June 23 1972 before a law was passed regulating the flag of Luxembourg. The same law also prescribed ensign and roundel for aircraft and ships registered in Luxembourg.One important clarification brought by this law was that the color blue was defined as being a very bright blue, in contrast to the
flag of the Netherlands (exactly the same design, but the Dutch flag uses dark blue and a less oblong shape).The heraldric
blazon for the flag is "per fess Gules and Azure, a fess Argent".Ensign
The red lion is the official ensign for ships registered in Luxembourg. It is used for river and sea shipping, as well as for aviation. This flag is based on the
Coat of arms of Luxembourg and is used as the ensign to avoid the possibility of Luxembourg's ensign being confused for that of the Netherlands. Ten white and blue stripes serve as the field for a red lion with a yellow tongue and crown. The proper ratio for this ensign is 5:7.The "Réglement Grand-Ducal" of
July 27 ,1993 defined the ensign's colors as:
* Red: Pantone 032 c
* White:
* Blue: Pantone 299 c
* Yellow: Pantone 116cRoundel
The roundel of Luxembourg is seen on the
AWACS aircraft used byNATO .Flag Discussion
On
October 5 2006 , MPMichel Wolter introduced a legislative proposition [ [http://initiativ-roudeleiw.lu/index.php?page=2 Initiativ Roude Léiw - de Roude Léiw als Fändel fir Lëtzebuerg - Proposition de loi - luxembourg luxemburg drapeau gesetz ] ] to replace the current red-white-blue national flag with the red lion ensign. He argued that the current flag was commonly confused with that of the Netherlands and that the red lion on the other hand was more popular, more aesthetic and of greater historic value. Wolter also claimed he had personally discussed the matter with some three hundred people, most of whom expressed their support for his initiative.On the other hand, many national politicians (including leading members of Wolter's own CSV) and VIPs have expressed astonishment in the local media concerning both the timing and necessity for such a change. The only political party to express support for Wolter's initiative was the nationalist and populist ADR. On
October 24 2006 a local initiative called "Initiativ Roude Léiw" (Initiative Red Lion) held a press conference explaining their intention to support Wolter's project on a non-partisan basis.Their first actions would include distribution of red lion bumper stickers, a petition and a poll. A formal obstacle for replacing the flag could be that the neighbouring Belgian province of Luxembourg also uses a flag similar to the red lion flag. The State flag of the German Land ofHesse also incorporates a very similar design.Notes
External links
* FOTW|id=lu|title=Luxembourg
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
