The President of the Republic may announce a period of national mourning. If a flag is flown from a wooden pole rather than a staff or mast, a black ribbon is attached to the pole as a sign of mourning or a black flag is flown to its left from the national flag. That restriction and kind of state monopoly on the use of national symbols during the Communist regime made flying the flag of Poland a symbol of resistance against the government. It became customary, as it still is, for workers to hoist Polish flags on plant buildings when going on strike. That is why the Polish flag, as a symbol of patriotism and resistance against the Communist rule, is part of the Solidarity trade union logo.
Naval Service Regulations define when, where and how the flags should be raised and lowered onboard a navy ship. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European nations used cockades, or knots of coloured ribbons pinned to the hat, to denote the nationality of their military. In Poland, until 1831, there was no consensus as to what the colours of the national cockade should be. Polish soldiers wore white, white-and-red, blue-and-red or blue-white-red cockades. The earliest vexilloids (flag-like objects) used in Poland were known as stanice and probably resembled the Roman vexillum, that is a cloth draped vertically from a horizontal crosspiece attached to a wooden pole or spear. They served as both religious and military symbols as early as 10th century.
During the uprising, the Sejm realized the need for unified national insignia that could be used by the Polish military. On 7 February 1831 it adopted white and red, the tinctures of the Polish and Lithuanian coats of arms, as the national cockade of Poland. White and red colours were also used by civilians to show their protest against the Russian rule, as well as by people in France, Britain, Germany, Belgium and other countries as a sign of their sympathy with the Polish cause. The Sejm’s decision was not, however, immediately accepted by all. Left-wing politicians of the time, such as Joachim Lelewel, continued to regard the revolutionary blue, white and red as true national colours. Tricolour standards were used by some Polish guerrilla units during the January Uprising.
You can also select a handsewn option for added quality. Hence it is assumed that this image has been released into public domain. However in some instances the use of this image in Poland might be regulated by other laws.
Until 1831, Polish soldiers wore cockades of various colour combinations. Since 2004, Polish Flag Day has been celebrated on 2 May. Outline krakow poland city skyline with blue buildings and reflections. Business travel and tourism concept with historic architecture. Polish national flag over the heads of people gathered at the Castle Square in Warsaw on the day of the Polish Independence Day. The custom came to Poland from Saxony during the reign of Augustus II (r. 1697–1733), King of Poland and Elector of Saxony.
