Norway’s flag is a red field bearing a blue Nordic cross outlined in white, extending to the edges. Designed by Fredrik Meltzer and introduced in 1821, it situates Norway within the Nordic cross tradition while marking independence after union-era symbols. A ‘union mark’ was added in 1844 during the Swedish union and removed in 1899–1905 as Norway achieved full sovereignty. Red, white, and blue echo 19th‑century ideals of liberty. Protocol prescribes hoisting times, half‑masting, and variants for state and naval use. The design has remained unchanged since the peaceful dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905.
Norway’s national flag—red with a blue cross fimbriated in white and offset toward the hoist—expresses both Nordic kinship and a distinctly Norwegian constitutional story. Its modern form dates to 1821, when parliamentarian Fredrik Meltzer proposed a design that would distinguish Norway at sea and on land while acknowledging the shared cross motif of Scandinavia.
Historically, Norway’s banners evolved through dynastic and union contexts. Medieval standards featured a red field and a golden lion bearing an axe, a device that survives in the coat of arms. From 1397, Norway’s incorporation into the Kalmar Union under a common monarch meant the Danish Dannebrog—red with a white cross—prevailed at sea and in official contexts. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Treaty of Kiel (1814) transferred Norway from Denmark to Sweden, and a brief attempt at full independence culminated in a personal union with the Swedish crown. Symbols reflecting this arrangement proliferated, including naval ensigns that combined elements of each realm.
Amid these changes, a call grew for a flag reflecting Norwegian identity without renouncing Nordic heritage. Meltzer’s 1821 proposal placed a blue cross on red, bordered in white to ensure contrast at distance and to echo the colours of other constitutional states associated with liberal revolutions. The Storting (parliament) accepted the flag for merchant shipping along Norway’s coasts north of Cape Finisterre, while southern waters initially retained union ensigns. Over time, the design spread, reinforced by Norway’s expansive maritime economy and the need for clear vessel identification.
In 1844, King Oscar I introduced a ‘union mark’ in the canton of both Norwegian and Swedish flags—a multicoloured emblem combining the two countries’ colours—signifying the monarchic union. In Norway, the mark was widely disliked and derided as the ‘sildesalaten’ (herring salad). Its removal became a symbolic objective of the growing independence movement. The Norwegian Storting removed the mark from the merchant flag in 1899; following the 1905 dissolution of the union, the union mark disappeared from all flags, leaving the plain red field with the blue cross edged in white as the sole national design.
Norway’s flag law and royal decrees regulate proportions, usage, and variants. The civil flag is rectangular, with the cross’s vertical arm placed closer to the hoist in the standard Nordic manner. The state flag and naval ensigns exist in additional swallow-tailed forms reserved for government and military use. Protocol sets flag days and hours: the flag is raised at sunrise (or prescribed morning times) and lowered at sunset, with allowances for the long daylight of northern latitudes. Half-masting conventions apply during mourning, and flags must be kept clean, undamaged, and correctly oriented.
The colours—red, white, and blue—have been interpreted as signalling liberty and national awakening, consistent with 19th-century symbolism. At the same time, the off-centre cross affirms a religious and cultural heritage shared with Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. In this dual message, the flag announces Norway’s place in a Nordic family of nations while asserting the sovereignty reached through constitutional processes rather than violent rupture.
In civic life the flag appears on public buildings, in celebrations of Constitution Day (17 May), and in international arenas from sport to diplomacy. The same design has been maintained since 1905, a visual record of the country’s journey from union dependence through peaceful assertion of self-government to a stable parliamentary monarchy. Its crisp contrast and disciplined geometry ensure visibility on fjords and oceans and on the facades of state institutions, while its legal protocols reflect the importance Norwegians attach to dignified and consistent use of national symbols.