JUNE 7, 2025 — The Croatian Parliament has unanimously declared June 5 as the Day of the Croatian Flag yesterday, according to a government press release, marking the anniversary of the 1848 inauguration of Ban Josip Jelačić and the first official hoisting of the red-white-blue tricolour.
The decision commemorates June 5, 1848, when Jelačić took oath as Ban of Croatia. On that same day, the Croatian tricolour flag was officially flown for the first time, a moment now recognized as foundational to the development of the modern national flag.
The initiative was introduced by MP Andro Krstulović Opara and supported by the Parliamentary Committee on Education, with a favourable opinion from the Croatian Government.
That same tricolour flag was present during key historical milestones, including the opening session of Croatia’s first democratically elected parliament on May 30, 1990. A replica of the original was brought into the parliamentary chamber by Jandroković, marking the second such occasion in two years.
The original Jelačić-era flag is preserved in the collection of the Croatian History Museum but is rarely displayed due to its fragile condition. According to Krstulović Opara, the fact that this historic flag has been preserved makes Croatia one of the few European nations to retain an original example of its national standard.
The widespread use of the red-white-blue tricolour began in the spring of 1848 and has since played a central role in shaping and maintaining Croatian national identity.
