When Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz was appointed by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor to rule the then-new Principality of Reuss-Greiz on 12 May 1778, the flag adopted by the "Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz" was the first-ever appearance of the black-red-gold tricolour in its modern arrangement in any sovereign state within what today comprises Germany – the Reuss elder line that ruled the principality used a flag whose proportions were close to a "nearly square"-shape 4:5 hoist/fly ratio, instead of the modern German flag's 3:5 figure. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte declared the First French Empire. In response to this, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II of the Habsburg dynasty declared his personal domain to be the Austrian Empire and became Francis I of Austria.
Principality of Reuss-Greiz
Flag of Germany
Flag of Germany | Principality of Reuss-Greiz
Red and white were also colours of the Hanseatic League (13th–17th century). Hanseatic trading ships were identifiable by their red-white pennants, and most Hanseatic cities adopted red and white as their city colours (see Hanseatic flags) Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context. Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context. There are many theories in circulation regarding the colour scheme used in the flag. One such theory suggests that the colours were those of the Jena Students’ League.
what does the red on the german flag represent
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When Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz was appointed by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor to rule the then-new Principality of Reuss-Greiz on 12 May 1778, the flag adopted by the "Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz" was the first-ever appearance of the black-red-gold tricolour in its modern arrangement in any sovereign state within what today comprises Germany – the Reuss elder line that ruled the principality used a flag whose proportions were close to a "nearly square"-shape 4:5 hoist/fly ratio, instead of the modern German flag's 3:5 figure. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte declared the First French Empire. In response to this, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II of the Habsburg dynasty declared his personal domain to be the Austrian Empire and became Francis I of Austria.
Flag of Germany | Principality of Reuss-Greiz
Red and white were also colours of the Hanseatic League (13th–17th century). Hanseatic trading ships were identifiable by their red-white pennants, and most Hanseatic cities adopted red and white as their city colours (see Hanseatic flags). Red and white still feature as the colours of many former Hanseatic cities such as Hamburg or Bremen.
Flag of Germany | Principality of Reuss-Greiz
Taking the colours of the banner of the Holy Roman Emperor, the flag of the Austrian Empire was black and gold. Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, with Napoleon forcing the empire's dissolution in 1806. After this point, these colours continued to be used as the flag of Austria until 1918. The colours red and white were also significant during this period. When the Holy Roman Empire took part in the Crusades, a war flag was flown alongside the black-gold imperial banner. This flag, known as the "Saint George Flag", was a white cross on a red background: the reverse of the St George's Cross used as the flag of England, and similar to the flag of Denmark.
Flag of Germany | Principality of Reuss-Greiz
On 16 November 1959, the Federal Court of Justice () stated that the usage of "black–red–yellow" and the like had "through years of Nazi agitation, attained the significance of a malicious slander against the democratic symbols of the state" and was now an offence. As summarised by heraldist Arnold Rabbow in 1968, "the German colours are black–red–yellow but they are called black–red–gold."
Flag of Germany | Colour
Since the 1860s, there has been a competing tradition of national colours as black, white, and red, based on the Hanseatic flags, used as the flag of the North German Confederation and the German Empire. The Weimar Republic in 1919 opted to re-introduce the black, red, and gold tricolour. This was controversial, and as a compromise, the old flag was reintroduced in 1922 to represent German diplomatic missions abroad. As a reaction, "Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold" was an organization formed in 1924 representing the parties supporting parliamentary democracy, and for the remainder of the existence of the Weimar Republic, black-red-gold represented the centrist parties supporting parliamentary and black-white-red represented its nationalist and monarchist opposition.
National colours of Germany | Introduction
Following the declaration of the German republic in 1918 and the ensuing revolutionary period, the so-called Weimar Republic was founded in August 1919. To form a continuity between the anti-autocratic movement of the 19th century and the new democratic republic, the old black-red-gold tricolour was designated as the national German flag in the Weimar Constitution in 1919. Only the tiny German principalities of Reuss-Greiz – where the use and layout of the "schwarz-rot-gold" design had originated some 140 years earlier –, Reuss-Gera, Waldeck-Pyrmont and its republican successor had upheld the 1778-established tradition, and had always continued to use the German colours of black, red, and or (gold) in their flag.
Flag of Germany | Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
The flag of Germany () is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold (). The flag was first adopted as the national flag of Germany in 1848 by the German Confederation and then, in the modern nation state, in the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Since the mid-19th century, Germany has two competing traditions of national colours, black-red-gold and black-white-red. Black-red-gold were the colours of the 1848 Revolutions, the Weimar Republic of 1919–1933 and the Federal Republic (since 1949). They were also adopted by the German Democratic Republic (1949–1990), albeit, since 1959, with an additional ('socialist') coat of arms.
Flag of Germany | Introduction
Article 22 of the German constitution, the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, states: The federal flag shall be black, red and gold. Following specifications set by the West German government in 1950, the flag displays three bars of equal width and has a width–length ratio of 3:5; the tricolour used during the Weimar Republic had a ratio of 2:3.
Flag of Germany | Design
The colours black-white-red appeared for the first time in 1867, in the constitution of the North German Confederation. This nation state for Prussia and other north and central German states was expanded to the south German states in 1870–71, under the name German Empire. It kept these colours until the revolution of 1918–19. Thereafter, black-white-red became a symbol of the political right. The national socialists (Nazi Party) in 1933 re-established these colours along with the party's own swastika flag. After World War II, black-white-red was still used by some conservative groups or by groups of the far right – as it is not forbidden, unlike proper national socialist symbols.
Flag of Germany | Introduction
As in Germany, the decision should fall in favor of the black, red and gold flag of the Weimar Republic. The Soviet Union was initially against this flag. As a symbol of the Weimar Republic they remember times of weakness, to crises and unemployment. Thus, the black-white-red flag remained. It goes back to the National Committee for a Free Germany. The committee was established on 12 and 13 June 1943 under Soviet leadership took the old Reich flag. The flag should be seen as signs of the struggle against the fascist Nazi regime are evaluated in Adolf Hitler and the swastika flag.
