 | |
| Use | Municipal flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 5 February 1975 |
| Design | Horizontal tricolour (red-black-red) with three white Andrew's crosses in the black band |
 The banner of Arms of Amsterdam | |
| Proportion | 1:1 |
| Adopted | 1280 |
| Design | Vertical tricolour (red-black-red) with three white saltires in the black band |
The current city flag of Amsterdam depicts three Saint Andrew's Crosses and is based on the escutcheon in the coat of arms of Amsterdam. The flag is very similar to the flag of Amstelveen.
The colours of the flag are derived primarily from the shield of Amsterdam's coat of arms. According to the city government, its origin could go back to the coat of arms of the Persijn family, which once owned a large tract of land in the capital. These colours, as well as the crosses, are to be seen in the flags of both Ouder-Amstel and Amstelveen. [1]
The popular legend that the three Saint Andrew's crosses were meant to ward off fire, floods and the black plague is unfounded as the use of three St. Andrews crosses by noble families in the area precedes the arrival of the Black Death in Europe. [2]
In the coats of arms of two other Dutch cities, Dordrecht and Delft, the middle stripe symbolises water. Regarding Amsterdam, this black strip becomes the River Amstel. This could be why other references state that the three crosses represent three fordable places in the river Amstel.
The flag was officially adopted on 5 February 1975 [3] although it was already in use before this date, seen for example on the cover of the day programme of the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam. Before its official adoption, there was also an unofficial use of a flag with the city's coat of arms in the middle of a red-white-black horizontal tricolour. Such a design was already in use in the 17th century, but in Amsterdam history, other designs in the colours red, black and white were also used. Sometimes, the three St. Andrew crosses were placed in the white orbit of the red-white-blue Dutch national flag.
The meaning of the crosses is unknown, but historians assume that it is derived from the coat of arms of the family Persijn (Mr Jan Persijn is mentioned as founder of "that place" the current Dam). [4] Other possessions of this family, Amstelveen and Ouder-Amstel (Duivendrecht and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel) carry similar coats of arms derived from the family coat of arms.
It is also reported that the crosses represent the three plagues that have hit Amsterdam, namely water, fire and plague. The three crosses can be found on all kinds of buildings, in many logos and also on the Amsterdammertjes. Another theory is that the three crosses represent three fjords in the Amstel.[ citation needed ]
The February Strike Flag was awarded to the city by Queen Wilhelmina on 17 December 1947. It was a token of appreciation for the massive resistance of the people of Amsterdam against the Jewish persecution, as expressed during the February strike in 1941. [5] [6] The flag is an important symbol in the annual commemoration of the strike. The flag was designed by Pam Rueter and made by students of the Industrial School for Women's Youth. A copy was later made due to wear and tear. The original flag ended up in a depot of the Amsterdams Historisch Museum in the 1970s, where it was recovered in 2008. This banner was subsequently preserved for further preservation. [7] [8] [9]
The flag consists of a variant of the city coat of arms on a white background and refers to the courage of the city during the World War II. The resistance flag is raised at commemorations.[ citation needed ]
AFC Ajax, an Amsterdam-based football team who plays in the Dutch Eredivisie, uses the Amsterdam flag as their captain's armband.
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events.
Amstelveen is a municipality and city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands, with a population of 92,353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area.
The national flag of Austria is a triband in the following order: red, white, and red.
The national flag of the Russian Federation is a tricolour of three equal horizontal bands: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom.
The Amsterdam Metro is a rapid transit system serving Amsterdam, Netherlands, and extending to the surrounding municipalities of Diemen and Ouder-Amstel. Until 2019, it also served the municipality of Amstelveen, but this route was closed and converted into a tram line. The network is owned by the City of Amsterdam and operated by municipal public transport company Gemeente Vervoerbedrijf (GVB), which also operates trams, free ferries and local buses.
The Amstel is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam, to which the river gives its name. Annually, the river is the location of the Liberation Day concert, Head of the River Amstel rowing match, and the Amsterdam Gay Pride boat parade.
Each of the 26 modern cantons of Switzerland has an official flag and a coat of arms. The history of development of these designs spans the 13th to the 20th centuries.
Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is a town in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is largely a part of the municipality of Ouder-Amstel; it lies about 9 km south of Amsterdam. A small part of the town lies in the municipality of Amstelveen. It is connected to Amsterdam by the river Amstel. There is another village called Ouderkerk in South Holland, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel.
In British heraldry, vert is the tincture equivalent to green. It is one of the five dark tinctures called colours.
The Cross of Burgundy is a saw-toothed form of the Cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Burgundy, and a historical banner and battle flag used by holders of the title of Duke of Burgundy and their subjects.
The flags of the Dutch royal family are a set of flags used to identify a member of the royal family. The current system of flags for the Dutch monarch, princes, and princesses was introduced in 1908.
This is an armorial of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The coat of arms of Amsterdam is the official coat of arms symbol of the city of Amsterdam. It consists of a red shield and a black pale with three silver Saint Andrew's Crosses, the Imperial Crown of Austria, two golden lions, and the motto of Amsterdam. Several heraldic elements have their basis in the history of Amsterdam. The crosses and the crown can be found as decorations on different locations in the city.
Amstelland is the area along the river Amstel in the Netherlands, beginning in South Holland and running north towards Amsterdam in southern North Holland.
The Amsterdam City Archives preserves documents pertaining to the history of Amsterdam and provides information about the city. With archives covering a shelf-length of about 50 kilometres, the Amsterdam City Archives is the largest municipal archive in the world.
The coat of arms of Rotterdam is the official symbol of the city of Rotterdam. It consists of a shield and has a green band of the original weapon of Weena, bisected by a white band symbolizes the Rotte, two golden lions, and four lions, two black and two red on a gold field, and the motto of Rotterdam.
The Statenvlag is the name of the flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic, the red-white-blue tricolour flag replacing the older orange-white-blue Prince's Flag in the mid 17th century. The modern national flag of the Netherlands, the exact colours of which were confirmed in 1937, is based on this historical flag. It also resembles the modern Flag of Luxembourg.
The name Persijn or Persyn originates from what is said to be one of the oldest and noblest families from Kennemerland. In the 13th century, a branch of the Persijn family concerns the lords of Waterland and Amsterdam. They resided in the lost castle of Huis te Velsen north of Haarlem. Its oldest known ancestor was Dirk Persyn, who was given the title of courtier of the Count of Holland in 1162.
The current flag of Weert was determined on 26 June 1980 as the municipal flag of the Limburgian municipality of Weert in the Netherlands. It replaced a previously determined flag from 1962. On 1 September 1980 the current flag was hoised for the first time during the official opening of the new municipal building at that time.
The flag of Tuscany is the official flag of the region of Tuscany, Italy. The flag depicts a silver Pegasus rampant on a white field between two horizontal red bands. The flag first appeared as a gonfalon on 20 May 1975 along with accompanying text Regione Toscana above the Pegasus. It was officially adopted as the flag of Tuscany on 3 February 1995.
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