Serbia Flag

The flag of Serbia is made up of three equal horizontal bars of color with red on top followed by blue in the middle, and white at the bottom. Near the hoist the flag also features an elaborate coat of arms comprised of a white double headed eagle as well as a Serbian cross. This current version of the national flag was adopted on August 17, 2004.

The three principal colors of the Serbia flag are Pan-Slavic in nature and can also be found on other neighboring countries across Europe. Along with the cross depicted on the shield there are four Cyrillic Cs positioned in each corner. It’s thought that the meaning behind these letters translates to “Only unity will save the Serbs”. The double headed eagle as well as the two fleur-de-lises positioned beside each of the mythical bird’s talons are both regarded to be historic dynastic symbols.

The official Serbian flag was designed by local painters Stefan Gavrilović, Ilija Gavrilović, and Nikola Apostolović. Although the flags of Serbia and Russia sport the same colors the order of the colors adorning the Serbian flag are reversed from that of Russia’s national symbol. On November 11, 2010 the Serbian government ordered that the coat of arms for the flag be redesigned and this version has remained ever since.

From 1835 to 1918 Serbia was represented by a flag featuring three simple horizontal stripes of red, white, and blue. After that an elaborate coat of arms was added. In 1946, however, this symbol was replaced by a red star which reflected the nation’s political status under communist rule. From 1992 to 2004 the country reverted back to using the three banded flag. The coat of arms was then added to Serbia’s official flag in 2004.