History

A world-famous national flag!

What the world-famous national flag has to do with the military and
why the white cross on a red background has played an important role since 1339.

by Daniel Thomas Faller | 30. August 2024 | 7 mins read

As so often at the beginning of August, I celebrated our Swiss National Day, August 1, with friends from the Swiss Korean Business Council (SKBC) in a Swiss restaurant in Seoul. Everything was perfect that evening: interesting people, lively discussions, typical and delicious Swiss food. The famous August 1st Weggen was also a must. There was just one thing that irritated me – the Swiss flag.

Our national symbol, the Swiss flag, which is very prominently positioned, is rectangular and not square. I also observe this phenomenon to some extent in Switzerland.

I still remember well that a few years ago at the United Nations, the UN in New York, the Swiss flag – also there in the longitudinal rectangular format – had to be withdrawn under pressure from the Swiss Confederation and replaced by a correct, square flag.

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