Flag of Luxembourg
Rout-Waiss-Blo ("red-white-blue")
Three equal horizontal stripes of red, white and light blue, from top to bottom.
At a glance
- Adopted
- June 23, 1972used as the national flag since the 1840s; set in law on 23 June 1972, with the exact colours fixed in 1993
- Shape (height : width)
- 3:5
- Capital
- Luxembourg
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- red
- white
- light blue
What it means
- Red, white and blue: the colours of the old Luxembourg coat of arms (a red lion on white and blue stripes); no other official meaning is given
Where it came from
The colours come from the coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg: a red lion on a background of white and blue stripes. Flags in these colours are said to have first appeared around 1830.
On 12 June 1845 the red-white-blue horizontal tricolour was fixed as the flag.
History
The flag was used for more than a century before a law of 23 June 1972 officially described it. In 1993 a regulation fixed the exact shades, including a bright light blue.
Because it looks so much like the Dutch flag, an MP proposed in 2006 to switch to the Red Lion flag. The government decided in 2007 to keep the tricolour but let people fly the Red Lion inside Luxembourg too.
Fun facts
- Luxembourg has a second flag, the Red Lion (Roude Leiw), with ten white and blue stripes and a red lion, used for ships and aircraft.
- Sports fans, for example at the Tour de France, often wave the Red Lion instead of the national flag.
- Luxembourg's blue is lighter than the Netherlands' blue, and its flag is longer.
Easy to mix up with
Netherlands: The Netherlands has the same order of colours but a darker blue and a shorter 2:3 shape
France: France has the same colours in vertical stripes, with blue next to the pole
Questions
What does the flag of Luxembourg look like?
Three equal horizontal stripes of red, white and light blue, from top to bottom.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Luxembourg mean?
Red, white and blue: the colours of the old Luxembourg coat of arms (a red lion on white and blue stripes); no other official meaning is given.
When was the flag of Luxembourg adopted?
The current flag of Luxembourg was adopted on June 23, 1972. (used as the national flag since the 1840s; set in law on 23 June 1972, with the exact colours fixed in 1993)
What colours are on the flag of Luxembourg?
The flag of Luxembourg uses red, white and light blue.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Luxembourg?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Netherlands. The Netherlands has the same order of colours but a darker blue and a shorter 2:3 shape
Famous landmarks in Luxembourg
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)