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AUSTRIA


ÖSTERREICH

Last modified: 2024-06-08 by martin karner
Keywords: austria | oesterreich | austro-hungarian empire | blood | hammer and
sickle | eagle (black) | shackle | chain | crown: mural (yellow) | europe |
european union | cencoop | federalism | tricolour:horizontal (red-white-red) |
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2:3, by Željko Heimer




 * National Flag and Civil Ensign
 * State Flag, State Ensign, War Ensign (Federal Service Flag /
   Bundesdienstflagge)
 * Origin of the Austrian flag

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 * Coat of Arms
 * Vertical hoisting
 * Flags on stamps of Austria
 * Clickable map of Austria

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See also:

 * Austro-Hungarian Empire
 * Further reading (FOTW bibliography on Austrian flags and other symbols)
 * Austria: Index of all pages
 * Clickable map of Europe
   
   
 * Die Symbole der Republik (by Ulrike Michel, 2006, German)
 * Website from Peter Diem (with vexillological and heraldic informations,
   German)
 * Timeline of Austria

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NATIONAL FLAG AND CIVIL ENSIGN

Horizontal triband of red-white-red.
Željko Heimer, 20 February 2001




COLOUR SHADE

Shade of red used [for the image above] is medium red: RGB: 255-0-0 [FotW's
default standard for plain medium red].
Željko Heimer, 29 June 2002

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual
London 2012) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was
sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by
LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag
for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government,
version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be.
For Austria, PMS 032. The vertical version is simply the flag turned through 90
degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012

The colour shades of the flag are not specified, at least I haven't found any
source. There is a law from 1984
(https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/BgblPdf/1984_159_0/1984_159_0.pdf), its
Annex 2 shows the state flag with bright (or medium) red.
So, just for the record, let's see other available sources:


 * According to the Flag Manual – Beijing 2008, the color shade is PMS186C
   (red).
 * The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] gives colors in Pantone and CMYK colors,
   PMS colors are PMS 186c (red) and PMS 108c (yellow), CMYK color are 0-90-80-5
   (red) and 0-0-100-0 (yellow).
 * Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12] gives PMS 182 (red).
 * The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies the colors of the flags in
   three color systems.
   Red: Pantone 186c, CMYK 14-100-79-4, RGB 200-16-46
   Yellow: Pantone 108c, CMYK 2-11-92-0, RGB 254-219-0
 * The CISM Flags Manual 2018 gives PMS 032 (red).
 * Vexilla Mundi (https://www.vexilla-mundi.com/austria_flag.html) gives PMS
   186C (red), PMS White, PMS Black, PMS 137C (yellow) and PMS 644C (steel
   blue).
 * Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Austria) illustrates the
   flag with darker shade of red and gives PMS 186C, and its equivalents in
   other color systems: RGB: 200-16-46, CMYK 0-100-80-5, and Hex #C8102E.
   There is a note for its color: "The Constitution of Austria does not specify
   the colour shades of the flag, but members of the Austrian Armed Forces are
   told that the red on the coat of arms (which is used for the flag shield on
   the eagle) is Pantone 186 C." and gives a source:
   www.bundesheer.at/abzeichen/pdf/flaggenordnung.pdf [retrieved]

Zoltan Horvath, 12 April 2024


The legislation for the Austrian emblems mentions nothing about the colour
shades of the national flag and shield: https://www.ris.bka.gv.at... (see also
the 1984 version posted from Zoltan Horvath). It's just described as "red", the
rest are individual preferences or provisory recommendations, as described by
Ian Sumner above. Neither vexillologist and heraldist Peter Diem mentions
anything about an official regulation on his website.
Martin Karner, 2 May 2024




RATIO

There is no prescription on the ratio of this flag for civil use (i.e., on land,
maybe the 1981 regulations of the sea flags determine the civil ensign ratio).
Željko Heimer, 20 February 2001

The ratio 2:3 is not formally defined. In 1984 the lawmakers could not be talked
into regulating the ratio of the civil flag – they argued that "a wealth of
formats would enhance adherence to the flag." The 2:3 ratio of the state flag,
put into effect by the arms and flag act of 1984, now has a benign influence,
i.e., it is creating some tendency toward this format and thus to some order.
Peter Diem, 16 August 2002

Recently I got a little guide about the main church at Braunau (Upper Austria).
The title shows a photo (presumably around 1970) with several flags interesting
enough to share it with you. In the foreground: an Austrian national flag
(horizontal format), proportion about 1:3 up to 2:7.
M. Schmöger, 2 June 2004

The Seeschiffahrtsgesetz (Maritime Act) dated 19 March 1981 prescribes the
proportions for use at sea as 2:3.
Christopher Southworth, 14 April 2009

The flag was not used after the Anschluß, or the unification with Nazi Germany
in 1938, but was restored with independence in 1945.
Steven Shea, 26 April 1996

