Hungary Flag Colors, Meaning & History

Hungary flag
Color Palette
ColorsHEX CodeRGBCMYK
Red#CE2939206, 41, 570, 80, 72, 19
White#FFFFFF255, 255, 2550, 0, 0, 0
Green#47705071, 112, 8037, 0, 29, 56

The Hungarian flag is made of three equal horizontal stripes. The red is on top. The white is in the middle, while the green is in the bottom.

Meaning of the Hungarian Flag

The Hungarian flag adopts the colors of Hungary’s coat of arms. The white represents the rivers of Hungary, but it also symbolizes faithfulness. The green stands for its green forests as well as hope, and the red signifies strength and the blood that was shed in the different battles the Hungarians fought.

History of the Hungarian Flag

Hungary was ruled throughout its history by the Ottomans and the Austrian Empires, having periods of independent sovereign.  The earliest recorded version of a Hungarian flag dates back to the 13th century, during the reign of King Béla III. The current tricolor flag was adopted during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849, which sought to overthrow Habsburg rule and establish Hungarian independence. The tricolor was popular in Europe at that time, and Hungary was inspired by the French Tricolor. The Hungarian tricolor became the symbol of Hungarian freedom. Hungary declared its independence from the Habsburgs, but that was short-lived, and the revolution was suppressed. Hungary became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the defeat of the Austrian Empire against the Prussians in war. After WWI, and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary became independent again in 1918. Hungary witnessed a lot of political upheaval in the 20th century. It was affected by the soviet rule, and a soviet symbol was added to the flag. In 1956, there was an uprising in Hungary and the soviet symbols were dropped from the flag. After the transition to democracy and political reforms, Hungary has not changed its flag. The tricolor is still the national symbol of Hungary.