Flag of Luxembourg

Meaning and history of the flag of Luxembourg

Luxembourg's flag is made up of three equal horizontal stripes: red on top, white in the middle, and light sky blue at the bottom. The colors come from the Grand Duchy's coat of arms, dating back to the 13th century, which shows a red lion with blue claws and tongue on a white field crossed by blue bars. The official proportions are 3:5, or alternatively 1:2.

The flag was officially adopted on June 23, 1972, although the colors had served as national symbols since 1845, the year the tricolor took shape amid Europe's revolutionary movements. Over the years, Luxembourg has repeatedly debated changing its flag, since it is frequently confused with that of the Netherlands, which uses the same colors in the same order.

The main difference between the flags of Luxembourg and the Netherlands lies in the shade of blue: Luxembourg uses a light sky blue, while the Netherlands uses a darker cobalt blue. The proportions also differ slightly. This similarity has fueled a recurring debate in Luxembourg, where some have proposed adopting the Roude Léiw (Red Lion), the alternative civil flag showing the red lion on a field of white and blue bars, as the national flag to clearly distinguish the country from its northern neighbor.

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