Why is the Swiss flag such a big plus?
1.8.2024
Translation: machine translated
Whenever you want to convey the feeling of home, you see it. The national flag. But why exactly with a white cross on a red background?
"Well, the flag is a big plus", Roger Federer is said to have replied when asked what the best thing about Switzerland is. I can't find any direct transcripts of this conversation, but one thing is certain: the Swiss national coat of arms features a large white cross on a red background. On Pantone colour 485C, to be precise. But that wasn't always the case.
Napoleon invented it
Napoleon Bonaparte himself ordered the Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) to adopt a tricolour flag in the colours green, red and yellow, thus creating the first Swiss national flag. Apparently, the population was not satisfied with this flag. It disappeared after the abolition of the Helvetic Republic and made way for the flag that today adorns pretty much every food package that wants to advertise "swissness".
Source: António Martins
S Chrüz is not so neutral
The equal-length sides of the coat of arms evoke associations with the Swiss values of modesty and neutrality. But unfortunately, the story is not quite so pacifist after all. The square shape, the only one in the world apart from that of the Vatican, is based on the format of the Swiss soldiers' emblem. During the Battle of Laupen in the canton of Bern in 1339, these soldiers had a white cross sewn onto their chain mail. This enabled them to distinguish themselves from other soldiers.
Red red red, like the base of the flag
The Swiss flag, as you know it today, was created in 1840 and finally enshrined in the constitution eight years later when Switzerland was founded. It was meticulously laid down in federal law that the national flag is "an upright, free-standing white cross in a red field, with equal arms each one-sixth longer than wide". However, historians disagree on the origin of the red colour. Some see a connection to religion and believe that the red colour represents the blood of Jesus Christ. Others suspect that the colour comes from the Bernese coat of arms of the time. I think the red comes from the colour of the people's heads when another tax increase is imminent.
Now you can sit back and enjoy your free bank holidays. Because with this knowledge, you don't need to drink alcohol to get on your fellow human beings' nerves with a flag. And yes, that's right, it's called a flag and not a banner.
Header image: Shutterstock
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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