The Royal flag of the Netherlands consists of threeequivalent horizontal strips. The upper one is red, the middle one is white, the lower one is blue. It is not difficult to see the similarity of the Dutch flag to the modern Russian one, only the location of the bands is different.
Curious similarity
Considering the flag of the Netherlands, a photo of the Russiansometimes it is worth keeping in front of you. The combination of red and white stripes will create a curious chess. It is interesting that such an ornamental composition was on the crest of the Croats in those days when they defeated the Venetians. But this is by the way, although the flag of the Netherlands was born as a result of a popular uprising. Interestingly, the colors, similar to the Netherlands, for the Russian flag was chosen personally by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. To sew the banner, which was erected over the first Russian warship "Eagle", were purchased "kindyak-alaya", white and blue cloth.
History of the banner
The first flag of the Netherlands, won by him instruggle for independence with Spain, was the first birth of the family clan of the Prince of Orange, raised during the Eighty Years War, consisting of three stripes of three colors: the royal orange, white and blue. For the banners were used the colors of the livery of Prince of Orange - Nassau Willem I. This orange color inherited by the prince of Orange, white, denoted the struggle of the gözes for freedom and power, blue (azure) - the color of the county of Nassau.
The orange band was replaced by a red one inthe result of the revolution of 1648. The flag of the Netherlands with the red strip remained state even after the restoration of the monarchy in Holland, in 1815. And it should be noted that the return of the orange color to the national flag was not allowed by Napoleon's brother, Louis Bonaparte, who stated that "In the Kingdom of Holland, there is no place for orange."
Perhaps the change of orange color on the flag onred mattered and purely practical. The first tone burns out on the sun much faster than the second because of the different mineral composition of the dyes used. For the same reasons, the azure color of Nassau was changed to blue. The Prince's flag (the so-called flag with an orange strip) became the base for the flag of the South African Union (1910-1961) and the South African Republic (1928-1994). Now the Prince's banner is very popular among Dutch nationalists and supporters of the idea of the great Holland.
Other symbols of the Netherlands
In addition to the main cloth, on holidays inThe Netherlands can see three more banners: the Standard of the Queen, the Navy's gyus and the flag of the Minister of Defense. Often the banner of the country hangs next to some of them. To create an idyllic image of the Netherlands flag only state is sometimes not enough.
The standard of the queen is a blue cross on an orange field. In the center is the royal coat of arms, the lion under the crown. In 4 fields, on which the cross is divided by a standard - post horns.
Guyce Navy is a white field, divided by two oblique crosses - blue and red - so that the blue and red sectors form irregularly shaped diamonds.
The flag of the Minister of Defense is four oblique orange bands on the left side of the violet field.