Flag of East Germany | History
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, many East Germans cut the coat of arms out of their flags, as Hungarians had done in 1956 and as Romanians would soon do during the fall of Ceaușescu. The widespread act of removing the coat of arms from the East German flag implied the plain black-red-gold tricolour as symbol for a united and democratic Germany. Finally, on 3 October 1990, as the area of the German Democratic Republic was absorbed into the Federal Republic of Germany, the black-red-gold tricolour became the flag of a reunified Germany. In 1998, the Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship was formed.
Flag of Germany | 1989–present
The tricolour was ultimately selected, largely to illustrate the continuity between the Weimar Republic and this new German state. With the enactment of the (West) German constitution on 23 May 1949, the black-red-gold tricolour was readopted as the flag for the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1955, the inhabitants of the French-administered Saar Protectorate voted to join West Germany. Since its establishment as a separate French protectorate in 1947, the Saar had a white Nordic cross on a blue and red background as its flag. To demonstrate the commitment of the Saar to be a part of West Germany, a new flag was selected on 9 July 1956: the black-red-gold tricolour defaced with the new coat of arms, also proposed on this day.
Flag of Germany | Divided Germany (1949–89)
In 1952, Württemberg-Baden became part of the modern German state of Baden-Württemberg, whose flag is black and gold. Two other states that were created after the war, Rhineland-Palatinate (French zone) and Lower Saxony (British zone), chose to use the black-red-gold tricolour as their flag, defaced with the state's coat of arms. These two states were formed from parts of other states, and no colour combinations from these previous states were accepted as a new state flag. This led to the use of the black-red-gold for two reasons: the colours did not relate particularly to any one of the previous states, and using the old flag from the Weimar Republic was intended to be a symbol of the new democracy.
Flag of Germany | After World War II (1945–1949)
The German national flag or (), containing only the black-red-gold tricolour, was introduced as part of the (West) German constitution in 1949. Following the creation of separate government and military flags in later years, the plain tricolour is now used as the German civil flag and civil ensign. This flag is also used by non-federal authorities to show their connection to the federal government, e.g. the authorities of the German states use the German national flag together with their own flag.
Flag of Germany | Civil flag
A red-clawed, -beaked and -tongued imperial eagle was used from the 14th century onwards, as depicted in the Codex Manesse about 1304. The Habsburg Monarchy used the colours black and gold as its dynastic flag from about 1700; when emperor Francis II abdicated from the throne in 1806, he adopted the colours as the flag of his Austrian Empire. The black-red-gold tricolour's first known appearance on a state flag, anywhere in a German-ethnicity sovereign state within what today comprises Germany, occurred in 1778. Following this documented "first-use" by the elder Reuss noble line of the modern tricolor combination, the connection of the black-red-gold tricolour with the Reichsbanner design appears to have been made as early as during the March Revolution.
National colours of Germany | Supposed pre-modern origins
The tricolour was ultimately selected, largely to illustrate the continuity between the Weimar Republic and this new German state. With the enactment of the (West) German constitution on 23 May 1949, the black-red-gold tricolour was adopted as the flag for the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1955, the inhabitants of the French-administered Saar Protectorate voted to join West Germany. Since its establishment as a separate French protectorate in 1947, the Saar had a white Nordic cross on a blue and red background as its flag. To demonstrate the commitment of the Saar to be a part of West Germany, a new flag was selected on 9 July 1956: the black-red-gold tricolour defaced with the new coat of arms, also proposed on this day.
Flag of East Germany | Symbolism and design
On the centenary of the Berlin March days in March 1948, the second People's Congress was convened in Berlin. It should be seen as " German People's Council on the reorganization of the entire state " in addition to the drafting of a constitution creating a national flag for the state of the German Democratic Republic. The choice was between three flags, one red, another black-white-red, and the last option black-red-gold. The proposal to introduce the red flag, was quickly discarded. As a sign of communist and the international labor movement this flag was rejected even during the November Revolution of 1918 (and beyond) by the bourgeoisie.
Flag of East Germany | History
As a civil ensign, the black-white-red tricolour was retained, albeit with the new tricolour in the top left corner. This change was not welcomed by many people in Germany, who saw this new flag as a symbol of humiliation following Germany's defeat in the First World War. In the , the old colours continued to be used in various forms. Many conservatives wanted the old colours to return, while monarchists and the far right were far more vocal with their objections, referring to the new flag with various derogatory names ("see Colour above"). As a compromise, the old black-white-red flag was reintroduced in 1922 to represent German diplomatic missions abroad.
Flag of Germany | Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
In addition to the normal horizontal format, many public buildings in Germany use vertical flags. Most town halls fly their town flag together with the national flag in this way; many town flags in Germany exist only in vertical form. The proportions of these vertical flags are not specified. In 1996, a layout for the vertical version of the government flag was established, that coincidentally matched the pattern of the "conventional" black-red-gold flag of the Principality of Reuss-Gera () from 1806–1918: the is displayed in the centre of the flag, overlapping with up to one fifth of the black and gold bands.
Flag of Germany | Vertical flags
With the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, many of its dukes and princes joined the Confederation of the Rhine, a confederation of Napoleonic client states. These states preferred to use their own flags. The confederation had no flag of its own; instead it used the blue-white-red flag of France and the Imperial Standard of its protector, Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars, the German struggle against the occupying French forces was significantly symbolised by the colours of black, red, and gold, which became popular after their use in the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps, a volunteer unit of the Prussian Army.
Flag of Germany | Napoleonic Wars
In the Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949), and especially after the 1960s, only very far-right parties use black, white, and red, especially radical conservatives and neo-Nazis. Right-wing populist and national conservative parties, for example The Republicans, pointedly display black, red, and gold in their logo. Beside the right-wing extremists only the very small group of monarchists display the old colours.
National colours of Germany | Post-war
The flag is yellow and black and was awarded by the Ministry of the Interior on 16 May 1959.
