Top 10 Interesting Facts about the German Flag

By Cezary Piwowarski – Wikimedia

Top 10 Interesting Facts about the German Flag

Like most European countries, the flag of Germany is tricolour with horizontal stripes. The flag has three colours Black, Red, and Gold.

This combination of colours was first used in Germany in the late 18^th century. The flag was first hoisted in the 19^th century and adopted by the Weimer Republic in 1919.

This flag was not used all the time, especially during World War II. After the fall of the Berlin wall, Germany became a more united country. This meant that they all used to the same flag.

Just like most flags, the German flag has gone through many changes in colour and design.

Here are more facts on the German flag.

1. The colours on the flag

The German flag was adopted as it is in 1919. Later in 1949, they re-adopted its colours with the new constitution. The tricolour flag is made up of three equal horizontal stripes of; from the top Black, Red and Gold.

There is not one theory on the origin of the flag, its colours and the meaning behind it.

The most popular one is that the Black and Gold combination relates to the semi-official coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire colours.

When the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist, the two colours were subsequently linked to Austria’s Habsburg Dynasty. This Dynasty was known as the black and gold Monarchy.

2. The meaning of the German flag

The German flag is a symbolizes of unity, freedom and democracy. The design of the flag was first done in the 19^th century. These colours Black, Red and Gold were only known in the Weimar Republic.

The colours were agreed upon when Germany was the German Confederation. There was no meaning associated with the colours then.

Today, the colours of the German flag mean; Black as a symbol of determination. Red as a symbolized of bravery and strength. Gold stands for generosity.

The German flag back in the 19^th century was a symbol of a Conservative movement that was against the European Order. This Order was formed after Napoleon was defeated.

3. The first German flag was of a different colour (German Empire)

By StAnselm – Wikimedia

After Germany got unified at the end of the 19^th century, the national flag ad the Black, White and Red stripes. The flag was then replaced with the Black, Red and Yellow after World War II.

The Germans pushed for a new flag that would completely and truly represent the German spirit. During that period, there were about three flags.

There was the red banner of the communists, the Black, White and Red of the Second Reich and then there was the swastika flag of the Nazis. The most dominant flag then was the Nazi one.

In 1949, West Germany got back the Black, White and Red flag with the government one with an Eagle shield. In the meantime, East Germany used a plain tri-colour flag and later added the coat of arms in 1959.

East Germany’s flag ceased to exist after the two sides reunited and became a single state. When Germany was an empire, the flag’s coloured stripes were to the ratio of 2:3.

4. South, West and East Germany had their flags

After the Austro-Prussian War in the 19^th century, the South-German States aligned with Austria, including Bavaria.

They flew the black-red-gold flag that created a clear distinction between the present-day colour scheme and the northern, Prussian tradition.

The alliance then adopted a flag that blended the colours of the three regions. Its largest territory and the smallest territory whose colours were Black and white. The Hanseatic League’s colours were red and white.

These colours were combined into a new black-white-red horizontal tricolour. The flag was then used during the reign of the German Empire between 1871 and 1918.

The Imperial flag was done away with after Germany suffered defeat during World War I.

West Germany used the black-red-gold on May 9, 1949. East Germany used the same flag, but on introduced a communist emblem to the centre of the flag on October 1, 1959.

The Symbols were a hammer that symbolized the workers, and a pair of compasses symbolizing the intellectuals inside ears of grain symbolizing the farmers.

5. The Nazi did not like the Tri-colour flag

The German flag was temporarily replaced with a red flag featuring a black swastika during the Nazi reign. This was After the fall of the Third Reich.

In 1933 after the Nazi took over power, they replaced the striped tricolour flag with a Nazi party flag. The flag had a black swastika in the white circle on a red background.

When Adolf Hitler became the chancellor in 1933, he warranted that the Nazi flag is adopted and be the second national flag.

After President Hindenburg’s death a year later, Hitler saw that the swastika flag become the national flag of Germany in 1935.

The two warring sides (East Germany and West Germany) opted to use the traditional tricolour flag of black, Red and Gold. East Germany added a coat of arms to their flag just before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

6.  The German Civil flag

By Cezary Piwowarski – Wikimedia

Like many countries, there are different variations of the national flag. Germany’s national flag has three colours, the black-red-gold tricolour. The flag was officially passed in the constitution in 1949.

The plain tri-colour flag is used as the civil flag and the civil ensign. It 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 flag.

7. The German Government Flag

By StAnselm – Wikimedia

Another German flag is the government flag that was introduced in 1950. This flag is the defaced civil flag featuring a federal shield with an overlay up to one-fifth of the black and gold bands.

The Federal Shield is a variant of the coat of arms of Germany. The difference is the illustration of the eagle and the shape of the shield. It features a rounded base while the standard coat of arms is pointed.

The government flag may only be used by federal government authorities and its use by others is an offence, punishable with a fine.

However, public use of flags similar to the Bundesdienstflagge is tolerated, and such flags are sometimes seen at international sporting events.

8. Vertical flags and Military flags

Germany has horizontal flags that they use on public buildings. This flag can be found in most town halls together with the town’s flag. It is common to see two flags raised together.

Most of the flags found in the town halls are in the vertical design. One thing about the proportion of these flags is that they are not specified. Layout design of the vertical version was established in 1996.

The ‘new’ design matched the pattern of the conventional black-red-gold flag of the Principality of Reuss-Gera between 1806 -1918.

The Bundesdienstflagge of German armed forces, which is a federal authority, is also used as the German war flag on land.

9. Flying the German flag

Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash

In Germany, there is a very diffident public use of the flag and national symbols. The flag in Germany is mainly used only by official authorities on special occasions or by the public in sports events.

Flag days are during election days for the Bundestag and the European Parliament in some states, in addition to other state-specific flag days.

The other occasion that may require a flag day is to mark the death of a prominent politician. In such instances, the flag is flown on some mast outside. A black mourning ribbon is then attached on top of the pole or the beams.

One rule about flying flags in Germany, on flag days, they are flown at half-mast and vertical flags are not lowered.

10. C-Pennant for the German Ships

There is one other flag that was once flown in Germany, the C-Pennant flag. This flag was flown on German ships as is required by the international law to have a national ensign. The C-Pennant flag ended with a swallowtail.

The Pennant flag was used after World War II, at this time, Germany had no government nor a flag. This was when Germany was under the allied administration.