The flag of the Czech Republic is the same as the flag of the former Czechoslovakia. Upon the issolution of Czechoslovakia the Czech Republic kept the Czechoslovak flag while the Slovak Republic adopted its own flag. The first flag of Czechoslovakia was based on the arms, and was white over red. This was identical to the flag of Poland, so a blue triangle was added at the hoist. The flag was banned by the Nazis in 1938, and a horizontal tricolor of white, red, and blue was enforced. The original flag was restored in 1945. When the new Czech Republic and Slovakia separated in 1993, the Czechs decided to keep their existing flag, recalling the 2 principal parts of the country. White and red are the heraldic colors of Bohemia.