Slovenia's flag, coat of arms and national anthem

What the Slovenian flag looks like

The flag has three horizontal stripes of equal width, white at the top, blue in the middle and red at the bottom. The coat of arms sits in the upper left, straddling the white and blue stripes, and the flag is twice as long as it is high. It’s a simple design, which is exactly why the arms are what set it apart. The colours alone won’t tell you which country you’re looking at, because white, blue and red crop up on several flags across central Europe and the Balkans, so the shield is the thing to look for first.

What the coat of arms means

I think the arms are among the most attractive in Europe, because they’re almost a map. In the centre stands Triglav, at 2,864 metres the highest summit in the country, drawn in white on a blue field. Below it, two wavy lines stand for the sea and the rivers. Above, three six-pointed gold stars form an inverted triangle, and a red border closes the shield on two sides. Travel through the Julian Alps and you’ll keep seeing that outline, which I cover in Mount Triglav.

The anthem, a toast by Prešeren

The words of the anthem are the seventh verse of «Zdravljica», «A Toast», written by France Prešeren, who lived from 1800 to 1849, set to music by Stanko Premrl (1880-1965). Prešeren also has his own day, 8 February, the national day of culture and a work-free day nationwide. If you’re travelling in February, plenty of shops close that day, as I explain in Slovenia’s public holidays.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Kranjska Gora on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Where you’ll see the symbols

On official buildings and, above all, on the national days linked to the birth of the state, 25 June, Statehood Day, and 26 December, Independence and Unity Day. What each date commemorates is in Slovenia’s Independence Day. Both are work-free public holidays, so plan around closures. I like the fact that the same symbol, the mountain, appears on the flag, on the coat of arms and in the view across Lake Bohinj.

Telling it apart from Slovakia and Russia

If you’re torn between Slovenia’s flag and another with the same colours, check two things. First, the coat of arms with the silhouette of Triglav and the three gold stars. Second, its position, straddling the white and blue stripes. With those two clues you won’t go wrong. The wider confusion with Slovakia, which goes well beyond flags, is unpicked in Slovenia or Slovakia.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Kranjska Gora and pick one that fits your day.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Kranjska Gora on Booking.com and filter by area before price.