The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

The National Flag of Luxembourg

The colours of Luxembourg where first used during the Belgian Revolution of 1830, when Luxembourg patriots where encouraged to fly them. The colours themselves most likely come from the arms of the House of Luxembourg.

The current tricolour design was finally adopted in 1845, giving Luxembourg its first national flag. It consists of red, white, and light blue. It is remarkably similar to the flag of the Netherlands. One way to differentiate between the two is the shade of the blue, and the Luxembourg flag is much longer. 

The ensign, used by river and lake shipping, and in aviation. It is based on the coat of arms of Luxembourg. A rampant red lion with a crown, blazoned over 10 light blue and white stripes. 

The debate was begun in 2005, by MP Michel Wolter, about the national flag. One movement wants to replace the current tricolour with the ensign flag. Reason being they want a more unique flag to represent Luxembourg, rather than a flag that resembles the flag of the Netherlands. It will prove difficult to introduce though, as the Belgian province of Luxembourg uses a coat of arms that are similar, as does the German state of Hesse.