Altlußheim | Coat of arms
West of the Oder–Neisse line, the German states were reorganised along the lines of the zones of occupation, and new state governments were established. Within the American zone, the northern halves of the former states of Württemberg and Baden were merged to form Württemberg-Baden in 1946. As its flag, Württemberg-Baden adopted the black-red-gold tricolour. The choice of these colours was not based on the historical use of the tricolour, but the simple addition of gold to Württemberg's colours of red and black. Coincidentally, Baden's colours were red and yellow, so the colour choice could be mistaken for a combination of the two flags.
Flag of Germany | After World War II (1945–1949)
According to the Reich flag law, Germany's national colors were black, red and white and its flag incorporated the swastika. In the words of Hitler, this was to "repay a debt of gratitude to the movement under whose symbol Germany regained its freedom, fulfilling a significant item on the program of the National Socialist Party".
Law in Nazi Germany | Flag law
Vexillology rarely distinguishes between gold and yellow; in heraldry, they are both "Or". For the German flag, such a distinction is made: the colour used in the flag is called gold, not yellow. When the black–red–gold tricolour was adopted by the Weimar Republic as its flag, it was attacked by conservatives, monarchists, and the far right, who referred to the colours with spiteful nicknames such as (black–red–yellow) or even (black–red–mustard). When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the black–white–red colours of pre-1918 Imperial Germany were swiftly reintroduced, and their propaganda machine continued to discredit the , using the same derogatory terms as previously used by the monarchists.
Flag of Germany | Colour
The German association with the colours black, red, and gold surfaced in the radical 1840s, when the black-red-gold flag was used to symbolize the movement against the Conservative European Order that was established after Napoleon's defeat. There are many theories in circulation regarding the origins of the colour scheme used in the 1848 flag. It has been proposed that the colours were those of the Jena Students' League (), one of the radically minded banned by in the Carlsbad Decrees; the colours are mentioned in their canonical order in the seventh verse of August Daniel von Binzer's student song ("On the Dissolution of the Jena Students' League") quoted by in his "Academic Festival Overture".
Flag of Germany | Origins
The duty of this organisation, directly responsible to the federal government, is to examine the consequences of the former East German regime. As its logo, the foundation used an East German flag with the Communist coat of arms cut out. The old black-white-red tricolour of the German Empire is still used by monarchists and those members of German royalty who long for the peaceful reintroduction of a German democratic monarchy. This use of the old flag is almost completely overshadowed by its prevalent use by the far right; since the aforementioned ban on all Nazi symbolism (e. g. the swastika), the "Schutzstaffel's" (SS) double sig rune, etc.) is still in effect within today's Germany, the far right have been forced to forego any Nazi flags and instead use the old imperial flag, which the Nazis themselves banned in 1935.
Flag of Germany | 1989–present
Another claim goes back to the uniforms (mainly black with red facings and gold buttons) of the Lützow Free Corps, comprising mostly university students and formed during the struggle against the occupying forces of Napoleon. Whatever the true explanation, these colours soon came to be regarded as the national colours of Germany during this brief period, and especially after their reintroduction during the Weimar period, they have become synonymous with liberalism in general. The colours also appear in the medieval .
Flag of Germany | Origins
The flag of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia is a horizontal tricolor consisting of green, white and red.
Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia | Introduction
The Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold (, ""Black, Red, Gold Banner of the Reich"") was an organization in Germany during the Weimar Republic, formed by members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the German Centre Party, and the (liberal) German Democratic Party in February 1924. Its goal was to defend parliamentary democracy against internal subversion and extremism from the left and right, to teach the population to respect the new Republic, to honor its flag and the constitution. Its name is derived from the Flag of Germany adopted in 1919, the colors of which were associated with liberal parliamentary democracy and the republic, and themselves had first appeared together on a state flag, within a German-ethnicity sovereign state in 1778.
Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold | Introduction
In 1921, even Gustav Stresemann, chairman of the national liberal German People's Party argued for the reintroduction of black, white, and red. In May 1926, the German government of Chancellor Hans Luther had to resign after a quarrel over the display of flags at German embassies. To encounter antidemocratic forces, the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold society was founded by members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Catholic Centre Party, and the liberal German Democratic Party in 1924. Led by the Social Democrat Otto Hörsing, the defined goal of the organisation was to defend the colours and the parliamentary values they represented.
National colours of Germany | Weimar Republic
The flag is divided longitudinally white - blue - yellow, and the wavy blue stripes making up one seventh of the height, the white and yellow stripes each making up three sevenths of the height of the flag. In the centre of the white stripes are two diagonal green oak branches with three leaves and a green acorn next to one other. In the middle of the yellow stripe is a wheel-less black plough. The height to length ratio of the flag is 3:5. The flag was designed by Jürgen Frenkel from Dreschvitz.
Dreschvitz | Flag
The absence of gold from the flag also made it clear that this German state did not include the "black and gold" monarchy of Austria. In the Franco-Prussian War, the remaining southern German states allied with the North German Confederation, leading to the unification of Germany. A new constitution of 1871 gave the federal state the new name of German Empire and the Prussian king the title of Emperor. The German Empire retained black, white, and red as its national colours. An ordinance of 1892 dealt with the official use of the colours. The black-white-red tricolour remained the flag of Germany until the end of the German Empire in 1918, in the final days of World War I.
Flag of Germany | North German Confederation and the German Empire (1867–1918)
Even though this medieval international trade organization had lost its influence over two centuries earlier, the city-states of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck, all former Free Imperial Cities, took pride in their centuries-old Hanseatic tradition. The navy commander Prince Adalbert of Prussia strongly advocated the implementation of a combined tricolour of Prussian black and white and Hanseatic white and red as a war flag and a civil ensign. Bismarck ("I don't care whatsoever about those colors! Whatever, green and yellow and dancing pleasure, or the flag of Mecklenburg-Strelitz...") made no objections. From the 1871 German unification until 1918, black, white, and red were widely accepted as the national colours of the German Empire, though they were not officially adopted as the imperial flag by law before 1892.
