This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

Kosovo (Province, Serbia and Montenegro [Serbia])

Kosovo and Metohija, Kosova

Last modified: 2004-12-22 by ivan sache
Keywords: kosovo | kosova | metohija | eagle: double-headed (black) | star (red) | uck | defense corps of kosovo | ushtria clirimtare e kosovoes | dardania | star: 6 points (yellow) | wheel (black) |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors


See also:

Use of the Albanian flag in Kosovo

Kosovo Albanians still use no other flag that the normal Albanian national flag, even if their position on joining Albania is not very clear, and there are no immediate plans of joining (nor some in near future).

Circumstancial reports of other flags (with eagle offset to the hoist, with inscriptions and other variations) are only examples of home-made flags without any meaning to superpose the Albanian national flag.

Until now, no political or military authority (or body claiming to be authority) presented anything else for the flag of Albanians in Kosovo (or indeed of Kosovo Republic) other then the 'normal' Albanian flag.

Željko Heimer, 6 May 1999

In the 1999 book fair of Francfort, Kosovo stand was represented by a pink square flag with the Albanian eagle for Republik Kosove.

Gvido Petersons, 21 October 1999

Erroneous report of the flag of Kosovo

[Erroneous flag of Kosovo]by Mark Sensen

The Albanian flag with the red star outlined in yellow is not the flag of Kosovo, and it has never been so. The flag was the flag of the Albanian ethnical community (similarly to other national flags defaced with the red star) in late 1940s to late 1980s period. The fact that the Albanian community was mostly represented on Kosovo made this flag to be considered as the flag for Kosovo by some vexillological literature, but Kosovo had no flag of its own - neither did Vojvodina, the other Authonomous Region of Socialist Yugoslavia. This flag was official probably until 1992, when Yugoslavia removed the star, but it was rarely used since the mid 1980s. Though, it has been reported since on occasions, probably used due to the lack of flag without star, and I would not doubt that there are still a few such flags to be seen around.

Željko Heimer, 6 May 1999

Republic of Kosova

The website of the Republic of Kosova shows on the first page the normal Albanian flag, and there is no other information on the flag.

Some dates mentioned:

The Republic of Kosova was established on July 2nd, 1990. It is currently held under virtual occupation by Serbia.

Based on the Constitution of September 7 1990, Kosova is a Presidential Republic and an Independent and a Sovereign state.

The Parliament of Kosova gathered in Kačanik on September 7, 1990, and on the bases of the Constitutional Declaration of July 2, 1990, declared the Constitution of the Republic of Kosova, that defines Kosova as a sovereign state within the Former Yugoslav Federation.

On September 2, 1991, after some of the republics of the former Yugoslav federation declared their independence, the Parliament of the Republic of Kosova adopted the Resolution of the Independence that proclaimed the Republic of Kosova as a Sovereign and Independent State.

Mark Sensen, 11 March 1998

Democratic Party of Kosovo (Partia Demokratike e Kosovës)

The Wednesday 14th November issue of Madrid's local newspaper 20 minutos de Madrid y mas shows on page 4 a picture of a Democratic Party of Kosovo demonstration with a single Albanian flag and many clear (possibly white, but maybe yellow or very light blue) flags with what appears to be the logo of the PDK, a large sans-serif 'V' (possibly in red ) and the serif letters 'PDK' (possibly in black).
The PDK of Hashim Thaci (former commander of the UCK) is the second party in Kosovo with 27.3% of the votes cast in the October 28th, 2000 local elections.

Santiago Dotor, 19 November 2001

Defense Corps of Kosovo

[Defense Corps of Kosovo]by António Martins

The emblem of the Defense Corps of Kosovo (formerly, UCK) shows a black map of the region on a red field.

António Martins, 7 November 1999

Kosovo Liberation Army (Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosovoes)

[UCK flag]by Muhamed Mesić

UCK is the Albanian acronym for Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosovoes, or KLA, the Kosovo Liberation Army, a movement for the independence of Kosovo.

The Bosnian daily newspaper Dnevni Avaz showed a photo of a tank with this flag, presumably of the UCK being mounted on it. The flag is red, with the Albanian eagle, a yellow stripe and above it the letters UCK.

Muhamed Mesić, 15 December 1998

[UCK flag 2]by Ivan Sarajčić

The UCK emblem on a red background is used as a mini-flag on the sleeves of their uniforms.

Ivan Sarajčić, 3 February 1999

Preševo, Bujanovac and Medvedja Liberation Army

The Spanish newspaper El Pais published on 3 January 2001 an article about the Preševo, Bujanovac and Medvedja Liberation Army, showing a picture of that group's leader, Shefquet Musliu, with two other members at a press conference. Behind them appeared an Albanian flag and the flag of PBMLA, apparently red with the group's seal in the middle.

Santiago Dotor, 15 March 2001

Dardania (flag of uncertain status)

[Flag of Dardania]by Mello Luchtenberg

Derkwillem Visser (Vlaggen Dokumentatie Centrum Nederlands/VDCN) wrote in Info-Bulletin [inf] #102 (Winter 2000):

Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, shows a flag he introduces as the flag of Kosovo, at a press conference at his residence in Priština, Sunday October 29, 2000. The flag bears the legend "Dardania", the ancient word for Kosovo, but is not officially recognized by any international power, but Rugova asked for recognition of independance for Kosovo, which officially remains part of Yugoslavia.

Jens Pattke, 6 April 2001

The flag includes a yellow sixpointed star bordered black above the heads of the eagle (no doubt in reference to the star in the historical flag of 1912 Kemal uprising, that was first rised in Priština anyway), The eagle is bearing an escutcheon "beneath" the ribbon, the shield outlined in gold being quartered in 1 and 4 or a wheel sable, 2 gules, 3 sable. The red and black fields are no doubt based on the flag colours, but I am not sure what is the wheel for.

Željko Heimer, 31 October 2000

Dardania is a commonly used name for Kosovo among Albanians (also a neighborhood in the capital, Priština) but I don't think anybody thinks it would replace the name of Kosovo, which is rendered as Kosova in Albanian even though the word itself (from kos, blackbird) is Slavic in origin.

Stephen Schwartz, 5 April 2001