The coat of arms and flag of Croatia are integral national symbols of the state. They enjoy special respect among the local population. This attitude of the Croats towards them is primarily due to the fact that these symbols are very closely related to the history of the country.
general description
The flag of Croatia itself, the photo of which is presented below, is a rectangular-shaped panel with proportional sides equal to 2 to 1. It consists of three horizontal stripes, equal in width and painted in red, white and blue (if viewed from above down). It should be noted that the choice in favor of such a color scheme is considered a kind of tribute to the traditions of many other peoples of Slavic origin. The national emblem is placed in the center of the flag of the country.
Coat of arms of Croatia
According to official figures, the national emblem in its present form, which is mandatory applied to the flag of Croatia, was first used by representatives of the Habsburg dynasty at the beginning of the sixteenth century . It is an image of a shield of 25 white and red squares arranged in five rows and staggered. Above it is a crown with five teeth, each of which marks one of the historical areas: Croatia, Istria, Dalmatia, Dubrovnik and Slavonia. There is a legend among the citizens of the country that the squares on their national symbol appeared thanks to Svetoslav Surony, the local king. In the tenth century, he received the right to own some lands after winning a chess game over the Venetian Doge.
Flag history
The red, white and blue colors that are used in the state symbol are traditional for Croatian residents. Since ancient times, they were present in national dress. In 1848, Josip Jelacic came to power in the country, who played a very large role in the state gaining independence from Hungary. It was under his rule that the tricolor began to be actively used, which in our time means the indivisibility and integrity of all Croatian lands.
In 1939, the national emblem was first placed on the flag of Croatia. Six years later, he was replaced by a red star, which was associated with the country's entry into Yugoslavia. Two years later, a golden fringe appeared on it. The use of the star is primarily associated with the onset of a long period of communist power. In this form, the state symbol was used until the declaration of independence of the country in 1990. Immediately after this, the star was replaced with a shield, and then with a coat of arms. In its current form, the national flag of Croatia was officially approved at the legislative level on December 22, 1990.
Character Meaning
According to an unofficial interpretation of national symbols, the colors used for the Croatian banner are directly related to the history of the local people. In particular, the red bar represents the blood of martyrs who fought for independence, white represents the beauty of local nature in the form of a lamb, and blue symbolizes devotion to the Slavs to God. The “chessboard”, which accounts for the bulk of the coat of arms that is applied to the flag of Croatia, consists of twelve white and thirteen red fields. According to historical information, starting from the tenth century, it was used as the royal symbol of the Croatian rulers. The crown located above, as already noted, marks five historical areas. At the same time, the shield of Croatia is an image of a golden star over a silver crescent, Istria - a golden ram with red hooves and horns, Dalmatia - three lion's golden heads, Dubrovnik - two red stripes on a blue field, Slavonia - martens on a red, silver-edged strip and gold the stars above her.