The Polish flag is two equal horizontal stripes, the upper one white and the lower in red.The colours are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colours. ThePolish national coat of armsis placed in the centre of the white stripe for official use abroad and while at sea. Both variants of the national flag of Poland were officially adopted in 1919, shortly after Poland re-emerged as an independent state in the aftermath of World War I in 1918. Many Polish flags were adopted within the following three years.The designs of most of these Poland flag have been modified only to adjust to the changes in the official rendering of the national coat of arms. Major modifications included a change in the stylization of the eagle from Neoclassicist to Baroque in 1927 and the removal of the crown from the eagle’s head during the Communist rule from 1944 to 1990.
The country is divided into 16 provinces, largely based on the country’s historic regions. Administrative authority at provincial level is shared between a government-appointed governor, an elected regional assembly and an executive elected by the regional assembly. Statistics from 2003 and 2004 show that there were a total of 139′ crimes’ involving the national flag in these two years. In 1921,the government released a pamphlet that suggested that the colour ‘Crimson’ be used.
Very appropriately in light of the country’s turbulent and often tragic history, the Polish national anthem is titled Poland Has Not Yet Perished. That sentiment is echoed by Poland’s national symbol, the white eagle on a field of red, which has remained constant for more than seven hundred years. Originating as a coat of arms in the thirteenth century, the white eagle on red has appeared in many different versions. In flag form it served the early Polish kings as a a royal banner. By the eighteenth century white and red had come to be recognized as Poland’s national colors and the country’s first true national flag was a horizontal bicolor, white over red.
Tricolour standards were used by some Polish guerrilla units during the January Uprising. Though Poland fell under Soviet domination in 1945 it was not until 1952 that the Polish Peoples Republic was formally established. Unlike most other Eastern European nations in the Soviet sphere, the PPR did not adopt a communist-style coat of arms. Except for the removal of the crown from the head of the eagle the Polish coat of arms and Polish flags were unchanged. The national flag was the plain white-red bicolor, while the state flag, adopted in 1955, displayed the arms on the white stripe.
The eagle first appeared on coins minted in the 12th century and subsequently on the heraldic seals of the Piast dynasty. Toward the end of the 13th century, during the reign of Przemyslaw II, the Polish eagle was depicted with a crown. Indonesia and Monaco, in fact, have the same flag as Poland, just inverted. The Coat of Arms Act says thateveryone can use Poland’s flag as long as it’s done respectfully. Interestingly,the ability to use the national colours and fly the Polish flag outside of a holiday was only made legal in 2004.