🇸🇰 The colours of Slovakia

Slovakia’s flag features white, blue, and red, colours shared with other Slavic countries. These shades are known as Pan-Slavic colours and connect Slovakia to a broader Slavic tradition. The flag also displays the national coat of arms, which includes Christian imagery.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The flag’s colours are shared with other Slavic countries.
• Slovakia’s flag includes a Christian symbol in its coat of arms.
• The tricolour design dates back to 1848.
• The current flag was adopted after Slovakia’s independence in 1992.
• A special law in 1993 set the flag’s official details.

The colours of the flag of Slovakia

Slovakia’s flag is made up of three horizontal stripes: white at the top, blue in the middle, and red at the bottom. These colours are a nod to a group of Slavic nations that use the same palette. On the side nearest the flagpole, Slovakia’s coat of arms is shown, which features Christian symbols. The meanings of the colours are not unique to Slovakia but reflect a shared Slavic identity. The inclusion of the coat of arms is an official choice, marking the flag as distinctly Slovak.

How the colours were chosen of Slovakia

The tricolour design was first seen in 1848, inspired by Russia’s flag but with different shades of blue and red. It appeared in various forms before and during World War II, and was used informally in Czechoslovakia. In 1990, two heraldic experts were asked to update the coat of arms and flag, drawing on medieval Hungarian symbols and making the three hills more prominent. The current flag was adopted in 1990, with the coat of arms added in 1992 after Slovakia became independent.

Official shades and rules of Slovakia

A law passed in 1993 set out the details of the flag’s design. The coat of arms is placed on the hoist side and is outlined by a thin white border. The flag’s colours were inspired by the Russian flag, but Slovakia chose its own shades of red and blue. The official flag must include the coat of arms as described in the law.