Polish national colours, which is a rarity are of heraldic origin. They derive from the colours of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland and the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the Polish flag, the white is a reference to the white of the Eagle, which features on the coat of arms of Poland, and to the white of Pahonia – a knight galloping on horseback, which features on the coat of arms of Lithuania, both againstred background. On the flag, the white stripe is placed above the red stripe because in Polish heraldry, the tincture of the charge has priority over the tincture of the field.

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

The Polish Flag Day has been officially celebrated since 2004.

 

MFA Press Office