National colours of Germany | Black, white, and red
The Holy Roman Empire (800/962 – 1806, known as the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" after 1512) did not have a national flag, but black and gold were used as colours of the Holy Roman Emperor and featured in the imperial banner: a black eagle on a golden background. After the late 13th or early 14th century, the claws and beak of the eagle were coloured red. From the early 15th century, a double-headed eagle was used.
Flag of Germany | Medieval period
Numerous German associations embraced the patriotic tricolour, and sports organisations that were founded prior to World War I often choose white with additional black and/or red as their colours.
National colours of Germany | Black, white, and red
The flag of Nazi Germany, officially the flag of the German Reich, featured a red flag with the swastika on a white disc. This flag came into use initially as the banner of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) after its foundation. Following the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, the flag was adopted as the one of the nation's dual national flags, the other being the black-white-red horizontal tricolour of the German Empire. One year after the death of President Hindenburg in 1934, this arrangement ended and the swastika flag became the national flag of Germany in 1935, which it remained until the end of World War II and the fall of the Third Reich.
Flag of Nazi Germany | Introduction
Ferdinand Freiligrath in his poem "Schwarz-Rot-Gold", published 1851 and dated 17 March 1848, has the lines "Das ist das alte Reichspanier, Das sind die alten Farben!" ("This is the old imperial banner, these are the old colours!"), and in addition provides a symbolism for the colours as "Pulver ist schwarz, Blut ist rot, Golden flackert die Flamme!" ("Gunpowder is black, blood is red, golden flares the flame!").
National colours of Germany | Supposed pre-modern origins
Though even liberal deputies in the Weimar National Assembly spoke against a change of colours, Article 3 of the German Constitution of 11 August 1919 determined black, red, and gold both for the tricolour national flag and the eagle coat of arms of the Weimar Republic. Considering the preceding debates however, the former black, white, and red colours were retained as the German civil ensign, with black, red, and gold in the upper left corner. Not until 1922, the "Reichskriegsflagge" banner was officially outlawed on ships of the German Navy. The official black, red, and gold colours were refused by wide circles in the Reichswehr armed forces and World War I veterans' associations.
National colours of Germany | Weimar Republic
During the Hambacher Fest of 1832 and Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, flags with these colors were used, if even often displayed in reverse order compared to modern day's flag of Germany. This combination, reminiscent of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (whose heraldic coat-of-arms depicted a black eagle on a shield of gold, often in later times with red beak and legs), was selected as the official national colors of the German flag in 1919, and again in 1949. In the aftermath of Germany’s defeat in the First World War, the legend was invoked by extremist groups with far greater emphasis on its nationalism than on republicanism.
Lützow Free Corps | Legacy
The town flag has three vertical stripes: blue - white - blue. The blue stripes each occupy a quarter of the flag, the white stripe fills the central two quarters of its length. In the middle of the centre stripe is the town coat of arms, the ratio of the height of the shield to the height of the flag being 3:5. The overall ratio of the flag is 2:3.
Garz (Rügen) | Flag
The flag of the Prussian Province of Westphalia already displayed the colors white and red.
Westphalia | Previous use
Their Grand Master Hermann von Salza received the rights to bear the imperial black eagle by the 1226 Golden Bull of Rimini, issued by Emperor Frederick II, to indicate that he enjoyed imperial immediacy as a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. When the Teutonic state was secularized in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia, the black eagle on a white shield became the Prussian coat of arms. The ruling House of Hohenzollern also had a black and white family coat of arms. In addition to the black and white of Prussia, the white and red colours of the former Hanseatic League were added.
National colours of Germany | Black, white, and red
Crest: A royal crown." The flag shows a red lion together with nine blue cinquefoils on a white field. The colours of the German-speaking Community are white and red in a horizontal position.
German-speaking Community of Belgium | Flag and coat of arms
This decision was primarily motivated by the proposed constitution by the eastern SED in November 1946, where black-red-gold were suggested as the colours for a future German republic. While there were other suggestions for the new flag for West Germany, the final choice was between two designs, both using black-red-gold. The Social Democrats proposed the re-introduction of the old Weimar flag, while the conservative parties such as the CDU/CSU and the German Party proposed a suggestion by Josef Wirmer, a member of the (parliamentary council) and future advisor of chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Wirmer suggested a variant of the 1944 "Resistance" flag (using the black-red-gold scheme in a Nordic Cross pattern) designed by his brother and 20 July co-conspirator Josef.
Flag of Germany | Divided Germany (1949–89)
The German Bundestag, introducing the colours on March 9, 1848, but also the Central Power had forgotten to announce the new flag to foreign countries (with exception to the USA). After June 21, 1849 it struggled to receive this recognition. When the Central Power ended its activities in December 1849, the Bundeszentralkommission took over. In May 1850 the US, the Netherlands (as a member of the German Confederation), Belgien, Sardinia, Turkey, Portugal, Naples, Spain, Greece and conditionally France had accepted the flag. Great Britain was asked but answered on July 29 procrastinatorily.
Imperial law regarding the introduction of a German war and civil ensign | Ships sailing under black-red-gold
After World War II, Germany was occupied and divided. Both new states founded in 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), took up the "democratic" colours of black, red, and gold again, with the GDR adding their own socialist symbols to their flag in 1959. As a compromise, the Olympic United Team of Germany, which had first competed in 1956, had to add white Olympic rings to the flag for the games of 1960 and 1964, and also for 1968 when two separate German teams entered under common symbols. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, East German citizens cut out the socialist symbols of the East German flag in order to show support for a unification with West Germany, which had also continued the use of the traditional eagle coat of arms, called "Bundesadler".
National colours of Germany | Post-war
After the war and the breakup of the German Confederation, the Prussian-led North German Confederation was established at the instance of Minister-President Otto von Bismarck to answer the German question. Another colour scheme was desired, as the black and gold colours were associated with Habsburg Austria. From 1867, the black, white, and red colours became the flag of the newly established federated state; the tricolour derived from the combination of the Prussian black and white with the white and red flag of the North German Hanseatic League. Since the 13th century, a black cross on white coat had been carried by medieval Teutonic Knights which had founded the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia.
