The National Flag Like the present national emblem of the Czech
Republic, the national flag of the CR, too, has had an eventful
history (though not quite so complicated). The country's
original colours were white and red as a symbol of the country's
sovereignty. For a brief period of time following the coming
into existence of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, these were
used as a new national flag of the newly established state.
Owing to reluctance mainly on the Slovak political scene and to
the similarity to the national colours of Poland and the
Republic of Austria, this original symbol of the Czech Lands was
replaced by a new national flag designed by Jaroslav Kursa, who
also authored the new Czechoslovak national emblems. As such,
the national flag of the Republic of Czechoslovakia was, by
constitutional law, made up of a lower red field and an upper
white field with a blue wedge situated between the two from the
flagpole towards the middle of the flag; the flag width-to-
length ratio being 2 to 3, and