Flag of Hungary

Meaning and history of the flag of Hungary

Hungary's flag is made up of three equal horizontal stripes: red on top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. These colors carry deep meaning in Hungarian tradition: red represents strength and the blood shed for the homeland, white symbolizes fidelity and peace, and green embodies hope and Hungary's fertile fields. The tricolor combination has been associated with the Magyar nation since medieval times.

The current design was officially adopted on October 1, 1957, though the red-white-green tricolor has been used as a national symbol since the 1848 revolution against the Austrian Empire. During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, protesters cut the Communist emblem out of the center of the flag, turning the plain tricolor into a powerful symbol of resistance against Soviet occupation.

Hungary's flag is often confused with those of Italy and Ireland, and especially with Tajikistan's, which shares the same colors in horizontal arrangement. It differs from Italy's flag in the orientation of its stripes: horizontal in Hungary, vertical in Italy. Unlike many European countries, Hungary also chose not to include a coat of arms on its civil flag, keeping the design clean and austere.

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