National colours of Germany | Black, white, and red
In the German Revolution of 1918–19, the "imperialist" black, white, and red were abandoned in favour of the "democratic" black, red, and gold colours of 1848. In view of Germany's unfortunate position after the lost war and under the terms of the Versailles Treaty, monarchist and German National forces advocated the retention of the imperial colours as a matter of national pride. Since then, and up to today, black, white, and red are often associated with right wing radicalism because of their use by right wing parties and in far-right circles.
National colours of Germany | State colours
Based on this, Adolf Soetbeer, secretary of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, suggested in the on 22 September 1866 that any planned flag should combine the colours of Prussia (black and white) with the Hanseatic colours (red and white). In the following year, the constitution of the North German Confederation was enacted, where a horizontal black-white-red tricolour was declared to be both the civil and war ensign. King Wilhelm I of Prussia was satisfied with the colour choice: the red and white were also taken to represent the Margraviate of Brandenburg, the Imperial elector state that was a predecessor of the Kingdom of Prussia.
Flag of Germany | North German Confederation and the German Empire (1867–1918)
A red-yellow was introduced as the flag of the Grand Duchy of Baden (1806–1918) in 1871. This was replaced with a yellow-red-yellow triband in 1891. Following the abolition of the monarchy at the end of World War I, the Republic of Baden was established, which continued to use this triband flag. After the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in 1933, the individual German states and their symbols were eventually suppressed. After World War II, the southern half of Baden became part of the French Occupation Zone and established as South Baden. South Baden used the yellow-red-yellow triband as its flag until the state's disestablishment in 1952, when it became part of the modern German state of Baden-Württemberg.
Flag of Baden | Overview
After the introduction of the republic, the flag and coat of arms of Germany were officially altered to reflect the political changes. The Weimar Republic retained the , but without the symbols of the former Monarchy (Crown, Collar, Breast shield with the Prussian Arms). This left the black eagle with one head, facing to the right, with open wings but closed feathers, with a red beak, tongue and claws and white highlighting. The republican tricolour is based on the flag that the Paulskirche Constitution of 1849 introduced, which was decided upon by the German National Assembly in Frankfurt am Main, at the peak of the German civic movement that demanded parliamentary participation and unification of the German states.
Weimar Republic | Flag and coat of arms
Upon the Nazi Party's "Machtergreifung" when Adolf Hitler came to power in January 1933, the "democratic" colours quickly fell out of use, though they were not officially abolished. By order of March 7, two days after the German federal election, Reich President Paul von Hindenburg re-introduced black, white, and red as official decorations on the coming "Volkstrauertag" public holiday. Alongside the swastika flag of the Nazi Party, the imperial colours were restored as a provisional national symbol, subject to a final decision by the German government. The concurrent Nazi flag also used a combination of black, white, and red colours, but not in the same way as the old flag of the German Empire.
National colours of Germany | Nazi rule
The national colours of the Federal Republic of Germany are officially black, red, and gold, defined with the adoption of the West German flag as a tricolour with these colours in 1949. As Germany was divided into West Germany and East Germany beginning in 1949 and continuing through 1990, both Germanies retained the black, red, and gold colors on each respective flag. After German reunification in 1990, West and East Germany adopted the West German flag as the flag of the reunited Germany, therefore maintaining black, red, and gold as Germany's colors. The colours ultimately hark back to the tricolour adopted by the "Urburschenschaft" of Jena in 1815, representing an early phase in the development of German nationalism and the idea of a unified German state.
National colours of Germany | Introduction
This interpretive culture was perpetuated in the memory of venerated martyrs like Theodor Körner. The red and black colours with a golden oak leaf cluster were adopted as "couleur" by the first German national "Urburschenschaft" student fraternity established on 12 June 1815 in Jena, and publicly displayed on the 1817 Wartburg Festival. The students' hopes of a national awakening dashed with the implementation of the German Confederation, not a nation state but a loose federation of the German monarchs, who by the 1819 reactionary Carlsbad Decrees banned any fraternity activities. Since then the black-red-gold tricolour became a widespread symbol of the pursuit of liberty, democracy and liberal unity, thus the colours were used on horizontal tricolour flags by Lützow veterans and other democratic revolutionaries of the Hambach Festival in 1832, and in the Revolutions of 1848.
National colours of Germany | Wars of Liberation
Likewise approved by the old "Regierungsbezirk" administration was the municipality’s flag. Approval was granted in 1986 to bear a flag in yellow and blue with the municipal coat of arms in the middle. It may be borne in both horizontal and vertical variations.
Hüffler | Flag
Blazon: "In red floating the silver-black divided trunk of a bracke" The trunk of the bracke (a certain type of dog group) is the crest of Principality of Reuss-Greiz (German: "Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz"). The image was already used in 15th century as coat of arms for the town.
Bad Lobenstein | Coat of arms
However, public use of flags similar to the (e.g. using the actual coat of arms instead of the ) is tolerated, and such flags are sometimes seen at international sporting events.
Flag of Germany | Government flag
Frequently, the flags are used in vertical variants.
Flags of German states | Introduction
The German war flag, which was slightly changed twice during the Wilhelmine Period (see gallery below), was in common use in World War I. It continued to have Prussia's national colours of black and white, the eagle of Prussia, the Nordic cross, with the German imperial black-white red tricolour in the upper canton with an Iron Cross. In 1919, the flags of Imperial Germany were scrapped and replaced by those of the Weimar Republic: a black-red-gold tricolour. German nationalists, such as the Freikorps (see Marinebrigade Ehrhardt), used the old flag in protest against the Weimar Republic during the 1920s and 1930s.
