Flag of Switzerland Facts for Kids

Switzerland’s national flag was adopted on December 12, 1889, which is one of the world’s oldest flags. The Flag of Switzerland is a red field, a white cross whose arms are one-sixth longer than their width. The relationship between the span of the cross and the width of the flag has not been established, but in practice the ratio is about 2:3 or 7:10.

Flag of the Holy Roman Empire

The Swiss cross on a red field ultimately derives from a similar banner of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus has strong Christian connotations. The Swiss flag traditionally stands for freedom, honour and fidelity. The motto "Honor et Fidelitas" was inscribed on the cross of several Swiss mercenary flags of the 18th century. In modern times, through association with consistent Swiss policy, the flag has also come to mean neutrality, democracy, peace and refuge.

Images for kids

Jacob Stampfer's depiction of the Swiss cross at the center of a circular arrangement of the thirteen cantonal coats of arms (Bundestaler of 1546; his Patenpfennig of 1547 shows a larger and more elongated cross held by two angels).
Depiction of a member of the Swiss Guard in France with a flammé flag, showing the French regimental white cross before a background of black, red, blue, and yellow flame designs
The first Swiss battalion flag, issued by the Tagsatzung on 12 October 1815, after the design of general Niklaus Franz von Bachmann
Swiss cross on a Konkordatsbatzen (1829)
Final design for the flag used by cantonal troops under federal command (deployed by the Tagsatzung) in the Restoration period, by Carl Stauffer (1841)
Former Federal Councillor Elisabeth Kopp speaking on 1 August 2007. The federal flag displayed here has a narrower margin than recommended in the flag regulation, with a ratio of cross to flag width of about 5:7 instead of the recommended 5:8.
Depiction of the Swiss flag in a poster advertising the Jungfrau Railway (art by Emil Cardinaux, c. 1930)
Schweizerische Nationalspende poster showing two boys raising the federal flag (Jules Courvoisier, 1929)
The Battle of Arbedo (1422) as depicted in the Lucerne chronicle (1513). The Swiss Confederates are shown as marching under their cantonal flags (Lucerne, Uri, Unterwalden, Zug), with the white cross attached to their garments. Reinforcements of Schwyz are shown arriving in the top left, with a red triangular flag showing the white cross.
Ten cantonal war flags being carried in the Battle of Nancy (1477) in the depiction of the Luzerner Chronik of 1513. All flags of the Eight Cantons are shown, but the flags of Berne and Uri omit the heraldic animal, showing only the cantonal colours. In addition, the flags of Fribourg and Solothurn are shown, at the time not yet full members, who would join the confederacy in the aftermath of this battle. Each flag has the confederate cross attached.

Flag of Switzerland facts for kids

Images for kids

See also