Flag of Lithuania - State (historical) Flag

State (historical) Flag

In 2004, along with the law authorizing the change of the flag ratio, a state flag was adopted. This flag displays the national emblem in a banner form. The ratio of the flag is the same as that of the national flag, i.e. 3:5. The state flag, called the historical flag in law, was proposed by Česlovas Juršėnas, the vice-speaker of the Seimas, and by Edmundas Rimša, the chairman of the Commission of Heraldry. This flag was also proposed at the same time as the grand coat of arms; both were meant to honor the 750th anniversary of the coronation of Mindaugas in 1253. The designer of the State (historic) flag and coat of arms was Arvydas Každailis. Historically, this flag was used during the Battle of Grunwald, and has served as the government flag for Central Lithuania from 1922 until 1939. This was one of the few flags considered to become the national flag during the drive for national independence. It is also worth noting that several other countries have an official national flag for civilian use and a state flag for government use. Some of the countries that practice this are Finland, Spain, Venezuela, Germany and Thailand.

Under the National Flag Law, the state flag is permanently hoisted at three locations: the Royal Palace of Lithuania, Trakai Island Castle, and the grounds of the Vytautas the Great War Museum in Kaunas. In addition, the flag is hoisted at the following locations on these days:

• February 16 – next to the House of the Signatories, on Pilies Street in Vilnius
• March 11 – next to Palace of Seimas
• July 6 – next to the Presidential Palace, Vilnius
• July 15 – next to the Ministry of Defense
• October 25 – next to the Seimas Building, the Presidential Palace, and the Gedimino 11 building that houses the Government of Lithuania