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The flag of Luxembourg consists of three horizontal stripes, red, white and light blue, and can be in 1:2 or 3:5 ratio. It was first used between 1845 and 1848 and officially adopted in 1993. It is informally called in the country, rout, wäiß, blo ('red, white, blue').
History[]
The colours of the flag of Luxembourg were first adopted around 1830 during the Belgian Revolution. They were probably derived from the coat of arms of the County and later Duchy of Luxembourg, which in turn was derived from the combination of the lion of the dukes of Limbourg and the supposed striped banner of the early counts of Luxembourg. The three-coloured horizontal design was fixed on 12 June 1845.
It took until 1993 before a law was passed regulating the flag of Luxembourg. The same law also prescribed ensign and roundel for aircraft and ships registered in Luxembourg.
One important clarification brought by this law was that the color blue was defined as being a very bright blue, in contrast to the flag of the Netherlands (exactly the same design, but the Dutch flag uses dark blue and a less oblong shape). The heraldic blazon for the flag is per fess Gules and Azure, a fess Argent.
Ensign[]
De Roude Léiw (The red lion) is the common name used for the civil ensign of Luxembourg. It can also refer more specifically to the heraldic animal of Luxembourg, which is often used as an emblem or mascot for various institutions and symbols related to Luxembourg.
The ensign consists of a red lion with a golden crown, claws and tongue on a background of ten horizontal bars of blue and white. The proper ratio for this ensign is 5:7.
Being used since medieval times, the Roude Léiw is seen as one of the most ancient and traditional symbols representing the identity and heritage of the Luxembourgish people.
The red lion is the official ensign for ships registered in Luxembourg. It is used for river and sea shipping, as well as for aviation.
Two civil official flags[]
On 6 July 2007, the Government stated that the Roude Léiw would be accepted as a Civil flag only within the territory of the Grand-Duchy along with the National flag keeping the same proportions, i.e. 1:2 or 3:5 as the National flag to avoid confusion with the Civil ensign.
Redesigns[]
.png "Flag of Portuguese Luxembourgers (variant).png (258 KB)")
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