Romania - 1989 Revolutionary Flag

Last modified: 2004-07-03 by rob raeside
Keywords: romania | hole |
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• About the "holey" flag

See also:

• Romania
• Romania: Index of all pages

The "holey" flag was one of the most important flags in the recent history of the country. This flag was a de facto civil ensign of Romania immediately after the fall of Ceausescu, and is historically important to the point of being offered to the president of the US, being thanked by him as a beautiful "poncho".
Jorge Candeias, 25 May 1998

If we extend your logics a little further, is it possible that the hole borders followed the irregularities of the coat of arms? Or was it just a regular oval? From what I remember from these days*, the holes were "just a regular oval", the easiest way to do this. During these several days we had no TV program on or national TV, but it was whole the time re-broadcasting the "Free Romania TV" that followed the revolution. I remember lots of the flags seen then - and to my best memory they were all oval. However, memory is not a good proof - anyone have some photos from the time?
Zeljko Heimer, 31 May 1998

I wrote to the White House when the President was presented with the Romanian Flag with the hole in it and the answer I got was that it was not an original flag but a newly made Romanian flag with an oval hole in the center that is hemmed so that the hole will not grow bigger with use! They didn't say, but maybe this is a tourist souvenir in Bucharest!
David Martucci, 27 May1998

I concur with the opinion which is based on the belief that the use of the Romanian flag with a hole was merely because there was no easily obtainable flag without the Communist arms. First, all flags would have been manufactured with t