Polish national colours are one of the few in the world of heraldic origin. They derive from the tinctures (colors) of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland and the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth). In the Polish flag, the white symbolises the white of the Eagle, which features on the coat of arms of Poland, and the white of the Pursuer – a white knight riding a white horse, which features on the coat of arms of Lithuania. Both charges are on a red shield. On the flag, white is placed in the upper part and red in the lower because in Polish heraldry, the tincture of the charge has priority over the tincture of the field.

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The white and red colours were first recognised as national colours on 3 May 1792, on the first anniversary of signing the Constitution of 3 May. They were officially adopted as the colours of the Polish State by the Sejm (Polish Parliament) of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831 during the November Uprising*. After Poland regained independence in 1918, the national flag was officially adopted by the Legislative Sejm on 1 August 1919.

 

* The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. 

 

Since 2004, Polish National Flag Day (The Day of the Flag) is celebrated on May 2*. The holiday is celebrated on the day between two national holidays: 1 May (called International Workers' Day) and 3rd of May (May 3rd Constitution Day). On this day, numerous patriotic campaigns are organised to remind of the white and red national colours. On the same day, the Day of Polish Community Abroad is celebrated.

 

* On the 2nd of May 1945, the First Polish Army conquering the capital of Nazi Germany put a white and red flag on the Berlin Victory Column – Siegessäule and on the Reichstag in Berlin. During the time of Polish People's Republic, on this day the state flags were removed after celebrating 1 May, so that the flags would not be exposed on the following day – the May 3rd Constitution Day which was abolished by the communist authorities. 

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Similarly to Poland, the celebration of the national flag is also celebrated in many other countries, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Finland, Turkmenistan, Lithuania, Ukraine and China.

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Trivia

The Polish flag is similar to both flag of Monaco and the Flag of Indonesia. The difference being the red and white are flipped.

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Technical Specification

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​The right proportions of the flag of Poland are 5:8 (height:width).

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