On June 5, 2023, the Croatian Post issued a series of postage stamps "Flags of Croatia".

The flag, along with the coat of arms, is the main symbol of any state. 2023 marks the 175th anniversary of the first official use of the Croatian tricolor. The new series consists of two postage stamps, they clearly and concisely demonstrate the history of the Croatian flag.

The first "historical" stamp in the series depicts the 1848 standard of the Ban of Croatia, Josip Jelačić, which was solemnly presented to him during the enthronement ceremony. It was from this period that the red, white and blue tricolor became the official colors of the Croatian flag. On the second stamp we see a fragment of the country's modern flag. The relevance of the image is emphasized by bright colors and the figure of a girl on an electric bike in the foreground.

On the stamp with the historical flag, a fragment of the lithograph “Entry of Ban Josip Jelacic into Zagreb on June 4, 1848” is used as a background image. The chalk lithograph was drawn by Johan Georg Rau and published by Anastas Jovanović in Zagreb in 1848. In the foreground is Baron Jelacic on a white horse in full dress uniform, followed by his officers and soldiers.

Josip Jelačić-Buzimski Josip (1801-1859) - commander of the Austrian Empire and Croatian statesman, an iconic figure in Croatian history. He played a key role in the process of the Kingdom of Croatia gaining independence from Hungary. In 1848 Josip Jelačić became Ban (viceroy) of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia and remained so until his death in 1859.

The official enthronement of Baron Josip Jelacic Bužimski took place in Zagreb on June 5, 1848. During the solemn ceremony, Josip Jelačić, the Ban of Croatia, was presented with a flag as a symbol of the power and honor of the ruler of the country.

It is with the person of Jelačić that one of the most popular historical hypotheses is associated, explaining the appearance of the tricolor on the official flag of the country. For a long time, simple cloth jackets in red, white and blue colors were considered traditional Croatian clothing. In 1848, during the inauguration, Josip Jelacic wore an outfit that combined all three of these colors. The tricolor has become a kind of symbol of the unity of the Croatian people, without division into western and southern Croats. Josip Jelacic is still revered by his compatriots for everything he did for his state and its future. In fact, it provided the most powerful impetus for Croatia's future independence.

The stamps, created by designers from Samobor: Ariana Noršić and Maja Cipek, were issued in miniature sheets of 8 stamps. Croatian Post also issued First day cover (FDC) and a special postmark. The presentation of the series of postage stamps took place on June 5, 2023 in Zagreb.

Sources: www.posta.hr