Last modified: 2008-01-19 by jarig bakker
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![[Poland]](../images/p/pl.gif)
image by António Martins
adopted 1 Aug 1919
During the reign of August II (d. 1706), white ribbons were introduced in the army (according to the Saxon pattern) as the signs of prime national color. They were attached to the left side of the headgear with ornamental pins. During the Four-Year Sejm (1788-1792) first red-and-white ribbons appeared.
The Sejm formally introduces Polish national colors during the November
Uprising, on February 7, 1831. The colors were white and red, and were
used in the national uprisings of the 19th century is the form of white-and-red
ribbons. They were officially recognized as state colours in 1919 after
Poland had regained her independence.
Source: Polish
World website.
Dov Gutterman, 21 Feb 1999
I thought that Polish flag ratio is 5:8 (or 8:5 according to above definition
of the ratio)?
Željko Heimer, 24 Feb 1999
"The Polish national flag is built up from 2 horizontal belts: red (amarant)
below and white above. These colors are connected with the color of the
White Eagle used on the red crest. The upper belt is the color of the Eagle,
and the lower - the color of crest. The right proportions of the flag are
5:8 (height:width). The process whereby those colors became the national
flag was quite complicated and gradual. For example, some medieval rule
said, that if the White Eagle is put on the red crest, then the colors
of flag are optional. Nevertheless, red-white colors occurred on the national
flags from XVII-XIX cent. very often, but the location of colors was unstable.
Sometimes it was red above and white below. This situation was resolved
on 1 August 1919. Since that time the flag has been not changed except
for the White Eagle. The communists took off the crown from the Eagle.
It returned in 1989."
Source: "Encyclopaedia of Poland" by Wydawnictwo Kluszczynski,
Krakow, 1996 (my translation)
Mariusz Kedzierski, 24 May 2000
The white over red derives from heraldics: Argent and Gules are the
respective colours of the Polish eagle and of its the field.
Pierre Gay, 13 Oct 1998
Yes, it is. Moreover, there are some (unnecessary) non-heraldic explanations:
traditionally, a white eagle flying over red (rising?) sun, or, during
the communist era, white would have stood for peace while red for socialism.
But, in general, a flag derived from COA according to heraldic rules needs
no further 'explanation'.
Jan Zrzavy, 13 Oct 1998
![[State Flag of Poland]](../images/p/pl-st.gif)
image by Adam Kromer, from his
website.
Used as:
The state flag of Poland is with the arms. Earlier we discussed the
communist nations with the least and most communist symbols on them, Poland's
flag's only change during the communist period was the removal of the crown
from the head of the eagle on its arms. The current version returns the
crown. I think this vesion is still the state flag, but it may now be an
alternate useable by anyone. The presence of the crown on the eagle is
interesting since the Polish monarchy ended compleatly in 1795, and was
constitutionally limited for many centuries before that, yet each Polish
flag since has included the crown, with the above mentioned exception.
Nathan Augustine, 24 February 1996
The removal of the crown from the head of the eagle on its arms was
*not* the only change. They also shortened the claws of the eagle since
long claws represent imperialistic thinking. They have to my knowledge
not been extended since after the fall of the comunist era. Interesting
to note that the crown chosen to crown the eagle is that of King Mieszko
I, and not the one used before the comunistic era.
Dawid Rojek-Szumanski, 14 Nov 1999
Can someone confirm this? It sounds suspiciously like an "urban legend",
IMHO, but I'm hardly an expert there.
Could someone show images of the two different crowns (if they really
are - I though the same crown was restored)
Željko Heimer, 17 Nov 1999
I just perused an article in a back issue of the Flag Bulletin entitled
"The White Eagle of Poland" by Alfred Znamierowski (Vol. XIII, No.
4, July-August 1974) and it shows the eagle as bearing a crown since it
was first introduced in the 10th Century continuously except when
the communist government established in 1955 the uncrowned arms that were
used until 1990.
Dave Martucci, 6 August 1997
The most important: in the Polish State flag (pl-st.gif) the claws of
the eagle are gold (from 1991) - as is the crown (on Mr. Martines flag
it looks like a gold star...) But the most important: Polish eagle *never*
had red stars on its both wings! In 1926 (or even earlier) the Masonry
installed white (and therefore almost invisible) 5-arm Star on its wings.
So it was of course inherited by the socialist regime in 1946. In 1991
there was a fierce debate in the Polish Parliament: the Left was maintaining
(1) that the symbols are not important, therefore there is no reason to
crown the Eagle and change its wing and claws; (2) that it is very important,
that the 5-arm Star was present on its wing. In the end the compromise
was reached. Two arms of the Star had been shortened!! And it is still
white!
