![[Bohemian flag]](../images/c/cz-1918.gif)
Last modified: 2018-05-23 by peter hans van den muijzenberg
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image by Mark Sensen, 2 Jul 1996.
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As for (non)existence of Bohemian flags before WW1: we know, that Austrian
Länder had no flags in their own right, but Armorial (or Livery) Colours
(Landesfarben), sometimes used in form of flag. White over red Bohemian
flag was also first flag of independent Czechoslovakia
between 1918-1920. Flag of Bohemia-Moravia Protectorate
was created in autumn 1939 by Prince Karel Schwarzenberg (based on "Staatsfarben"
of Czechoslovakia). In the first months of the Protectorate former Czechoslovak
State Flag was used.
Aleš Křížan, 24 Jul 2002
![[Bohemian livery colors from dictionary]](../images/c/cz_bhd.gif)
image by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 20 Jul 2002
According the "Diccionario Enciclopédico Universal ESPASA, the
flag used by Bohemia before 1918 was red over white in horizontal stripes.
Is this correct?
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 20 Jul 2002
In Brockhaus' Kleines Konversations-Lexikon (1914) I read: Landesfarben:
Rot-Weiss (Colors: red-white) - which seems to corroborate your Dictionario.
Jarig Bakker, 24 Jul 2002
During the Austro-Hungarian period, there were *no* flags of the crown
lands (Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary, Galizia, Upper and Lower Austria, Carinthia
etc.), only the *colors* derived from the lands' coat of arms. The Bohemian
coat of arms is and was a silver lion on red, so the heraldically correct
order is white over red (and this flag has actually been used in Bohemia
during 19th century to 1918 when it has become a first national flag of
Czechoslovakia). So, there is no indication that red-over-white flags were
in use, except some encyclopedia whose sources seem to be quite ancient
(from pre-vexillological epoch).
Jan Zrzavy, 24 Jul 2002
I agree that no officially approved flags existed, but maybe the colors
(Landesfarben) derived from the arms were used as flags. Neubecker
1929 shows all of these Landesfarben as flags.
Santiago Dotor, 25 Jul 2002
I have a book entitled The Olympic Games, Sydney 2000 Special Edition
about all the athletes, events and results from Athens to Sydney. In the
chapter of 1908 there is a picture of the opening ceremony and there is
a flag that looks like the one printed at the top of this page, a bicolour
of white over red. I think this flag was probably used for civil purposes
and for use outside of Bohemia at that time.
Daniel Malton, August 1 2002
![[Bohemia in Book of All Kingdoms]](../images/c/cz_14f.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 4 Jan 2010
The 11th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms
[f0fXX] is that of Bohemia: "El rey de Boemia a por señales un penãn
blanco con un leãn bermejo coronado d'esta maneraõ": The King of Bohemia
has for signal a white pendon with a red crowned lion, like this.
Attached <cz_14f.gif>, as depicted in the illustrated transcription
of [f0f05], in the sinister-hoisted ogival flag shape default of this source.
This design is not mentioned at <cz_bh.html>, but it is the banner
of the arms Bohemia, with reversed colors.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 7 Nov 2007