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STATE FLAG, STATE ENSIGN, WAR ENSIGN


FEDERAL SERVICE FLAG (BUNDESDIENSTFLAGGE)

2:3, by Željko Heimer 2:3, by Peter Diem

The ratio shown here (2:3) was formally adopted in 1984. The type of eagle on
the flag drawn by Željko Heimer is that used by the Western Austrian flag
factory; the flag drawn by Peter Diem is that used by the Eastern Austrian flag
factory. The latter is heraldically better because the constitution prescribes a
sable (black) eagle. The former flag tends to make the eagle appear grey on
actual flags.
Peter Diem, 16 August 2002

The red white red flag with the coat of arms is used as the Government flag and
by the army.
Željko Heimer, 18 November 1995

The state flag is a triband with the coat of arms in the middle. The size of the
coat of arms is prescribed by the location of two points on it. The lower edge
of the hammer should be on [or slightly above – Peter Diem] the upper edge of
the lower red stripe, white the "middle" of the beak should be on the lower edge
of the upper red stripe. Horizontally, the coat of arms is in the middle, of
course. This flag is called Dienstflagge des Bundes. Framing of the coat of arms
in a shield is forbidden (although see flag signalling government member on
board a river boat!)
Željko Heimer, 20 February 2001

As you can see from http://www.peter-diem.at/bundeswappen.htm the
Landeshauptmann (Land prime minister) has the right to use the federal
coat-of-arms, but I have never seen him doing this. The prime ministers elected
by the nine Land parliaments are indeed, according to the constitution, also
organs of the Federal Administration, but only "also". They draw their whole
legitimation from the Land – they act more against the Federation instead of for
the Federation. Therefore I assume that a car flag used for official occasions
would be only the state flag/state service flag
(Landesflagge/Landesdienstflagge). As municipalities do not have federal
functions, they have to show the plain national flag. Practice frequently does
not follow the legal prescriptions, though. The flag manufacturer
Gärtner/Mittersill floods the country with federal service flags with "grey"
eagle, which are also used frequently for waving during sports events.
Peter Diem, 18 August / 3 September 2003 (translated by M. Schmöger)

I have been in correspondence with Peter Diem concerning the plain triband of
Austria, and can report that the proportions for use on land are not regulated,
but that the 1981 regulations on the sea flags determine the civil ensign ratio.
The Seeschiffahrtsgesetz (Maritime Act) dated 19 March 1981 prescribes the
proportions for use at sea as 2:3.
Christopher Southworth, 14 April 2009


VARIANTS OF THE FEDERAL SERVICE FLAG

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ORIGIN OF THE AUSTRIAN FLAG


THE FACTS

Duke Friedrich II (1210–1246), the last Babenberg, sought to become more
independent of the Roman Emperor (also Friedrich II) and adopted as a new "logo"
the red-white-red arms in the year 1230. The first colour document bearing them
dates from 1232.
Peter Diem, 16 August 2002




THE LEGENDS

I have had great difficulty getting any definite statement about the origin of
the arms for Austria (gules, a fess argent), but there is a legend about them.
The story goes that one of the early rulers of Austria wore a white tunic in
battle one day, and the battle was so bloody that the entire tunic was
bloodstained by the end of the fighting. When he took his belt off, however, the
part of the tunic protected by the belt was still white. However, I haven't been
able to trace the name of the particular ruler or what battle it was he was
fighting in. At any rate, true or not, that legend is the origin of the modern
Austrian flag.
Mike Oettle, 15 March 2002



Smith (1975) quotes a similar legend (although it should be noted that this
version is NOT found in Austrian sources):
"The origin of the Austrian colors concerns the Battle of Ptolemais (Acre) in
1191. Duke Leopold V was supposedly granted these arms by King Henry VI, based
on the battle-bloodied tunic of the duke, which had remained white only where
covered by his wide belt. Losing his standard during the fray, Leopold
supposedly raised his tunic as a rallying point, and the design was subsequently
made official."
Željko Heimer, 18 March 2002

Ptolemais is the same as Acre or Akko, in Israel, which was reconquered by
Philippe II Auguste of France from Saladin in 1191.
Jarig Bakker,  18 March 2002

Note that a "fess" (Norman French for sash) is so called because it resembles
the sash or belt a knight would wear across his waist.
Santiago Dotor, 20 March 2002

Andrew Wheatcroft (1995) "The Habsburgs – Embodying Empire" reported that Duke
Leopold V of Austria (referred to in one source as "Leopold Heldenthum") was of
the Babenberg dynasty. The Babenbergs were the original Margraves and then Dukes
of Austria, reigning from 976 to 1246. They were followed by the Habsburgs who
were Dukes of Austria from 1278.
Leonie Giudici, 20 March 2002