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Flag of Germany

Name	Schwarz-Rot-Gold
Use	Civil and state flag and ensign.
Proportion	3:5
Adopted	23 May 1949
Design	A horizontal tricolour of black, red, and gold.
Use	State flag and ensign and war flag.
Proportion	3:5
Use	Naval ensign.
Proportion	3:5

The flag of Germany is a tricolour, consisting of three equal horizontal bands coloured (from top to bottom) black, red, and gold.

The current flag, first used in the 1848 revolution, was first adopted as the flag of the modern German nation-state on 11 August 1919 in the constitution of the Weimar Republic^[1] (but with a different aspect ratio of 2:3). The flag was scrapped when the Nazi party came to power in 1933, only to be reinstated in 1949 separately by the two newly-formed German states^[2][3] (albeit with a new aspect ratio of 3:5, which had been introduced by the Nazis). The flags of both West and East Germany were identical until 1959 when socialist symbols were added to the flag of the German Democratic Republic,^[4] and the East German flag remained that way until the dissolution of the GDR in 1990. Following the reunification of Germany on 1990-10-03, the black-red-gold tricolour continued to be used as the flag of the united German nation.

See also: National colours of Germany

The colours of black, red and gold have played an important role in the history of Germany and have had various meanings over time (see History section below). Today the colours are associated with the republican-democracy formed after World War II and represent German unity and freedom: not only the freedom of Germany, but also the personal freedom of the German people.^[5]

See also: Flags of Germany

The German national flag, containing only the black-red-gold tricolour, is used as the German civil flag and civil ensign. The national flag is used as a state flag by non-federal authorities - for example, the authorities of the German states use the German national flag together with their own state flag.

The state flag of Germany is known as the Dienstflagge der Bundesbehörden (state flag of the federal authorities) or Bundesdienstflagge for short. The state flag features the civil flag with a badge known as the Bundesschild. The Bundesschild is a variant of the coat of arms of Germany, where the main differences are the illustration of the eagle and the shape of the shield (the Bundesschild is rounded, the standard coat of arms is not). The state flag may only be used by federal government authorities and its use by non-federal authorities (eg. state or municipal authorities) or private persons is a federal offence.^[6] However, public use of flags that are similar to the Bundesdienstflagge (eg. using the actual coat of arms instead of the Bundesschild) is tolerated, so long as its usage signifies the user's solidarity with Germany. Such flags can sometimes be seen at international sporting events.

Not all federal authorities use the state flag. Some of the highest federal authorities - the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, the Bundesversammlung, the Chancellery and the Constitutional Court - use the national flag to show their connection to the German people.

Civil flag (hanging)

State flag (hanging)

In addition to the normal horizontal format, many public buildings in Germany make use of 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 were not specified until 1996, when a ratio of 5:2 was established.^[7]. The 1996 reform also specified the layout for the vertical version of the state flag: the Bundesschild is displayed in the centre of the flag, overlapping with up to one fifth of the black and yellow bands.

When draped, the black band should be on the left, as illustrated. When flown, the black band must face the mast. If the flag is hung from a horizontal flagpole, the black band should be farthest from the building.

The Bundesdienstflagge is also used as the German war flag on land. At sea, the German Navy uses the Dienstflagge der Seestreitkräfte der Bundeswehr (Flag of the German Navy) - the state flag ending in a swallow-tail - as a war ensign. This naval flag is also used as a navy jack.

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.^[8]. The flag used during the Weimar Republic was slightly different, with a ratio of 2:3.^[9]

The exact colours used for the German flag were not officially defined at the time of the flag's adoption and have changed over the years.^[10] Through a ruling of the federal cabinet on 2 June 1999, the corporate design for the German government was developed. For use in this corporate design, the following colours are currently used:^[11]

*The value given here is an alternative to the following more-complicated combination: Yellow (765 g), Red 032 (26 g), Black (11 g) Transp. White (198 g)

A version of the German flag where the golden band is of a metallic golden colour. This version was sometimes used in official publications before the introduction of the federal government's corporate design in 1999.

