Last modified: 2005-03-12 by jarig bakker
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The statement that the Czechoslovak independence was proclaimed at 14
november 1918 is not true.
It was proclaimed on 28 October 1918 after the announcement of the
Austro-Hungarian attempt of peace negotiation with the Entente. The very
same day is up till now a public holiday in the Czech Republic, and probably
in the Slovak Republic too.
Tomá¹ Jakl, 18 Sep 2001
There is a flag that I do not remember being discussed here, shown on
a Czech stamp of 1998, looking like a "federation of Thailand and Micronesia"
flag. This is what Graham Knight says about it on that
site: "The stamp depicts a World War 1 recruiting poster used in the
USA and it shows various contemporary Czech and Slovak flags. The red flag
with the rampant lion is a banner of the Bohemian coat of arms. Behind
are 2 examples of the Resistance flag (five horizontal stripes - red, white,
blue, white, red, the blue being of double width). This flag was
designed by V Preissig for Milan Stefanik, a Slovak Nationalist member
of the National Council which the Allies had recognised as the Czechoslovak
government in exile. The flag was identified with the National Council
but was not adopted as the national flag when the National Committee declared
the independence of Czechoslovakia on 28 October 1918 in Prague. The other
flags not shown in full include, at furthest right, a Slovak flag depicting
the Slovak arms, a double cross in white. These arms were taken from those
of Matica Slovensk, a Slovak patriotic society, which had taken them from
"Hungary Modern", the dexter part of the arms of Hungary. One of the flags
furthest to the rear shows a black eagle's wing-part of a banner of the
arms of Silesia which depict an eagle (Silesia formed the Czech lands along
with Bohemia and Moravia.) In front of it is a banner of the Moravian arms-a
red and white chequered eagle on a blue field. I cannot identify the flags
placed behind these flags."
Graham Knight.
The flags, apart that of the National Council, are BOAs of 4 components
of Czechoslovakia: Bohemia (white lion on red), Moravia (white and red
checquered eagle on blue), Silesia (Back eagle on yellow) and Slovakia
(white cross on a mountain on a red over blue field)"
Jean-Francois Blanc.
This stamp was released in 1998 (80th anniversary of foundation of Czechoslovakia)
and as mentioned, motive is from recruiting poster used in the USA (WW1
- prob. 1917). The unidentified flags on the stamp are probably the Hussite
war flags. Here is most used flag - white chalice in the red field. This
flag was used by Jan Zizka z Trocnova, but others Hussite leaders have
their own modifications of this motive, e.g. red chalice in the black field
or red chalice with small black cross in the white field.
Marek Hlávka, 28 Aug 2000
This stamp is in the Yvert-stampcatalogue #189 of the series 189/190
- and # 204 in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue.
B. Lagarrigue, 25 Apr 2003
At the Historical museum of the National Slovakian museum of Bratislava,
I found a reproduction of a display "birth of Czechoslovakian Republic"
showing a rather special flag for Czechoslavakia..
Joan-Francés Blanc 19 March 1998
I think I saw this flag mentioned as the flag of a Czechoslovakian unit
in the post-WWI war against the young Soviet Russia. In other words, the
flag of one of the 'white' armies. I think I saw this in a museum in Prague,
but I have no recollection of which one.
Ole Andersen, 17 Feb 2000
The so-called "©tefánik Flag" became the official banner or flag of
the Czechoslovak National Council, and was primarily used as the Czechoslovak
War Flag after the General inspected the Legion units in Siberia at the
end of 1918. It consisted of a white stripe above a red one. The letter
"ÈS" in yellow color were inscribed in the center. There was a relatively
wide blue border at the top, bottom and outside edges and a blunt blue
wedge along the remaining side. The General himself explained the flag's
symbolism thus: "The war flag of the Czechoslovak army is plain: colors:
white, red, blue, blue like a wedge which we have used to smash an iceberg
of misunderstanding, disfavor, resentment and malice. Our white and red
colors appear on a blue background as they may appear on a blue sky, from
which, God willing, the cloud of subjugation has been banished forever"."
Source: "Czech State and Military Symbols, 1996".
Jarig Bakker, 22 Feb 2005
Flag designs of the artist Jaroslav Jares (1919), found by A. Brozek
in archives of the Jares family. There is no text with the original drawings
so it is not known whether all the proposals were meant for the national
flag or for other types of flags. All proposals use the pan-slavic colors
(blue, white and red). The black triangle with a red chalice or sun may
refer to the Hussite
movement (XVth century) named after the reformist Jan Hus, whose flags
were thought to contain these colours and devices.
I have numbered them <cz!jj1.gif> to <cz!jj12.gif> There is no
<cz!jj4.gif> in the series because this proposal matches exactly the
Czechoslovak national flag, Displaying this proposal in exhibitions
was the source of an urban legend according to which Jares created the
national flag by winning a flag contest in 1920. Jares can probably be
credited with the idea of the triangle at the hoist (in one of his earlier
proposal from November 1918) but could not have influenced the Arms Committee
in 1919-1920 in the definitive choice of the national flag.
Flag designs of the minister of railways Isidor Zahradnik (19 December
1919), found by A. Brozek in the archives of the Premonstratensian monastery
in Prague. As a member of the Constitutional Committee, Zahradnik did not
like the flag with the triangle at hoist issued in October 1919. His alternative
proposals were influenced by the American flag and
the flag used by the Czechs and Slovaks in America.
Zahradnik finally supported the flag adopted on 30 March 1920 and can be
credited for its adoption.
Ivan Sache, 14 Feb 2000
What did the five stars stand for? Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia
and Ruthenia?
Santiago Dotor, 16 Feb 2000
I have re-read carefully Ales Brozek's paper and he does not give an
explanation for the stars. Since Brozek refuses in his paper any temptation
to interpretation not based on facts, I guess that Zahradnik did not leave
any written or oral explanation of his drawing. Anyway, Santiago's hypothesis
seems plausible.
Ivan Sache, 18 Feb 2000
The chalice was/is a major symbol of the Hussite reformers. One of their
chief grievances against the Roman Catholic Church was its insistence that
the laity could receive only bread in the Eucharist, the wine being reserved
to the clergy. The Hussites or Utraquists (from the Latin word for "both")
demanded that communion be given in both species - hence their use of the
wine chalice as a symbol of the movement. The chalice is carved on the
front of at least one of the main Hussite (or maybe formerly Hussite) churches
in Prague. Using the chalice as a symbol of Czechoslovakia might have been
anathema to Slovak Catholics of the 1920s, many of whom considered Bohemian
and Moravian Catholics to be at least tainted by the heresy of the Hussites.
Joseph McMillan, 14 Feb 2000
Today, a burning chalice is used by the (Boston-based) Unitarian Universalist
Association and by Unitarians and Universalists elsewhere too. It appears
that the UUA uses the burning chalice in a flag.
Ole Andersen, 14 Feb 2000