The Secret History Behind Switzerland's Flag

Switzerland's flag is one of only two square national flags in the world — the other belongs to Vatican City.

The white cross on red goes back to Swiss soldiers who wore it as early as the Battle of Laupen in 1339. After the 1848 constitution, a square red flag with a white cross was recognized for the army, and the exact proportions of the cross and the flag were fixed by law on December 12, 1889. The square shape comes from heraldry: military coats of arms of the time were square.

The date printed on every Switzerland design in our catalog, August 1, 1291, is the founding date behind Swiss National Day: the Federal Charter, an alliance between Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden.

A flag that kept the shape of a shield.

See the Switzerland Alpine Summit Tee → · Browse the West Europe collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.