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 Schwarz-Rot-Gelb (black-red-yellow), Schwarz-Rot-Senf (black-red-mustard) or even Schwarz-Rot-Scheiße (black-red-shit). When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the black-white-red colours of pre-1918 Germany were swiftly reintroduced and their propaganda machine continued to discredit the Schwarz-Rot-Gold, using the same derogatory terms as previously used by the monarchists.

On 16 November 1959, the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) put a clear end to the decades-long defamation of the flag's colours, stating 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."^[12]

In heraldic terms, the explicit usage of the colour gold instead of yellow presents a dilemma. The rules of heraldry state that gold and yellow are identical. Similarly, broad bands of metallic colour on a flag go against the rules of vexillology. The nature of the colours on the German flag was summarised by heraldist Arnold Rabbow in 1968 as follows: "The German colours are black-red-yellow but they are called black-red-gold."^[13]

The Stadtweinhaus in Münster with banners displayed in mourning (note the black ribbons atop each mast) after the death of former German president Johannes Rau in 2006

Following federal decree on 2005-03-22, the flag must be flown from public buildings on the following dates.^[14] Not all of these days are public holidays.

• 27 January: Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism / Tag des Gedenkens an die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus; anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, observed by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (half-mast)
• 1 May: May Day / Tag der Arbeit
• 9 May: Europe day / Europatag, founding of the Council of Europe (1949)
• 23 May: Constitution Day, anniversary of the German constitution (1949)
• 17 June: Anniversary of the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
• July 20: Anniversary of the July 20 Plot, the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg (1944)
• 3 October: German Unity Day / Tag der Deutschen Einheit, anniversary of German reunification (1990)
• Two Sundays before the first Advent: National day of mourning / Volkstrauertag; in memory of all killed during wartime (half-mast)
• Election day for the Bundestag (not in every state)
• Election day for the European Parliament (not in every state)

The individual states of Germany have additional flag days. The public display of flags to mark other events - such as the election of the president or the death of a prominent politician (whereupon flags would be at half-mast) - can be declared at the discretion of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

When flags are required to be flown at half-mast, vertical banner flags are generally not lowered. Instead, a black mourning ribbon is attached to the top of the mast.

It has been suggested that National colours of Germany be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Banners of the Holy Roman Emperor (left: 14th century, right: 15th-19th century)

Main articles: Holy Roman Empire and Hanseatic League

The Holy Roman Empire (10th century - 1806) did not have a national flag, but black and gold were used as colours of the Emperor and featured in the imperial banner. Originally, the imperial banner was 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.^[15]

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. 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. Because of this, the Habsburg monarchy was occasionally known as the "black and gold monarchy".

War flag of the Holy Roman Empire (13th-14th century)

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.^[15]

Additionally, red and white were 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 today as the colours of many former Hanseatic cities such as Hamburg or Gdańsk.

Jena students in the Lützow Free Corps. Painting by Ferdinand Hodler (1909)

Main articles: Confederation of the Rhine and Napoleonic Wars

With the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, many dukes and princes joined the Confederation of the Rhine, a Napoleonic client state. 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", Emperor Napoleon I. ^[15]

The German struggle against the occupying forces of Napoleon were significantly symbolised by the colours of black, red and gold. This was largely attributed to the uniforms of the Lützow Free Corps, a volunteer unit of the Prussian army. The uniforms for this unit were black with red facings and gold buttons. The colour choice here was a pragmatic one, even though it was also a popularisation of the former black-red-gold colours used by the Holy Roman Empire. Members of the corps were required to supply their own clothing and, in order to present a uniform appearance, it was easiest to dye all clothes black. Similarly, gold-coloured buttons were widely available. Pennons used by the lancers in the unit were red and black. At the time, the colours were symbolised as follows: Out of the darkness (black) of servitude through bloody (red) conflict to the (golden) light of freedom.^[16] As the members of this unit came from all over Germany and were mostly university students and academics, the Lützow Free Corps and their colours gained considerable prominence among the German people.