Reichskriegsflagge | Imperial Germany
In "Mein Kampf", Hitler explained the process by which the Nazi flag design was created: It was necessary to use the same colours as Imperial Germany, because in Hitler's opinion they were "revered colours expressive of our homage to the glorious past and which once brought so much honour to the German nation." The most important requirement was that "the new flag ... should prove effective as a large poster" because "in hundreds of thousands of cases a really striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement." Nazi propaganda clarified the symbolism of the flag: the red colour stood for the social, white for the movement's national thinking and the swastika for the victory of Aryan humanity and the victory of productive humanity.
Flag of Germany | Nazi Germany and World War II (1933–1945)
Uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps during the German campaign (1813–1814) against French occupation under Napoleon also consisted of a combination of black, red, and gold—though mainly for functional reasons: the corps under command of the Prussian major Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow was made up of volunteer university students from all over Germany, whose varied clothing was uniformly coloured in black, festooned with common brass knobs and red facings. The Uhlan forces used red and black lance pennons. Black, red, and gold – if even in reverse order compared to nowadays, i.e. gold at the top – resembling the former imperial colours soon became symbols of the German struggle for freedom, symbolizing the road from servitude (black) through bloody fight (red) to the stars (gold), similar to the famous saying "per aspera ad astra" (to the stars through difficulties).
National colours of Germany | Wars of Liberation
The Third People's Congress 1949, set up by the Soviet occupation in 1948, brought Mayor of East Berlin Friedrich Ebert yet again, and the proposal for the black-red-gold flag. His application was approved on 30 May 1949 and put into effect on 7 October 1949 Law on state emblem and flag from 26 September 1949. Thus, the West (FRG) and East Germany (GDR) had the same national flag. The East, however, led only in the first ten years of its existence. During this time the FRG competed in color with the identical design of the GDR. On 1 October 1959 the GDR added their national emblem, "hammer and compass surrounded by a garland of corn" in the flag as so as to create a distinction to the flag of the Federal Republic.
Flag of East Germany | History
This decision was primarily motivated by the proposed constitution by the eastern SED in November 1946, where black-red-gold were suggested as the colours for a future German republic. While there were other suggestions for the new flag for West Germany, the final choice was between two designs, both using black-red-gold. The Social Democrats proposed the re-introduction of the old Weimar flag, while the conservative parties such as the CDU/CSU and the German Party proposed a suggestion by Ernst Wirmer, a member of the (parliamentary council) and future advisor of chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Wirmer suggested a variant of the 1944 "Resistance" flag (using the black-red-gold scheme in a Nordic Cross pattern) designed by his brother and 20 July co-conspirator Josef.
Flag of East Germany | Symbolism and design
The flag of Baden displayed a combination of yellow and red, the heraldic colours of the former German state of Baden.
Flag of Baden | Introduction
Mainstream society remains hesitant to use the colours, though.
Flag of Germany | 1989–present
However, later sources, such as the "Silesian Arms," from 1577-1578, depict an eagle with only a red tongue, emerging from the half-open beak, which is in the golden colour of the eagle. This unchangeability of the image and colours is confirmed by Siebmacher's coat of arms, and a later description in the work of Spener. The contemporary flag of the Duchy of Teschen also refers to this colour scheme.
Flag of the Duchy of Teschen | Colours
The famous gymnast and student union ("") founder Friedrich Ludwig Jahn proposed a black-red-gold banner for the Burschen. Some members interpreted the colors as a rebirth of the Imperial black-yellow colors embellished with the red of liberty or the blood of war. More radical students exclaimed that the colors stood for the black night of slavery, the bloody struggle for liberty, and the golden dawn of freedom. In a memoir, Anton Probsthan of Mecklenburg, who served in the Lützow Free Corps, claimed his relative Fraulein Nitschke of Jena presented the Burschenschaft with a flag at the time of its foundation, and for this purpose chose the black-red-and-gold colors of the defunct secret society "Vandalia".
Flag of Germany | German Confederation
The flag of Rhineland-Palatinate, also known as Rhineland-Pfalz, is a tricolor of three horizontal bands of black, red and gold. These colors are Germany's national colors and are sometimes referred to as schwarz-rot-gold. In the canton, or the upper left corner, is the coat the arms of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate | Introduction
At the conclusion of World War II, the French assumed control of the Saar as a protectorate. The flag used at this time was a design with a Scandinavian cross. Left of the vertical bar of the cross was blue, and to the right was red. The colors are derived from the colors of the French flag. When the Saar protectorate rejoined the Federal Republic of Germany, in 1957 it adopted its current flag. This is based on the flag of Germany, defaced by the Coat of arms of Saarland. The four quarters of the shield of the state coat of arms represent the historic areas of Nassau-Saarbrücken, Archbishopric and Electorate of Trier, Duchy of Lorraine, and Palatinate-Zweibrücken.
Flag of Saarland | History
Instead, red was the dominant colour. After Hindenburg's death on 2 August 1934, Hitler styled himself Führer and Reich Chancellor. By law of 15 September 1935 he declared black, white, and red again the national colours but made his own Nazi Party swastika the sole national flag and civil ensign of Germany. National conservative protests had become silent. In a speech, Reichstag president Hermann Göring called the black, white, and red flag of the German Empire "honorably pulled down".
National colours of Germany | Nazi rule
This unit had uniforms in black with red facings and gold buttons. The colour choice had pragmatic origins, even though black-red-gold were the former colours used by the Holy Roman Empire. Members of the corps were required to supply their own clothing: in order to present a uniform appearance it was easiest to dye all clothes black. Gold-coloured buttons were widely available, and pennons used by the lancers in the unit were red and black. At the time, the colours represented: As the members of this unit came from all over Germany and included a modest but well known number of university students and academics, the Lützow Free Corps and their colours gained considerable exposure among the German people.
