Czech Republic Flag

The original colours of the Czech people were white and red as a symbol of sovereignty. When Czechoslovakia was established in 1918, the colours were used in the new national flag of the young state. Reluctant acceptance by the Slovak community of the flag and its similarity to the national colours of Poland and the Republic of Austria resulted in the commissioning of a new Czechoslovakian flag. Josef Kursa designed the flag together with other Czechoslovak national emblems.

The national flag of the Republic of Czechoslovakia was, by constitutional law, made up of a lower red field and an upper white field with a blue wedge situated between the two from the flagpole towards the middle of the flag. During the German occupation, occupying authorities raised a tri-colour known as the Protectorate flag consisting of three equally spaced stripes of white, red and blue. Abroad, the resistance movement retained the Kursa designed Czechoslovak flag. It was reinstated upon the  departure of the Nazis and would survive through many political and constitutional changes during the rest of the 20th century including a separate Czech Republic.

When the Czech and Slovak people decided to separate in 1990,  both divorcing states were charged with developing a constitution and national flag for their new countries.  The Czech and Slovak National Councils adopted initially new designs incorporating national symbols and colours of the former Czechoslovakia.  It had been decided amongst the parties that both countries would design new flags.  However at the last moment, the Czech Republic adopted the flag of the former flag of the former independent of Czech Republic thereby returning to its roots.