Flag of Luxembourg

What the flag means

There is no official meaning for the colours. They are taken from the coat of arms of Luxembourg, a red lion on white and blue stripes.

History

Flags in the colours of the arms were first used in 1830, during the Belgian Revolution. A circular from Governor Ignace de la Fontaine on 12 June 1845 fixed the red, white and blue order as the national flag. The law of 23 June 1972 on national emblems set the flag in law, and an amendment of 27 July 1993 defined the shades and allowed 3:5 or 1:2 proportions. A 2006 proposal by the MP Michel Wolter to replace it with the Red Lion ensign was not taken up.

The flag is close to the Dutch one but longer and lighter in shade. Since 1993 its blue has been a sky blue, Pantone 299C, where the Dutch blue is ultramarine.

Flags that look like this one

NetherlandsLuxembourgCroatiaParaguay

The Netherlands and Luxembourg are red, white and blue stripes; Luxembourg's bottom stripe is a lighter sky blue. Croatia adds a red-and-white chequered shield, and Paraguay adds a round seal.

Flags of Luxembourg's neighbours

• Belgium
• France
• Germany