Flag of Liechtenstein

What the flag of Liechtenstein looks like

The flag of Liechtenstein is divided into two horizontal bands of equal height, with blue on top and red below. The ratio is 3:5. In the upper left corner, on the blue band and next to the pole, is a golden crown. It is the crown of the prince of Liechtenstein. A version with a modified crown was adopted on 30 June 1982.

The crown is the part of the design that sets the flag apart from other blue and red bicolors, including that of Haiti.

Liechtenstein flag meaning and symbolism

The colors of the flag are commonly explained in this way:

• Blue stands for the sky.
• Red stands for the evening fires on the hearths of the people.

The blue and red were first used as livery colors by Prince Joseph Wenzel I in 1764. The crown on the blue band signifies Liechtenstein's position as a principality, and it was added to distinguish the flag from that of Haiti.

History of the Liechtenstein flag

Liechtenstein's colors were originally the gold and red of the princely coat of arms, used on two horizontal bands. In 1852 the gold was swapped for blue, and the blue and red flag was given official status by the constitution of October 1921.

The similarity with the flag of Haiti came to light at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Liechtenstein's flag turned out to be identical to the Haitian civil flag, which is also blue above red. The government then added the prince's crown to the canton, a change adopted on 24 June 1937. Haiti's flag today has a white panel in the center with the Haitian arms, and the Liechtenstein flag is told apart by its crown.

Liechtenstein flag vs Haiti flag

Both flags are blue over red. On the Liechtenstein flag, the crown sits in the blue band at the hoist, and the blue is a deep royal blue. The Haiti flag has a white rectangle in the center holding a palm tree and cannons, and its ratio is 3:5 as well. The two flags were identical until the crown was added to Liechtenstein's flag.