This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

# Zürich canton (Switzerland)

##

Last modified: 2026-05-02 by martin karner
Keywords: switzerland | zürich | zurich | german |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

image by António Martins, 22 February 2024

- Description of the Flag
- Symbolism of the Flag
- History of the Flag
  - Miscellaneous Pictures
- Cantonal Banner of Zürich with red Schwenkel
- Colour Flag
- Flaggen, Knatterfahnen, and Livery Colours
- Early 20th Century Flag Design
- Logo
- Cockade

- Districts and communes of Zürich canton
- Clickable map of Zürich districts
- Zürich Shooting Sport Association

See also:

- Cantons of Switzerland
- Switzerland
- Regio Bodensee
- Zürcher Standeswappen von 1529 (by Paul Ganz, 1898, German)
- Zürcher Standesscheibe vom Jahre 1500 (by Paul Ganz, 1927, German) | picture
- Die Wappen der zürcherischen Vogteien (by Eugen Schneiter, 1945, German) | Tafel XI
- Die früheste Darstellung des Wappens von Zürich (by Eugen Schneiter, 1967, German)
- Drei Zürcher Fahnen (by Regula Schmid, 2019, German)

## Description of the Flag

Per bend azure and argent.
Diagonally divided from the upper hoist to the lower fly into equal blue and white parts, with the blue all in the edge of the hoist.
T.F. Mills, 17 October 1997

## Symbolism of the Flag

Like Luzern, blue was said to denote the lake, and white the snow capped mountains around it. Somewhat ironically, white used to signify water, while blue represented the sky. The diagonal division ("per bend") is supposed to represent justice.
T.F. Mills, 17 October 1997

## History of the Flag

Zurich attained the rank of "Reichs-immediacy" in 1218, which makes it along with Schaffhausen the oldest sovereign state in the Holy Roman Empire which later became part of Switzerland. Its flag is also one of the oldest, its first documented use being 1220. The seal of the Zurich Council, with the same design, dates from 1225. Independence implied troops to defend it, and troops were never without their war banner. Zurich joined the Swiss Confederation in 1351, and soon dominated it militarily with its flag flying on the highest flagstaff. Zurich was one of the recipients of the Pope Julius banners in 1512, but they discarded it during the Protestant reformation and started carrying in to battle a hundred-year old flag which had been retired after the Burgundian wars.
In 1273 Zurich's banner was adorned with a red "Schwenkel" ("chef" in French for lack of a better word), which is a very long pennon (see image). Conflicting reports put it at 1278 or 1348. This was regarded as a high honour and/or a mark of sovereignty, but there are conflicting reports from the Middle Ages that it was also a mark of shame (e.g. a sign that the previous banner had been lost in battle). After the battle of Nancy in 1477, the Duke of Lorraine removed the Schwenkels from Swiss banners saying they had erased their shame, but when the troops got home they restored the Schwenkels since they considered them marks of honour and not shame. A little white cross on the Schwenkel probably came with the original pennon. The Schwenkel very strongly resembles the flag of Schwyz or modern Switzerland, and other confederate states adopted it in the 15th century, but there is no documentation explaining its meaning for other states and no proof that it was a mark of the Confederacy.

T.F. Mills, 17 October 1997

### Miscellaneous Pictures

- Main banner of Zürich (1437, reverse), carried in the Old Zürich War (1440–46;) (source: [b7b42]).
- Stained glass plate from Lukas Zeiner, ca. 1490, with two Zürich flags, one showing the three Christian martyrs and patron saints of Zürich, Felix, Regula and Exuperantius (Those martyrs are also on the Zürich city and state seals, source) (source).
- Shooter flag, carried during the Dijon campaign, 1513 (source: [m2m93]). Reverse side (source: [b7b42]) (cf. Shooting Club Flag).
- Partial Draft Flag (Auszugsfähnlein), carried in the Second War of Kappel (1531), where Zurich was defeated and reformer Huldrych Zwingli fell in battle (Location: Federal Archive, Schwyz |
  Source: Schwyzer Militärgeschichte, Schwyzer Hefte Bd. 107, 2017).
- Stained glass plate (detail), 1557, dedicated from the city of Zürich to the monastery of Muri (today's location). Zürich flag with Schwenkel. The two lions are the heraldic animals of Zürich (source).
- Banner bearer, Zürich banner with Schwenkel, part of a painting series from Humbert Mareschet with paintings of the banner bearers of all 13 cantons of that time (1585, picture) (source).
- Cavalry standard (2nd half 18th c.). Inscription: "S.PQ.T." (Senatus PopulusQue Turicensis, The Senate and the People of Zürich) (source: [m2m93]).
- Military flag, Republic of Zürich (In use until 1798 [before Helvetic Republic]). Drawing according to a contemporary drawing 1792 (see Swiss Cantons War and Military Flags).

  ## Cantonal Banner of Zürich with red Schwenkel

  image by T.F. Mills
  The Schwenkel, granted in 1273, may have influenced the development of the Swiss flag, but did not in of itself signify Zurich's membership in the Swiss Confederation.
  T.F. Mills, 14 November 1997

  See also: • SCHWENKEL in Dictionary of Vexillology
  • Der Schwenkel (by Günter Mattern, ICV 15, 1993, German)

  ## Colour Flag

  image by Ole Andersen

  Rectangular cantonal flag, as shown in Kannik (1956) [So-called Farbenfahne (colour flag)]; in the case of ZH divided diagonally instead of horizontally.
  Ole Andersen, 4 August 2002

  See also: STATE COLOURS in Dictionary of Vexillology

  ## Flaggen, Knatterfahnen and Livery Colours
  |  |  |

  images by Pascal Gross

  Flaggen are vertically hoisted from a crossbar in the manner of gonfanon, in ratio of about 2:9, with a swallowtail that indents about 2 units. The chief, or hoist (square part) usually incorporates the design from the coat of arms – not from the flag. The fly part is always divided lengthwise, usually in a bicolour, triband or tricolour pattern (except Schwyz which is monocolour, and Glarus which has four stripes of unequal width). The colours chosen for the fly end are usually the main colours of the coat of arms, but the choice is not always straight forward.

  Knatterfahnen are similar to Flaggen, but hoisted from the long side and have no swallow tail. They normally show the national, cantonal or communal flag in their chiefs.

  Željko Heimer, 16 July 2000

  See also: HANGING FLAG, VERTICALLY HOISTED FLAG, LIVERY COLOURS in Dictionary of Vexillology

  ## Early 20th Century Flag Design

  (baechtigerhorgen.ch) (source)

  At the beginning of the 20th century, flamed flags were still in use, with the white cross replaced by a (baroque) shield in the centre of the flag. These decorative flags had been used until WWII and then somewhat forgotten in preference of the current cantonal flags. Today they are being produced again (see right image).
  Pascal Gross/Martin Karner

  See also:

  - National flag and other cantonal flags with "Early 20th century flag design"
  - Modern Flamed Flags
  - FLAMMES in Dictionary of Vexillology

  ## Logo

  (loc. 8 May 2024)
  (source)

  ## Cockade

  (swissmilitaria.ch)

  Cockade for the cantonal troops' headgear (regulation from 1869, size: ca. 40 mm, reverse side).
  Martin Karner, 14 March 2025

  See also: Cockades (Swiss Army)