Flag of Germany | Napoleonic Wars
As a result of the 1848 revolutions, the Federal Convention of the German monarchs, who had continued the use of the Imperial Eagle coat of arms in 1815, also adopted the tricolour ("from German time immemorial") in order to steady the nationalist unrest. Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria had the Black, Red, and Gold flag hoisted on St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna and showed himself with the flag on a window of Hofburg Palace. In Berlin, King Frederick William IV of Prussia had to bow to the fallen insurgents of the liberation movement and to wear a Black, Red and Gold armband while riding through the city.
National colours of Germany | March Revolution
A small red heart is centrally located in a broad pale red cross that extends almost across the entire image. In the upper left-hand corner, in the manner of a child's drawing, a stylized head with a white headband, plate-round blue eyes without pupils, the nose marked by a thin line, below it a tiny mouth, indicated by two parallel lines. Clockwise, in the next corners, on each elongated grey-blue colour spot, there follows a stick with one hand, a stick with hand and foot and another stick with a foot, which, like the other parts of the body, is executed in a pale red colour.
Hat Kopf, Hand, Fuss und Herz | Description
The first flag of Reus was in use from 1774 to 1943. The flag was dark red with the city arms in the centre. In 1943 the flag was changed because the color red seemed to be associated with the left, defeated in the civil war (1936–39). As the historic city arms were argent with a heraldic rose the new flag was white with a heraldic rose in the center. Minor changes to the rose in the flag were made after 1943. Currently the rose has a new version, taken from the city emblem. The emblem itself has official status.
Reus | Flag of Reus
During the German Revolution of 1848 the colours black-red-gold found general acceptance. The Bundestag adopted them, and even Prussian King Frederick William IV. wore such an armband on March 22, when he promised that Prussia will become a part of Germany. On July 31 the National Assembly in Frankfurt decided on a law, but only on November 12 the Imperial Regent signed it. Regent Archduke John of Austria had postponed the law because the great powers had not recognized the Empire. Great Britain threatened to consider the German flag as a pirate flag. Still, constitutional historian Ernst Rudolf Huber explains, the flag law was absolutely valid legally.
Imperial law regarding the introduction of a German war and civil ensign | History
In more recent times, social democratic parties have gravitated away from the Red Flag as a symbol. However, several European parties retain a "red square" symbol, including Germany's SPD and the Party of European Socialists. The building to have had a red flag flying for the longest period of time and to still have one is the Victorian Trades Hall in Melbourne, Australia. The flag has been flying for over a century.
Red flag (politics) | Symbol of communism and socialism
The town flag is gold, white and red.
Schlüsselfeld | Coat of arms
Die Rote Fahne (, "The Red Flag") was a German newspaper originally founded in 1876 by Socialist Worker's party leader Wilhelm Hasselmann, and which has been since published on and off, at times underground, by German Socialists and Communists. Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg famously published it in 1918 as organ of the Spartacus League. Following the deaths of Liebknecht and Luxemburg during the chancellorship of the Social Democratic Party of Germany's Friedrich Ebert, the newspaper was published, with interruptions, by the Communist Party of Germany. Proscribed by the National Socialist Worker's Party government of Adolf Hitler after 1933, publication continued illegally, underground.
Die Rote Fahne | Introduction
The Nazi government used "black-white-red" on all army caps. These colours represented the biggest and the smallest countries of the Reich: large Prussia (black and white) and the tiny Hanseatic League city states of Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck (white and red).
Cockade | Cockades of the European military
Die rote Fahne des Ostens ('The Red Flag of the East') was a newspaper published from Königsberg. It was the organ of the East Prussia-Danzig organization ("bezirk") of the Communist Party of Germany. It functioned as the local edition of the Berlin-based newspaper "Die Rote Fahne" between 1919 and September 1922. During this period Martin Hoffmann served as editor of the newspaper. Erich Wollenberg became the editor-in-chief of "Die rote Fahne des Ostens" in 1922. In 1922 "Die rote Fahne des Ostens" was replaced by "Echo des Ostens".
Die rote Fahne des Ostens | Introduction
In the Springtime of the Peoples during the Revolutions of 1848, revolutionaries took to the streets, many flying the tricolour. The Confederation's Bundestag, alarmed by the events, hasted to adopt the tricolour (March 9th, 1848). Liberals took power and made the Bundestag call for general elections for a German parliament, the national assembly. This Frankfurt Parliament declared the black-red-gold as the official colours of Germany and passed a law stating its civil ensign was the black-red-yellow tricolour. Also, a naval war ensign used these colours. In May 1849, the larger states actively fought the revolution and the Frankfurt parliament. In late 1850, the German Confederation was definitely restored under Austrian-Prussian leadership.
Flag of Germany | Revolution and the Frankfurt Parliament
Blazon: "In Blue superimposed two interlocking silver rings that form three circle segments, in which seven (3: 1: 3). six-pointed golden stars appear" The colors of the emblem have been established with advice from the Archives Directorate Stuttgart in the council meeting on December 15, 1933. The Landratsamt Reutlingen has awarded the flag on March 9, 1982. On a blue background there are two interlocking rings that symbolize the confluence of Zwiefalter-Aach and the Kessel-Aach. The seven golden stars are from the arms of the former counts of Achalm.
Zwiefalten | Crest
It is illegal to damage or revile flags of foreign countries, if they are shown publicly by tradition, event, or routinely by representatives of the foreign entity (§104 StGB). On the other hand, it is not illegal to desecrate such flags that serve no official purpose (especially any provided by the perpetrator). After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, many East Germans cut out the emblem from their national flag in support for a reunified, democratic Germany. This flag is now used by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship.
Flag desecration | Germany
Under German criminal code (§90a Strafgesetzbuch (StGB)) it is illegal to revile or damage the German federal flag as well as any flags of its states in public. Offenders can be fined or sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison, or fined or sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison if the act was intentionally used to support the eradication of the Federal Republic of Germany or to violate constitutional rights. Actual convictions because of a violation of the criminal code need to be balanced against the constitutional right of the freedom of expression, as ruled multiple times by Germany's constitutional court.
