The symbolism of the white and red colours

The white and red flag is one of the three symbols of the Republic of Poland, beside the white eagle and “Mazurek Dąbrowskiego”. Its colours were not chosen by chance: they derive from the state's coat of arms, which has a history of more than seven hundred years. This guide explains the origin and meaning of the colours, based on the law and the National Security Bureau's booklet “Duma i szacunek”. The history of the flag and flagpole is described in the guide to the history of the flagpole.

Colours from the coat of arms

According to the Bureau, the Polish national colours derive from the state emblem, the White Eagle coat of arms: the white from the eagle and the red from the field of the shield. For centuries these colours appeared on military banners and pennants as a sign of belonging to the state. Today's emblem is described in article 2(1) of the Act: the image of a white eagle with a golden crown on its head turned to the right, with outspread wings and a golden beak and talons, on a red shield.

According to the Bureau, the eagle appeared in Poland from the 12th century on the coins and seals of the Piast dukes, and a fully formed, crowned eagle appeared on the coronation seal of Przemysł II in 1295. The emblem was given its present stylisation in 1927.

White at the top

Under article 4(1) of the Act, the colours are arranged in two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. In heraldry the more important colour takes the higher position, and according to the Bureau white, corresponding to the white of the White Eagle, is the more important colour. For the same reason, when the flag is attached vertically to a pole, the white stripe is next to the pole.

A Polish flag hung upside down resembles the flags of Indonesia and Monaco, which have red at the top. This is why attention is paid to which stripe is on top when the flag is hung.

The national cockade

According to the Bureau, in the second half of the 18th century, during the reign of King Stanisław August, the custom arose of wearing white and red pinned into a round cockade. The colours gained particular importance in 1792, during the celebrations of the first anniversary of the Constitution of 3 May. On 7 February 1831 the insurgent Sejm resolved that the national cockade would consist of the colours of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, that is, white with red. From then on, white and red cockades accompanied the successive uprisings.

The meaning of the colours

The law assigns no meaning to the colours beyond their origin in the coat of arms. In popular interpretations, white is associated with purity and peace, and red with blood shed for the homeland and with courage. The Bureau writes that white and red, hallowed by the blood of thousands of Polish patriots, expressed the nation's aspirations to independence.

A symbol of the state and the nation

Article 1(1) of the Act on the emblem, colours and anthem names the white eagle, the white and red colours and “Mazurek Dąbrowskiego” as the symbols of the Republic of Poland. Article 28 of the Constitution adds that the emblem, colours and anthem are protected by law. Under article 5(2) of the Act, everyone has the right to use the colours, in particular to mark the importance of ceremonies, holidays or other events.

The colours in everyday life

According to the Bureau, the white and red colours decorate streets and houses on national holidays and anniversaries, accompany Polish athletes and fans, and mountaineers plant the flag on the summits they climb. Article 16 of the Act, however, prohibits placing the symbols on goods intended for trade, except in stylised or artistically transformed form. The rules on using the flag are described in the guide to flag rules, and holidays in the guide to flags on holidays.