Flag of Austria

Meaning and history of the flag of Austria

The flag of Austria is one of the oldest in the world, made up of three equal horizontal stripes: red on top, white in the middle, and red on the bottom. According to legend, the design originated at the Battle of Acre in 1191, during the Third Crusade, when Duke Leopold V of Austria became so drenched in blood that removing his belt revealed a white stripe across his blood-soaked tunic.

Although the legend is apocryphal, red and white have been associated with the Babenberg dynasty and later with the Habsburgs since at least the thirteenth century. The flag was officially adopted in its modern form on May 1, 1945, after the fall of the Nazi regime, though the design itself is centuries old. The state version includes the coat of arms, showing the federal eagle holding a sickle and hammer with broken chains in its talons.

Austria's flag shares its colors and layout with several others, most notably Latvia's, which is also red and white but in a darker, maroon shade of red. It also resembles the flag of Lebanon without the cedar, and echoes the stripes of Peru's flag. Its striking simplicity and antiquity make it a vexillological emblem of great historical value, and it is possibly the second-oldest national flag in continuous use, after Denmark's.

You can view the flag of Austria in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Austria profile, its map, or the current local time in Vienna.