Flag desecration | Germany
Unlike most infantry regiments, the colonel's flag of the regiment was strewn with golden lilles and bore the coat of arms of the Bishopric of Basel, with the motto: "Pro Rege et Patriâ" (For King and Country). The regimental flag had their quarters divided into seven flames; red, yellow, black, red, black, yellow, and red.
Régiment de Rheinach | Colours
Many states have separate civil and state versions of their flags; the state flags (listed) include the state arms, while the civil versions don't. See Flags of German states.
Flags of Europe | Germany
Outside of educational, artistic or scientific contexts, selling and showing symbols of Nazi Germany, including the "Reichskriegsfahne", is illegal in Germany according to "Strafgesetzbuch" section 86a. This covers the version used after 1935 with the swastika. The punishment can be up to three years in prison. However, the black-white-red tricolour flag used between 1871 and 1918/19 can be shown. Because members of the far right have used the imperial war flag as a symbol, its use is considered to be a "breach of the public order" in seven states, and flags could be confiscated. In the other nine states, any provocative misuse of the flag can be prosecuted as an ("act contrary to order", an administrative offence that can be handled without a court process and that carries only a fine that is not legally considered a punishment).
Reichskriegsflagge | Use after 1945
The flag is a white bar in a red field decorated on each side with a white lace motif. The union of this flag with that of Oberelsaß forms the flag of modern Alsace.
Unterelsaß | The official flag
On the flagpole where this Bavarian flag had hitherto been hoisted (the "Heideturm" tower) a Franconian flag was now displayed. The flag of Germany now fluttered on a pole erected for it in the open. The Franconian flag is also used as a symbol by the Franconia football team.
Franconian Flag | Flag dispute
The first law stated that black, red, and white were the national colors, and the swastika flag was the new national flag. Per Hitler, this law was stated to "re-pay a debt of gratitude to the movement, under whose symbol Germany regained its freedom, in that they fulfill a significant item on the program of the National Socialist Party".
Anti-Jewish legislation in pre-war Nazi Germany | Reich Flag Law
Both the civil and state flag of the German state of Thuringia feature a bicolour of white over red. Introduced with the formation of the state of Thuringia within the Weimar Republic in 1920, it is the reverse of the flag of Hesse, both flags ultimately reflecting the heraldic colours of the Ludovingian rulers of the medieval Duchy of Thuringia. The flag's similarity to that of Poland is coincidental. Like many German state's flags, the most commonly used size commercially is 3:5, although in law it is stated as being 'at least 1:2'. The civil bicolour flag of white over red was used in the Weimar Republic, and formally abolished in 1935, under the reforms of the Third Reich.
Flag of Thuringia | Introduction
The best-known work of this group is a rigged German Flag (Korrektur der Nationalfarben, 1972), wherein the three colours black - red - gold valued in different sizes are defined by the distribution of wealth in West Germany. This flag was hoisted in front of the documenta 5. From the late'70s Brehmer - in addition to the continued production of graphics and drawings - he began to paint. The motives are collected from scientific journals thermography, sonogram, etc..
K.P. Brehmer | Works
This is a list of flags used by and in Germany between 1848 and now. For more information about the current national flag, see flag of Germany.
List of German flags | Introduction
The state flag and the coat of arms were designed in 1947 after the new ' of ' was formed by the authority of the French High Commissioner to Germany. The flag symbolizes the dedication of Rhineland-Palatinate to Germany (therefore the black-red-gold tricolour) as well as the democratic traditions of Germany. These colours were seen first in this combination during the ', a mass demonstration by German liberals at the ruins of the ' in 1832. The Palatinate is therefore connected to these colours. The coat of arms, an integral part of the state flag, symbolises the three predominant powers in the region before the French Revolution of the late 18th century: The " (people's crown) consists of vine leaves and shows the importance of this crop for local agriculture.
Coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate | Overview
The flag of East Germany was the official national flag of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during its existence from 1949 to 1990. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from the flag of the Weimar Republic and communist symbolism. The flag was outlawed as an unconstitutional and criminal symbol in West Germany and West Berlin, where it was referred to as the "Spalterflagge" (secessionist flag) until the late 1960s.
Flag of East Germany | Introduction
The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is "Azure five Pine Trees Vert issuant from three Mounts of the same the middle one being lower and in chief a Mullet Or" or "Over blue, three green hills with five green trees under a yellow six pointed start". The flag with five trees was officially adopted in 1872, although no colours were documented. The green-blue combination was introduced in 1945. The heraldry is an inappropriate choice because the colours neutralise each other and the flag cannot be seen when flown form a distance. A proposed revision to add a gold shield and red start was rejected in 2002.
Zuzgen | Flag
The flag with the swastika and white disc centered was used throughout (1920–1945) as the NSDAP party flag (). Between 1933 and 1935, it was used as the national flag () and merchant flag () – interchangeably with the black-white-red horizontal tricolour last used (up to 1918) by the German Empire. In 1935, the black-white-red horizontal tricolour was scrapped again, and the flag with the "off-center" swastika and disc was instituted as the only national flag (and was to remain as such until 1945). The flag with the centered disc only continued to be used as the "Parteiflagge" after 1935.
List of German flags | Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
The official coat of arms contains a black-white part and three red zig-zag lines. This shield became the official coat of arms in 1933. The red zig-zag lines represent the landlords of Bubenhofen, the former land owners. The black-white part represents the connections to Ulm. The red-white flag of the town was given on 13. March 1958 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Süßen | Coat of arms and flag
The tricolour remained official but was no longer used before 1863 at a conference of the German governments. Afterwards, the most pressing issue was whether or not to include Austria in any future German nation, as Austria's status as a multi-ethnic empire complicated the dream of a united Greater Germany—the solution. Alternatively, there was the (Lesser German) solution for a Germany that encompassed only German lands and excluded Austria. The Prussian–Austrian duality within the Confederation eventually led to the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. During the war, the southern states allied with Austria adopted the black-red-gold tricolour as their flag, and the 8th German Army Corps also wore black-red-gold armbands.
Flag of Germany | Revolution and the Frankfurt Parliament