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Slovakia

Slovensk� Republika

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by Mark Sensen and Antonio Martins, 1 May 1999. Flag adopted: 1 September 1992

History of the Slovakian flag
Vertical hanging flag
The Czechoslovak split

See also:

History of the Slovakian flag

The first Slovak flag was white-red bicolore and was waved on 23rd April 1848 in Brezov� during a theatre performance. A petition signed on 10th May 1848 in Liptovsk� Sv. Mikula� demanded not only constitutional or educational rights for Slovaks but also permission for using red and white Slovak flags. This was rejected by the Hungarians as well as the other demands. In August 1848 the blue color was added and in 18th September 1848 in Velk� nad Veli�kou on the Hungarian-Moravian border the Slovak revolutionaries hoisted various Slovak and Slav flags combining red, white and blue in many variations. Some of them depicted the original Hungarian coat of arms, only the green colour of the three hills was replaced by blue. The present order of the three stripes of Slovak flag was established after 1868. These three colors were often used by the Slovak associations in the United States. They were also used on the Czechoslovak flag adopted on 30th March 1920, where the blue triangle at the hoist represented Slovakia. After the puppet Slovak Republic was established, the law of 23rd June 1939 enacted the white-blue-red tricolore as the state flag. The same flag was enacted after the Velvet Revolution on 1st March 1990 by the Slovak National Council. The constitution of September 1992 added the coat of arms because the flag could be mistaken for the one of Russia.

The present-day state flag of the Slovak Republic is described in article 9, paragraph 2 of the Slovak Constitution, which was enacted on 1st September 1992. It was hoisted for the first time on 3rd September 1992 at 20:22 CET in front of the Bratislava Castle. But its exact form was determined by law of 18th February 1993, enacted by the National Council of the Slovak Republic. According to this law, height of the shield with Slovak state coat of arms is equal to half of width of the flag. The shield is separated from the blue and red stripes by the white stripe. Its width is equal to the one hundredth of the flag's length.
Source: Ales Brozek - Lexikon vlajek a znaku sveta, Kartografie Praha 1998
Jan Kravcik, 6 June 2000

Vertical hanging Slovakian flag

by Gvido Petersons, 7 Nov 2000

Last week the embassy of Slovakia was opened in Riga. In TV vertically hanging flag was shown.
Gvido Petersons, 7 Nov 2000

The Czechoslovak split

Slovakia adopted its triband with arms shifted to the hoist officially on 1 september 1992 and it was first hoisted two days later.
Mark Sensen, 2 July 1996

Before the separation of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, a resolution was passed by the Czechoslovak government that neither of the two "new" states could continue to use the red white and blue flag of Czechoslovakia. Upon separation, Slovakia adopted the White/Blue/Red flag with the shield of arms in the upper hoist. The "new" Czech Republic adopted the flag of former Czechoslovakia, in direct violation of the resolution mentioned above. Slovakia was ticked off over this, but the Czech folks said "The country that made that rule doesn't exist any more" and refused to change.
Nick Artimovich 31 October 1996

The Constitution of 1990 set up the Czech Lands and Slovakia as two equal nations. Each was to have its own arms, seal, flag and anthem, and these were laid down in laws of 1990. The Czech Republic adopted a greater and lesser coat of arms and the flag of white over red on 13 March 1990. The Slovak Republic legislation was dated 1 March 1990, and laid down the arms (almost identical with those of pre-Communist era), the flag (the plain tricolor), seal and anthem. The flag of the state was unchanged. As indicated before, the agreement was made by two countries upon separation not to adopt the previous state's emblems, but the Czech Republic adopted flag with blue triangle as its flag on 17 December 1992.
Zeljko Heimer, 1 November 1996

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