History of Austrian Flag

The Austrian flag is composed of three equal horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes are red and the middle stripe is white.

What do the colors of the Austrian flag mean? There is a legend that Duke Leopold V of Austria (1157-1194) was involved in a battle during the Crusades.

He was severely wounded and after the fighting stopped his battledress was soaked in blood. However when he took off his belt the clothing underneath it was white and not one drop of blood sullied it. Supposedly this is said to be the inspiration for the red and white colors of the flag.

However the earliest documentation of an Austrian flag dates to Duke Freidrich II (1210-1246). He wanted Austria to be more independent of the Roman Empire so he adopted the red and white flag in 1230.

The Austrian Empire was founded in 1806. Austria was taken over by the Nazis in 1938. The allies occupied Austria after WWII until it became totally independent in 1955 on the proviso that it remained neutral.

As with just about every other nation in the world there is meaning to the colors used on the Austrian flag but that is a discussion for another time.

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