Flags of Austria-Hungary

Emperor's Gratitude by Ludwig Koch from 1915. Visible various flags used in Austria-Hungary

The empire of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918) did not have a commonly used universal flag. A single "national flag" could not exist since the Dual Monarchy consisted of two nations brought together by the 1867 Austro-Hungarian Compromise. Additionally, the 1868 Croatian–Hungarian Settlement meant that Croatia and Hungary were entities that legally required separate flags. The only official symbol of Austria-Hungary in common use was the coat of arms.

Practical use of different flags

In a country without an official single national flag, the use of this type of symbol was complicated. In practice, the government and citizens used different flags depending on the regulations, situation, and context:

  • The black-gold flag of the ruling Habsburg Dynasty was sometimes used as a de facto national flag. These colors had symbolic importance for the monarchy as the "imperial colors" (reichsfarben).[1]
  • At state functions, the Austrian black-gold and the Hungarian red-white-green tricolor were often used to represent the two parts of the empire. In Vienna, in front of Schönbrunn Palace, the black-gold flag was flown for Cisleithania (Austrian half), while both Croatian and Hungarian flags were flown for Transleithania (Hungarian half).[2]
  • The Hungarian half of the realm legally had no flag of its own.[3] According to the 1868 Croatian–Hungarian Settlement (art. 62 and 63), in all joint Croatian and Hungarian affairs, symbols of both Croatia and Hungary respectively had to be used. For instance, whenever the joint Hungarian-Croatian Parliament held its session in Budapest, both the Croatian and Hungarian flags were hoisted on the parliament building in Budapest.[3][4][2] Hungary proper used a red-white-green tricolor defaced with the Hungarian coat of arms, sometimes used to represent the entirety of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown.
  • Separate Austrian and Hungarian teams competed at the Olympic Games, each using their own flag.[5][6]
  • Austro-Hungarian Army carried the double-eagle banners for their regiments they had used before 1867, as they had a long history in many cases.
  • Austro-Hungarian Navy until 1918 continued to carry the Austrian ensign it had used since 1786. New ensigns created in 1915 were not implemented due to the ongoing war.
  • The Austro-Hungarian merchant navy used a red-white-red civil ensign similar to the navy ensign until 1869, when a new "double" civil ensign was introduced. This configuration further bisected the lower stripe between a left red half and a green right half, with the Austrian and Hungarian coats of arms side by side, representing a combination of the two nations.[7] This ensign was also used as the consular flag, as decreed on 18 February 1869. It came into use on 1 August 1869.[8]
  • Embassies flew the imperial standard alongside the black-and-gold flag of Austria and the red-white-green flag of Hungary.[8]
  • Legations flew the black-and-gold flag of Austria alongside the red-white-green flag of Hungary.[8]
  • Consulates flew the consular flag with a design identical to the "double" civil ensign.[7]
  • Cisleithanias crown lands and Transleithanias crown lands had their own regional flags used locally.
  • In addition, for various purposes were also used unofficial flags, such as the Hungarian tricolor civil ensign on Transleithania inland waters[7]

Flags

National and state flags

Imperial and military standards

Ensigns

Civil ensigns

Regional flags

Additionally, several flags were in use within the local territories of Austria-Hungary.

Cisleithania
LocationRegion nameFlag
Archduchy of Austria
(Lower Austria)
Archduchy of Austria
(Upper Austria)
Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Dalmatia
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
(1849–1890)

(1890–1918)
County of Tyrol
Duchy of Bukovina
Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia
Duchy of Carinthia
Duchy of Carniola
Duchy of Salzburg
Duchy of Styria
Margraviate of Moravia
Austrian Littoral, including:

Imperial Free City of Trieste

Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca

March of Istria
(Austrian Littoral)


(Imperial Free City of Trieste)


(Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca)


(March of Istria)

Vorarlberg
Transleithania
LocationRegion nameFlag
Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (1868–1918)
including:

Kingdom of Croatia
(separate until 1868)

Kingdom of Slavonia
(separate until 1868)
(Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia)


(Kingdom of Croatia)


(Kingdom of Slavonia)

City of Fiume and its District
Condominium
LocationRegion nameFlag
Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Examples of using flags in the era

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austro-Hungarian flags in art.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austro-Hungarian flags on photographs.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The official version prescribed the Crown of St. Stephen, the same as on the Hungarian flag, to be used. See Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia: Symbols
  2. ↑ Neue Illustrirte Zeitung (No. 3, 13 October 1878, Vienna)
  3. ↑ Possibility referring to Polish national colors.

References

  1. ↑ "The FAME: Austria-Hungary, 1868 - 1918". Zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  2. 1 2 Pliverić, Josip (1907). Spomenica o državnopravnih pitanjih hrvatsko-ugarskih. Zagreb: Hartman (Stjepan Kugli)., p. 50
  3. 1 2 "Habsburg | H-Net". H-net.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Austria. Reichsrat. Abgeordnetenhaus (1903). Stenographische protokolle über die sitzungen ...: 1. (eröffnungs-) bis [485.] sitzung ... Aus der K.-k. Hof -und staatsdruckerei. p. 20714.:
    Der § 63 spricht auch von einer kroatisch-slavonisch-dalmatinischen vereinigten Fahne auf Reichstagsgebäude. Diese Fahne war bis anno domini 1902 allen Dimensionen nach gleich ungarische Fahne.
  5. ↑ "The team of Austria at the opening ceremony of the 1912 Summer Olympics". Jul 1, 1912. Retrieved Jul 1, 2026 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  6. ↑ "The team of Hungary at the opening ceremony of the 1912 Summer Olympics". Jul 1, 1912. Retrieved July 1, 2026 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The FAME: Austria-Hungary - Maritime Flags". Zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr.
  8. 1 2 3 Rudolf Agstner, Austria(-Hungary) and Its Consulates in the United States of America since 1820 (LIT Verlag, 2012), p. 45.
  9. 1 2 3 "Imperial Standard of Austria, Flags of the World". Fotw.info.
  10. ↑ "Austro-Hungarian Empire: Military Flags". Fotw.info.
  11. ↑ Album of standards, flags and pennants of the Russian Empire and foreign states. 1890. p. 39. Archived from the original on 2025-09-11.
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