Flag of Hungary

What the flag of Hungary looks like

The Hungarian flag has three horizontal stripes of equal height: red at the top, white in the middle and green at the bottom. The proportions are 1:2 on flags used on government buildings (a 1957 law sets 2:3 for seagoing merchant vessels). The national flag has no emblem, but the official coat of arms may be placed on it as a badge for state use. That version carries the coat of arms of Hungary in the center, a shield with red and white stripes on one side and a white double cross on three green hills on the other, topped by the Holy Crown of St Stephen. In everyday life, the plain tricolor is the one you will see most often.

The plain tricolor uses the same three colors as the flag of Italy, but Hungary's stripes are horizontal with red on top, while Italy's are vertical with green at the hoist. For the small icon, see the Hungary flag emoji.

Hungary flag meaning and colors

The colors of the Hungarian flag come from the heraldry of the kingdom. The red, white and green colors are derived from the historical Hungarian coat of arms, whose red and silver stripes go back to the Árpád dynasty, Hungary's founding dynasty. In the romantic period, folklore gave the colors symbolic meanings:

• Red stands for strength.
• White stands for faithfulness.
• Green stands for hope.

An alternative reading is red for the blood spilled for the fatherland, white for freedom and green for the land and pastures of Hungary. The constitution that took effect on 1 January 2012 made the first reading official: strength, fidelity and hope.

History of the Hungarian flag

Red and white striped banners (the Árpád stripes) became common in the later Middle Ages. From the 15th century red, white and green appeared together, for example as twisted silk cords on seals, and in 1806 the red-white-green scheme was first formally described in the order known today. The tricolor became a symbol of national sovereignty during the Revolution of 1848 against Habsburg rule, and Act XXI of 1848 first mandated the red-white-green tricolor as a national symbol. After the revolution was defeated, the Austrian emperor prohibited the flag.

After the Compromise of 1867 the tricolor became legal again and was the official flag of Hungary, carrying the minor arms of Hungary as a badge until the end of the Habsburg Empire in 1918. The Austro-Hungarian monarchy was a dual monarchy with two equal halves, and the Austrian half used black and yellow. The tricolor stayed after 1918, though a solid red banner was used in the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919.

With the onset of communist rule in 1949, a new coat of arms with a red star was placed on the flag. In the 1956 uprising, revolutionaries cut the Hammer and Wheat emblem out of the flags, and the tricolor with a hole in the middle became a symbol of the revolution. After the revolution was crushed, the official flag has been a plain red-white-green tricolor since 1957. After the fall of communism in 1989 there was no need to change the flag, since it carried no communist insignia. Current rules, including the legal use of the coat of arms on the flag, are set out in law.

Hungary flag vs Italy and similar flags

People often ask how to tell the Hungarian and Italian flags apart. Both use red, white and green, but Hungary has horizontal stripes with red on top and Italy has vertical stripes with green at the hoist. The proportions are different too, as Hungary's is 1:2 and Italy's is 2:3. The flag of Bulgaria is also close, with white, green and red stripes from the top. See also flags of the world.