Flag of Amsterdam
The flag of Amsterdam is the official flag of the Dutch capital Amsterdam. It consists of three horizontal stripes red-black - red, indicating on the black stripes three white diagonal crosses. It was introduced on February 5, 1975.
Importance
The colors of the flag are derived mainly from the coat of arms of the city of Amsterdam, or rather the sign in the same, from. The meaning of the colors and the white crosses are unclear. Its origin could be, according to the city of Amsterdam in the arms of the Persijn family who once owned much of the land around the capital.
In the arms of two other Dutch cities, Dordrecht and Delft, the middle stripe refers to water. Referring now so at Amsterdam, the black stripes would represent the Amstel river. Both the colors and the crosses are found in the flags of the two communities Ouder - Amstel and Amstelveen.
History
In the 17th century, several designs were created for a city flag, all of which were based on the coat of arms of Amsterdam. Among other things, there was a horizontally divided into seven stripes white - red-black - white-black - red -and-white copy, which moved left of center, the former arms of the city showed. By 1975, however, one held in the colors red - white-black flag was used unofficially. They also showed the coat of arms of Amsterdam. Another former variant is a Dutch flag with three black crosses in the middle.
The Verzetsvlag
1947, the city by Queen Wilhelmina, a so-called " Verzetsvlag " was given (Dutch for " resistance Flag "). This was the occasion of the launch of the new city - choice award heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig, which in German means " Heldenhaftig, Determined, Merciful ". The new motto was awarded Amsterdam the basis of merit in the Second World War.
The flag shows the emblem of the city on a white background and is nowadays mainly seen on commemorations of the war.