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The flag of Maastricht ( nl, Vlag van Maastricht ; li, Veendel vaan Mestreech or ) is the official flag of
The height of the white star on the flag has to measure of the entire flag. The white five-pointed star is placed so that the height above the star relates to the height under the star as 9 : 11. Furthermore, the proportions between the height and the width has to be 2:3. This design designation has been in use since 1994. The reasons for reselecting this design were varied. Firstly, there was to be no confusion with flags of other countries, provinces or cities. Secondly, the citizens of Maastricht were argued to feel more united by this design than the 1938-1994 design. Thirdly, the flag complies with the heraldric standards of the
City flag information on the Maastrichtian municipal website ''Dutch''
{{Maastricht 1545 in Europe Culture in Maastricht
The flag of Maastricht ( nl, Vlag van Maastricht ; li, Veendel vaan Mestreech or ) is the official flag of Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
, the capital city of the province of Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. It constitutes a red vertical surface with a five-pointed star on its left side (a star that is common among many flags e.g., the flag of Chile). It had been a historical flag, with its first image of appearance dating from 1549, of the municipality but was replaced in 1938 with a flag similar in design to the Polish flag. To avoid confusion, the old flag was reinstated in 1994.
History
In 1438 the flag of Maastricht is described as being as a pigeon with olive branch on a white field, with the first historic image dating from 1545. The mentioned image was published in the ''Wappenbuch von Meister IK''-book inFrankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. However, in 1549, the flag is stated as being "yellow-white-red". In 1647, the white-star-on-red design had apparently returned when the Peace of Münster treaty was signed. The next known design is the white-red (with the upper part of the flag being white, and the lower part being red) design similar to the Polish flag. In 1993 it was decided by the municipal government to reinstate the first design and the flag was re-inaugurated on January 1, 1994.
Design
The height of the white star on the flag has to measure of the entire flag. The white five-pointed star is placed so that the height above the star relates to the height under the star as 9 : 11. Furthermore, the proportions between the height and the width has to be 2:3. This design designation has been in use since 1994. The reasons for reselecting this design were varied. Firstly, there was to be no confusion with flags of other countries, provinces or cities. Secondly, the citizens of Maastricht were argued to feel more united by this design than the 1938-1994 design. Thirdly, the flag complies with the heraldric standards of the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Finally, the colours of the Maastrichtian flag are white and vermilion
Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...
, ones also used in the flag of the Netherlands
The national flag of the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlandse vlag) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evo ...
.
Symbolism and misconceptions
* Before 1549: early flag design was a pigeon with olive branch in the canton. * First and current design (after 1549, 1647-? (1938), 1994-): this flag does not bear any symbolism towardscommunism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
, a political ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...
known for using many red symbolism e.g. the red flag.
* Second design (1938-1994): this flag was easily confused with the Polish flag and similar designs.
See also
*Coat of arms of Maastricht
The coat of arms of Maastricht ( nl, Wapen van Maastricht ; li, Waope vaan Mestreech ) is a symbol of the city of Maastricht, Limburg, The Netherlands.
References
External links
City flag information on the Maastrichtian municipal website ''Dutch''
{{Maastricht 1545 in Europe Culture in Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...