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, 3 Feb 1999
A month ago or so I'd sent some remarks on the Polish flag You use in
FOTW. I'd even explained the changes after 1989 - yet I see that after
last corrections You are still using a strange (in fact never existing)
image with a Red Star on the wings of the Eagle. Please: explain me: WHY???
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, 19 Apr 1999
It is definitely an artefact gotten from resizing of the CoA. The CoA
indeed have five-pointed star like feature on the wings, but it is not
red, not star in it own. As far as I know there were no changes in this
part of CoA in 1989, nor there was ever a red star there. I made the "improvement"
needed.
Željko Heimer, 26 Apr 1999
Janusz Korwin-Mikke is a well known Polish politician. His comments relate to the Polish Coat of Arms. The centre of each wing of the eagle had a decorative element in the form of a star - it was the way of linking the feathers together. Of course the paranoid will notice that the star is a symbol of communism, and so "the eagle must be changed".
BUT, now that I've looked at the state flag, I see he's right. There
are two stars on the eagle, and they are brown. They were never meant to
be brown, nor were they really ever meant to be stars at all. So, if someone
has the skill, could you recolour the brown "stars" on the eagle's wings
to the same colour as the eagle ? This applies to the State Flag and to
the Air Force ensign.
Robert M J Czernkowski, 20 Apr 1999
In Barraclough's FOTW (1971) and FTAAATW (1975) and in Pedersen (1980)
I see in the armpits of the eagle a starfish in the same (white) color
as the eagle has. Whether that is a Western interpretation or some Eastern
rendering - I don't know. In http://www.wp.mil.pl/znaki.html
[since
defunct --ed.] I found this CoA, which I send along.
In the armpits of the eagle are leavelike things.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Apr 1999
No, those elements on the Eagle's wings were meant to be Stars! But
in 1989, after we had shaken off the Soviet domination (and exchanged it
for the euro-socialism...) Polish Parliament decided for a compromise:
two arms of the Stars were shortened. So NOW they are not Stars. And they
NEVER were neither brown nor red! They were made of feathers, as the rest
of the Eagle's wings.
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, 16 May 1999
Interested in your comments. The white and red flag bearing the crowned
eagle on a red shield in the centre of the upper white band is still indeed
the state flag - flown normally by the President and by government buildings.
I fly it myself on my consulate.
The crown was maintained on the form of eagle adopted by the Second
Republic, with the rebirth of Polish independence, to symbolise that Poland
was its own master and subject to no-one else. The Communist decision to
dispense with the crown after World War II was universally unpopular in
Poland.
With the birth of the Third Republic, after the fall of Communism,
the crown was restored again as a symbol of full Polish sovereignty.
Mike Oborski, 16 Jul 1999
Primary Polish flag is white over red and was this since 1918. This
one is without coat of arms. This flag was unchanged even during communist
regime. Version with coat of arms is used by President of Poland. Is almost
the same as used on Polish merchant ships. During communist regime Poland
had no President but only State Board. They used flag with coat of arms
but eagle had no crown. After 1989 Polish parliament reestablished crown.
There was some minor changes with eagle's pattern, because right-wing politicians
wanted to remove anything what could be connected with communist regime.
They maximized because Polish eagle was unchanged since 1918.
Peter 'Mikolaj' Mikolajski, 18 Sept 2000
I think 1990 or 1989, but not 1980. Polish eagle with crown in 1980,
in times of communists ... Hmmm, very doubtful.
Victor Lomantsov, 21 Aug 2000
Wasn't the crown returned to the COA only in early 1990's? Is this a
typo or is it indeed the change made so early?
Željko Heimer, 21 Aug 2000
The act can be as of the year 1980, but have been changed since then.
This is normal legal procedure in many countries, including, I suppose,
Poland. You don't issue a totally new act of law because of all small corrections
you may want to adopt each year. Flag laws are not usually changed very
often.
Elias Granqvist, 21 Aug 2000
The act itself comes from 1980. The crown however is added by an Act
changing the Coat of Arms, Colours and Anthem Act. The changing Act was
enacted February 9th 1990 and is effective since February 22nd 1990.
The Coat of Arms... Act was changed a few times in later years but
the changes did not affect the insignia whatsoever.
An interesting detail for those involved in heraldry: During Communist
era the crown was not the only change. If you look closer
at the Polish eagle, you notice that he has a silver star on each wing.
Before World War II the stars had three points and were
called 'the threeleaf' (trojlisc). The Communists changed it to silver
5-pointed stars. In 1990 there was a big debate about it.
Finally, they found a middle ground. The star has 3 big arms and 2
smaller ones.
