Flag of Slovenia
Three equal horizontal bands of white, blue and red. The coat of arms is in the upper hoist, half on the white band and half on the blue.
What the flag means
The colours come from the medieval arms of the Duchy of Carniola. On the coat of arms, Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia, is shown in white on blue, with two wavy lines below for the sea and rivers. The three gold stars above it come from the arms of the Counts of Celje.
History
A white, blue and red flag was first raised in Ljubljana on 7 April 1848 by a group led by Lovro Toman. From 1945 the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia carried a red star. When Slovenia became independent in June 1991, the star was dropped and the coat of arms designed by Marko Pogačnik was added, after a long dispute over the arms.
The flag is often confused with Slovakia's, which has a similar design in the same colours.
Earlier flags of Slovenia
- 1945–1991White, blue and red tricolour with a red star (Socialist Republic of Slovenia)
Flags that look like this one
Russia is plain white, blue and red. Slovakia adds a shield with a white double cross; Slovenia's smaller shield shows a white mountain. Serbia reverses the order to red, blue, white and adds its coat of arms.
Flags of Slovenia's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Slovenia
- Government of Slovenia (gov.si): National symbols
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