Main article: German Confederation

The 1815/6 Congress of Vienna led to the creation of the German Confederation, a loose union of all remaining German states after the Napoleonic Wars. The confederation, with the Austrian Emperor as its president, was created as a replacement to the now-extinct Holy Roman Empire, of which the Austrian Emperor was its last head. The confederation did not have a flag of its own, although the black-red-gold tricolour is sometimes mistakenly attributed to it.

Hambacher Fest (May 1832), contemporary lithograph

Returning from the war, veterans of the Lützow Free Corps founded the Urburschenschaft fraternity in Jena in June 1815. The Jena Urburschenschaft adopted a red and black flag with gold trim, following the colours of the uniforms of the Free Corps, Since the students who served in the Lützow Free Corps came from various German states, the idea of a unified German state began to gain momentum within the Urburschenschaft and similar Burschenschaften that were subsequently formed throughout the Confederation. On 1817-10-18, the fourth anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig, hundreds of fraternity members and academics from various German states met in Wartburg in modern-day Thuringia, calling for a free and unified German nation. The red-black-gold flag of the Jena Urburschenschaft featured prominently at the Wartburg festival and so the colours black, red and gold eventually became symbolic of this desire for a unified German state. Austria was determined to maintain the status quo and so the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 banned all student organisations, officially putting an end to the Burschenschaften.

In May 1832, some 30,000 people demonstrated at the Hambacher Fest for freedom, unity and civil rights. Since the Wartburg festival, the colours black, red and gold had become a well-established symbol for the liberal, democratic and republican movement within the German states and flags in these colours were flown en masse at the Hambacher Fest. While contemporary illustrations showed prominent use of a gold-red-black tricolour - an upside-down version of the modern German flag - surviving flags from the event were in black-red-gold. Such an example is the Ur-Fahne, the flag flown from the castle during the festival, which can be seen in the Heimatmuseum in Neustadt an der Weinstraße.^[17] This flag was a black-red-gold tricolour where the red band contained the inscription Deutschlands Wiedergeburt ("Germany's rebirth").

Revolutionaries in Berlin (1848-03-19)

Main articles: Revolutions of 1848 in the German states and Frankfurt Parliament

In the radical 1840s, when harsh economic conditions struck, a black-red-gold flag was used to symbolize the movement against the conservative order, in favour of liberal republicanism. During the Springtime of the Peoples during the Revolutions of 1848, liberals took power and after prolonged deliberation, a national assembly was finally formulated. 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.^[18]

The gold and black is said to be a reference to the German people of the "Black and Gold monarchy", while the red in the tricolour may refer both to the former Hanseatic League and socialist revolution, with Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto being published in 1848. Whatever the true explanation, black, red and gold were regarded as the colours of the liberal and republican movement of the Germans during this brief period, and especially after the colour combination was reintroduced during the Weimar period, it become synonymous with German liberalism in general.

In 1850, the Frankfurt Parliament collapsed and the German Confederation was restored under Austrian presidency, who suppressed the tricolour. The most pressing issue for the German radicals was whether or not to include Austria in this new German nation, as Austria's status as a multi-ethnic empire complicated the dream of a united Greater Germany — the grossdeutsch solution. Alternatively, there was the kleindeutsch (Lesser German) solution for a Germany that encompassed only German lands. The Prussian-Austrian duality within the Confederation eventually led to the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. During the war, some of Austria's south-German allies displayed black-red-gold armbands, where the black and gold signified their allegiance to Austria. Prussia and its predominately north-German allies defeated Austria and made way for the realisation of the Lesser German solution a few years later.

2:3 Flag of the North German Confederation (1866-71) and the German Empire (1871-1918).
Also used during the Weimar Republic by foreign services (1922-33)

Main articles: North German Confederation and German Empire

Following the dissolution of the German Confederation, Prussia formed its unofficial successor, the North German Confederation, in 1867. This coalition consisted of the Kingdom of Prussia - by far the largest member state - and 21 other north-German states.

