Albania is a small state on the Balkan Peninsula, off the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea. This is a country with a long history, which found reflection in its national symbols. Flag and coat of arms of Albania - what are they? What is depicted on them?
Coat of arms of Albania
The emblem of this Balkan country is a red shield of a traditional form, on which there is a silhouette of a black two-headed eagle. The so-called Skanderbeg helmet in the shape of a goat head is depicted above the bird’s heads.
To understand the meaning of these symbols, you need to familiarize yourself with the history of the country of Albania. The flag and coat of arms of the state contain an image of an eagle in no way accidental. According to popular legend, the descendants of this particular bird are modern Albanians. And the name of the country in the Albanian language sounds like "Skipper." Translated into Russian, this means: "country of eagles."
In 1443, the country was headed by the outstanding commander Geogrgy Skanderbeg. He managed to unite the state and maintain its independence. At this time, the double-headed eagle "settled" on the banner of the country. However, after the death of Skanderbeg, Albania fell under the Turkish yoke. The image of an eagle on the Albanian coat of arms for 450 years has gone underground. The symbol was restored only in 1912.
In 1944, Albania managed to free itself from German occupation on its own. Communists came to power in the country. They did not touch the black eagle on the state emblem, but surrounded it with wheat ears. In addition, a red five-pointed star, the worldwide symbol of communism, shone above the heads of the eagle.
Albania: flag and its description
What is the Albanian state flag? This is a red rectangular canvas with an aspect ratio of 5: 7. What is depicted on the flag of Albania? This is the same two-headed eagle of black color - a centuries-old symbol of the state.
A difficult story in a Balkan country called Albania. It is no coincidence that the state flag has a scarlet color. This is a symbol of the shed blood of Albanian patriots, shed in the struggle for independence, primarily with Turkish enslavers.
The black double-headed eagle was transferred to the flag of Albania from the national coat of arms of the country. This version of the banner was approved in 1992. Sometimes on the flag of Albania you can also see the Skanderbeg helmet.
Albania: flag and its history
On some canvases of the Albanian flag, today you can see a red five-pointed star in a yellow frame. This version of the banner was approved in 1946, after the communists came to power in Albania. In 1992, the modern look of the flag of the Balkan state was approved.
In 1912, Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. It was then that the black traditional eagle returned to the coat of arms and the flag of the young republic.
Historians know that the red banner with a two-headed eagle silhouette served as a symbol of the army of George Skanderbeg (Kastriot) back in the 15th century. Under this flag, Albanian warriors successfully opposed the Turkish conquerors. Legend has it that the Albanians themselves are descendants of mountain eagles, so the animal is depicted on the flag of the country. True, there is another version, according to which, this eagle migrated to Albania from the coat of arms of the Byzantine Empire.
Incident with a flag at a football match "Serbia - Albania"
On October 14, 2014, as part of the qualifying tournament for the European Championship 2016, the football match Serbia-Albania was held. The banner flag of the last state caused a breakdown in the game and a grandiose battle between fans and players of both countries.
It is worth mentioning right away that relations between the two Balkan states can hardly be called friendly. They are particularly aggravated after the Kosovo conflict. Nevertheless, the national football teams from these countries ended up in the same qualifying group (which is very strange, since UEFA usually does not allow such teams to meet: Azerbaijan never plays with Armenia, Russian clubs deliberately “divorced” from Ukrainian ones, etc.) .
At the 44th minute of the match, a remote control helicopter appeared above the stadium. A huge banner was attached to it with the coat of arms and map of the so-called Great Albania, which covered the territories of Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Macedonia. One of the Serbian players, seeing the banner, jumped up and tore it off. Albanian team players immediately pounced on him. Soon, fans joined in the scuffle, actively using fireworks and torn seats of the stands.
Of course, the match was discontinued.
Finally...
Albania is a small state in the Balkans with a long history. On the flag and coat of arms of the country is a black double-headed eagle - a symbol that has been known since the 15th century.