History of the flag and the flagpole in the Netherlands

The Dutch tricolour is more than four centuries old, but its colours have only been officially fixed since 1937, and the rules for flying the flag from government buildings are younger still. This guide traces the history of the flag, the flag days and the flagpole in the Netherlands, based on the Royal House, the Government Gazette and the bodies concerned.

1572: the Prince’s Flag

According to the Royal House, the first mention of the Dutch flag dates from 1572, at the time of the Dutch Revolt. The colours were then orange, white and blue, derived from the Principality of Orange, the principality of William of Orange. Around the seventeenth century the orange was gradually replaced by red. According to the Royal House, the story goes that orange was less visible at sea.

The Batavian period and French rule

After the French invasion at the end of the eighteenth century the red, white and blue flag was kept, but according to the Royal House the red stripe was given an image of a Dutch maiden with a lion at her feet, a shield with the Roman fasces and a lance topped with the cap of liberty. King Louis Napoleon (1806–1810) abolished the maiden of liberty and restored the old tricolour. After annexation by France in 1810, the national flag was replaced by the French imperial flag.

1813: the return of Orange

In 1813 the Netherlands became independent again and the House of Orange returned. The colours of the flag were not officially set, so both red-white-blue and orange-white-blue could be flown. Red, white and blue was preferred and flew on government buildings. According to the Royal House, the custom of raising the orange pennant on royal occasions also dates from this period.

1908 and 1937: standard and colours

In 1908 Queen Wilhelmina introduced the Royal Standard, the monarch’s flag. On 19 February 1937 she determined by Royal Decree that the colours of the flag of the Kingdom are red, white and blue. That settled the choice between red and orange for good. The Royal House describes the colours as bright vermilion, bright white and cobalt blue. More is in the guide to flag symbolism.

Provincial and municipal flags

Many provincial and municipal flags were adopted in the twentieth century. According to the province of Fryslân, the Frisian flag was recognised by the Provincial Executive in 1897, first flew officially on the provincial house in 1927 and was adopted by the Provincial Council in 1957. According to the High Council of Nobility, the Minister of the Interior asked provinces in 1948, municipalities in 1957 and water authorities in 1961 to seek the Council’s advice when adopting a flag.

The flag instruction

Government buildings follow a general flag instruction, which according to Zaanstad’s flag instruction goes back to an instruction from the Prime Minister of 22 December 1980. The instruction has since been updated several times:

• In 2009, Veterans’ Day became a fixed flag day, every year on the last Saturday of June. Before that, a separate instruction was issued each year. With that change the ministry also published the Handleiding voor het gebruik van de Nederlandse vlag in the Government Gazette.
• In 2013, after the royal succession, the annual flag days were set anew. Queen’s Day on 30 April was dropped and the King’s birthday on 27 April became King’s Day, with extended flying. The birthdays on 31 January, 17 May and 7 December remained flag days, now as those of Princess Beatrix, Queen Máxima and the Princess of Orange. According to the Dutch government, the current instruction dates from 2013.

Today’s fixed days are in the guide to flag days.

The flagpole

The flagpole in the garden is younger in the Netherlands than the flag itself. For a long time the flag flew mainly from ships, church towers and government buildings, and at homes from a staff on the façade. According to a Dutch supplier, the wooden pole is the classic choice. Today mostly aluminium and polyester poles are sold, and wooden poles of laminated pine are chosen for their natural look. Municipalities sometimes still fly the flag from church towers: Zaanstad lists five municipally owned church towers in its flag instruction from which the flag is flown. More about the materials is in the guide to flagpole materials, and about the types of flags in the guide to flag types.