Flag of Macedonia: history and description. The coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia as a symbol of the return to historical sources

Part of the territory of modern Macedonia many centuries ago was glorified by its king - the great ruler and commander Alexander the Great.

Brief historical digression

For many centuries the Macedonian lands were conquered by other peoples: the Serbs, the Greeks, and the Turks ... At the beginning of the 20th century, namely in 1912-1913, several wars unfolded in the Balkans, after which Macedonia freed itself from Turkish domination. At the same time, the Bucharest peace treaty was concluded, according to which the territory of Macedonia was divided into three parts, which were divided between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria.

In 1929, the Vardar Macedonia became part of the Yugoslav Kingdom, which several decades later was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY).

The break-up of the SFRY was the beginning of a new history of Macedonia, which became an independent state, now called the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

Flag of Macedonia: from Socialism to Independence

The history of the national flag as a symbol of the country had several interesting turns. The original version was created at a time when Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia. The flag of the Republic of Macedonia was red, and in the corner (near the shaft) there was a golden five-pointed star that was a symbol of socialism.

The first changes were connected with the recognition of the independence of Macedonia. At the same time, the red flag cloth, the position of the star in the corner, remained the same. But the star, having ceased to carry the socialist appeal, began to have 16 ends. And in the middle appeared horizontal stripes of black color. There were three of them.

There was another option, which caused a lot of controversy and conflicts with the Greek side. The fact is that Greece also had a province with a similar name - Macedonia (this is part of those lands that were given to Greece under the Bucharest Treaty). The flag of Macedonia as the state, which at that time wanted to approve, was very similar to the flag of the Greek province. They differed only in the color of the canvas, which in Greece was blue, and in Macedonia red. And in the rest everything was identical. In both cases, in the center, there was a golden sixteen-pointed star. The Greek government explained its protest also by the fact that this symbol (the Verginsky star) really existed in Ancient Greece. What is proved by archaeological excavations. On the territory of modern Greece, such a star was found on the tomb of one of the ancient rulers. It is for these reasons that the Republic of Macedonia was denied by the UN. The government urgently had to create a new flag, which is still flying on the flagpoles of sovereign Macedonia.

Description of the flag of Macedonia

The flag of Macedonia is a classic rectangle. The canvas has a bright red color. In the center there is a disc of yellow color with a diameter that is 1/7 of the length of the flag. The rays departing from it are directed in different directions and reach practically to the edges of the canvas. Total on the flag is 8 rays. The disk and rays are a kind of sun, symbolizing freedom. In the text of the hymn there is also a mention of a new sun, which shows the flag of Macedonia. A photo of the state symbol is placed below. This is the modern version.

The flag of Macedonia was approved on October 5, 1995. The relevant information is contained in the Decree of the President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia.

Coat of arms: return to the origins

In total in the history of Macedonia there were two main variants of the coat of arms. The first reflects historical traditions: the red shield is crowned with a golden crown, and inside it is a lion with an unusual forked tail. The earliest mention of such a coat of arms comes at the beginning of the 20th century.

It is known that on December 31, 1946 the government adopted another draft of the coat of arms. It depicted the sun, which rises above the mountain by the lake. This composition was framed with a wreath. It collected wheat ears, tobacco and poppy stems, tied with a ribbon, the lower part of which was decorated with a traditional pattern. At the top was a five-pointed star of red color. And in 2009 the star was removed from the coat of arms.

Now many states have returned to their historical symbols, including Macedonia. The flag and the coat of arms are made in yellow.

The modern coat of arms differs from the original one in that the 5 crowns above the shield symbolize now the sovereignty and statehood of Macedonia. And the lion remained in its original form.