Bartek Kachniarz, 22 Aug 2000
I spotted an error in the notes on FOTW Polish pages regarding the date
of restoration of the crown on eagle's head.It happened much earlier,in
August 1989, when after the creation of the first non-communist government
in the post-WWII era, crown was restored and General Jaruzelski was 'promoted'
from Chairman of the Council of State of Polish Peoples' Republic
to President of Polish Republic.
Chris Kretowicz, 19 Sep 2001
![[Coat of Arms of Poland]](../images/p/pl-state.gif)
image from http://www.wp.mil.pl/znaki.html
[since
defunct --ed.], reported by Jarig Bakker, 20 Apr 1999
The Polish Eagle bears the Crown since the 10th century. There is an
image reported on coins minted by Boleslaw the Brave, the first Polish
king. The Crown symbolizes independence from any authority. In the middle
ages there were two main in Europe political powers: the Papacy and the
German Empire, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation). German (Teutonic)
tribes always fought with the Western Slavic tribes, finally they won war
with the Velete Confederation and established German rule in Brandenburg.
Brandenburg, Rügen and Vorpommern were ethnic Slavic lands till late 11th
century. Old Slavic name for Berlin is Brenna (Velete capital) and
for Magdeburg is Dziewin. Boleslaw the Brave met German Emperor
Otto III in Gniezno (first Polish capital) in the year 1000. They signed
a Peace Treaty, which was broken by the next German Emperor Henry. Polish
Bill on the CoA is probably the world's oldest bill on the CoA still in
use. The bill was given by King Przemysl in 1294. Since the 10th century
the crowned eagle was used only by sovereign rulers and governments of
Poland.
Krzysztof Kurzeja, 15 Jun 2000
Poland was left without a separate ruler (even a foreign one) during
the last period of Russian domination, when even the grandduchy status
was abolished; before that the Russian czar accumulated the title of Grandduke
of Poland, entiled to the referred arms. However, the Russian
imperial CoA did show the polish ineschuteon (placed on the top of
the dexter wing of the eagle), which may substantiate this claim: Though
Poland was not administratively autonomous from other parts of the russian
empire, the czar did retain the title and the arms in use.
Antonio Martins, 16 Jun 2000
With respect to the crown over the head of the eagle on the Polish flag
and arms even when Poland was a republic, as it is now and as it was during
the interwar period, this can perhaps be explained by the fact that Poland
before the 18th Century partitions was in effect an elective monarchy.
The Polish Monarchy was known as the 'Rzeczpolitna Polska', or 'Polish
Republic', the official name of the country since 1919 with the exception
of the Communist period.
Of course, the franchise for electing a king was strictly limited,
and the elections were marked by great bribery and corruption; see any
accounts of the election of various Saxon kings to the Polish throne during
the 18th Century, or for that matter the election of Stanislav Leszczynski
during the middle of that century.
Ron Lahav, 14 Mar 2004
I do not remember from my school years any teacher explaining the red
colour on our flag as a symbol of communism. Even the official school coursebooks
explained it as a symbol for blood shed for freedom in our stormy history.
Whereas the white stripe certainly stands for peace.
It is true we never had any red stars on our COA during the communist
rule. And the whole dispute over the star like signs on the eagle's wings
was really nonsense to me. Some time ago I visited the museum in my town
and one of the exhibits was a COA which had survived the World War II and
to my astonishment it showed regular white stars on the wings! I wonder
what all those rightwing politicians, including Mr Korwin-Mikke, would
say to that.
Piotr Kowalski, 13 Dec 2004
From our internal vexillological studies the Polish flag colours have
no link with communism; these colours (red & white) were always used
by the old monarchy of Poland (Poland had a great role in Medieval Age
in Europe and the Polish Empire was one of the most important in Europe
in a medium period). The oldest Polish monarchy symbol that sometime could
be still used on flags is in fact a WHITE "crowned" eagle with Yellow tongue
on a RED shield: we can find this symbol from the 13th century. This is
why in 1919 one year after independence, Polish Parliament adopted a simple
red and white bi-colour flag for its country.
Paolo Luigi, 14 Dec 2004
I`ve found your site about the Polish eagle. There is one more hypothesis
about the origin of Polish CoA. In the year 1000, in Gniezno, there was
a meeting of Polish duke Boleslaw Chrobry [the Strong] with German Emperor
Otton III. Boleslaw was given the title of Roman Patricius, and [accordingly]
he was given roman, white eagles as his symbol. It is probable that current
Polish eagle is a reminiscence of Boleslaw`s patricism.
Tadeusz Stasiak, 30 Dec 2004