Flag of Austria

Infobox National flag
Name = Austria
Article =
Type =

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Nickname =
Morenicks =
Use = 100100
Symbol =
Proportion = 2:3
Adoption = 1230
Design = three equal horizontal bands of red, white, and red
Designer =

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Nickname2 =
Morenicks2 =
Use2 = 011011
Symbol2 =
Proportion2 = 2:3
Adoption2 =
Design2 = three equal horizontal bands of red, white, and red, with the coat of arms surmounted
Designer2 =

The flag of Austria has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red.The Austrian flag is possibly the oldest national flag design in the world. The Danish flag, said to be the oldest national flag "in continuous use", is at least a century younger. Fact|date=October 2008

History

Duke Friedrich II (1210-1246), the last Babenberg, known as the Quarrelsome or the Warlike, to become more independent from the Holy Roman Empire designed a new coat of arm red-white-red in the year 1230.

Legend

According to legend, the flag was invented by Duke Leopold V of Austria while he was involved in a fierce battle during the Crusades. After the battle, his white battledress was completely drenched in blood, but when he removed his belt the cloth underneath was untouched by it. So taken was he by this singular sight that he adopted the colors and scheme as his banner.

See also

* The flag has been the main motive of many collector coins, one of the most recent is the 20 euro Post War Period coin, minted in 17 September 2003. The obverse of the coin shows the Austrian coat of arms flanked by the Austrian flag and the European Union flag.

* The same design (rectangle with red-white-red horizontal bands) is also used to mark "No entry" on European inland waterways. [ [http://www.unece.org/trans/doc/finaldocs/sc3/TRANS-SC3-115r2e.pdf European code for inland waterways] , Annex 7 "Waterway signs and marking", p.133 (p.135 in PDF)]

* List of Austrian flags
* Flags of Austrian states
* Coat of arms of Austria

References

External links

*FOTW|id=at|title=Austria
* [http://peter-diem.at/bundeswappen.htm "The Symbols of Austria"]