The

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of the

Masovian Voivodeship The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. The ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

is a red rectangle with silver (white)

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, with golden (yellow) beak and legs, located on the left side of the flag.

Design

The current flag of the

is a red rectangle with the aspect ratio of height to width of 5:8. On its left side is located silver (white)

with golden (yellow) beak and legs. The eagle has been adopted from the coat of arms of the voivodeship, and was based on the coat of arms used by

of the

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...

, from 1526 to 1795.

History

In 1410, during the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

, the forces of

Siemowit IV Siemowit IV (Ziemowit IV), also known as Siemowit IV the Younger (pl: ''Siemowit IV Młodszy''; ca. 1353/1356 – 21 January 1426), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast from the Dukes of Masovia, Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke ...

, duke of the duchies of

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to the ...

, and

Rawa The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) (Persian:جمعیت انقلابی زنان افغانستان, ''Jamiʿat-e Enqelābi-ye Zanān-e Afghānestān'', Pashto:د افغانستان د ښڅو انقلابی جمعیت) ...

, located in

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

, used a red banner with a with the white eagle, with elevated wings, and its head turned left. In the same battle, the forces of

Janusz I of Warsaw Janusz I of Warsaw (pl: ''Janusz I warszawski''), also known as Janusz I the Old (pl: ''Janusz I Starszy'') (c. 1347/52 – 8 December 1429), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast in the Masovian branch, from 1373/74 Duke of Warsaw and ...

, duke of the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

, used a banner that was divided into 4 equal fields. The top left and bottom right fields were white, with a red

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

on them, while top right and bottom left fields were white with a red eagle on them. The first flag of the Masovian Voivodeship had been adopted by the

Masovian Regional Assembly The Masovian Voivodeship Sejmik ( pl, Sejmik Województwa Mazowieckiego) is the Voivodeship sejmik, regional legislature of the Voivodeships of Poland, Voivodeship of Masovian Voivodeship, Masovia in Poland. It is a Unicameralism, unicameral parli ...

, on 8 June 2005. The flag was a red rectangle with the silver (white) eagle with golden (yellow) beak and legs, placed in the middle.
Zpravodaj Vexilologie
', vol. 145. June 2007. The eagle has been taken from the

coat of arms of the Masovian Voivodeship The coat of arms that serves as the official symbol of the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, consists of a red Escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon, that features a white (silver) eagle, with raised wings, and its head turned left. Its current version had ...

, which originally, was based on the seal used by

Siemowit III, Duke of Masovia Siemowit III of Masovia (his name also rendered Ziemowit; – 1381) was a prince of Masovia and a co-regent (with his brother Casimir I of Warsaw) of the lands of Warsaw, Czersk, Rawa, Gostynin and other parts of Masovia. Life Siemowit wa ...

in 14th century. That design of the coat of arms had been criticized by the Heraldic Commission, for not having a significant historical connection to

. Additionally, it was brought to attention that the coat of arms used the similar design of the eagle, to the one used in the coat of arms of the town of

Oborniki Oborniki (german: Obornik) is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 30 km north of Poznań. It is the capital of Oborniki County and of Gmina Oborniki. Its population is 18,176 (2005). History Oborniki was granted town ri ...

. As such, both coat of arms and flag, had been redesigned in 2006. The new versions had been created by graphic designer

Andrzej Heidrich Andrzej Ryszard Heidrich (November 6, 1928 – October 20, 2019) was a Polish graphic artist and type designer who designed Polish bank notes. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with honors. He designed bank notes for the Natio ...

, and officially approved on 29 May 2006. The design of the eagle had been changed, to one based on the coat of arms of the

of the

, used from 1526 to 1795. Additionally, the colour of the flag had been changed to darker shade, while the eagle, moved to the left side of the flag. The flag is recognized as a property of the Masovian Voivodeship, with its usage protected by the law.Uchwała 91/06 Sejmiku Województwa Mazowieckiego z dnia 29 maja 2006 r. w sprawie ustanowienia Flagi Województwa Mazowieckiego Until 2021, its usage had been limited to the official institutions, however since then, the flag had been allowed for the private usage of the voivodeship inhabitants. Such decision had been made as part of an effort to promote the local identity among the voivodeship population.

References

{{Polish flags Masovian Voivodeship

2005 establishments in Poland 2006 establishments in Poland

Culture of Masovian Voivodeship History of Masovian Voivodeship

Design

History

See also

References