The question regarding what flag should be adopted by the new confederation was first raised by the shipping sector and its desire to have an internationally-recognisable identity. Virtually all international shipping that belonged to the confederation originated from either Prussia or the three former Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck. Based on this, Adolf Soetbeer, secretary of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, suggested in the Bremer Handelsblatt 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.^[19]

King Frederick William IV 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. 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, Following the Franco-Prussian War, the remaining southern German states allied with the North German Confederation, leading to the unification of Germany and the elevation of the Prussian monarch to Emperor of the new state in 1871. In its constitution, the German Empire retained black, white and red as its national colours,^[20] with the tricolour previously used by the North German Confederation officially adopted as its flag in 1892.

Proponents of the black-red-gold tricolour during this period presented little resistance to this new flag: the formation of a unified German state was more important than the colours of its flag. However, a small section of the far right adopted black-red-gold as its colours as part of their desire for a Greater Germany: merging Germany with Austria. Here the black-red-gold tricolour took on a new meaning, combining the black-white-red of Germany with the black-gold of Austria.

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.

2:3 Flag of Weimar Germany (1919-1933)

"Let the old flag fly", election poster for the right-wing DNVP, 1932

Main article: Weimar Republic

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 eighteenth 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.^[1]. 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 the this new flag as a symbol of humiliation following Germany's defeat in World War I. In the army, 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 derogatory names such as "black-red-shit" (see Gold or yellow? above). As a compromise, the old black-white-red flag was reintroduced in 1922 to represent German diplomatic missions abroad.^[9]

The symbols of Imperial Germany became symbols of conservative protestation and were often used by nationalists in demonstrations. This included the Reichskriegflagge, which has been revived in the present for similar use. Most right-wing political parties continued to use the imperial colours, which is also still practised by far-right parties today.

On 24 February 1924, the organisation Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold was founded in Magdeburg by the member parites of the Weimar Coalition (Centre, DDP SPD) and the trade unions. The objective of this organisation was the protection of the fragile democracy of the Weimar Republic, which was under constant pressure by both the far right and far left. Through this organisation, the black-red-gold flag became not only a symbol of German democracy, but also of resistance to political extremism. This was summarised by the organisation's first chairman Otto Hörsing who described their task as a "struggle against the swastika and the Soviet star". By 1932, the organisation had over three million members.

Ultimately, In the face of the increasingly violent conflicts between the communists and the national socialists, the growing polarisation of the German population and a multitude of other factors, the Weimar Republic collapsed in 1933 with the Nazi seizure of power and the appointment of Adolf Hitler as German chancellor.

It has been suggested that Flag of Nazi Germany be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

3:5 Flag of the National Socialist German Workers Party (1920-1945)
National flag of Germany (1933-1945)

3:5 Used jointly with the swastika flag (1933-1935), then banned as "reactionary"

Main article: Nazi Germany

When the Nazi party came to power on 5 March 1933, the black-red-gold flag was swiftly replaced with the old black-white-red flag. In parallel to the old imperial flag, the banner of the Nazi party was also adopted as the German national flag. In 1935, one year after the death of Reich President Paul von Hindenburg and Hitler's self-elevation to the position of Führer, the dual flag arrangement ended with the exclusive use of the Nazi flag as the national flag of Germany^[21] while the old black-white-red flag was banned as "reactionary".

The design of the Nazi flag was introduced by Hitler as the party flag in the summer of 1920: a flag with a red background, a white disk, and a black swastika in the middle. In addition to the flag forming a link to Imperial Germany via its colour choice, the national socialist flag had additional meaning, according to Hitler in Mein Kampf: white for nationalism, red for socialism, and the swastika to symbolise both the superiority of the Aryan race and antisemitism. Albert Speer, in his book Inside the Third Reich, stated that: "in only two other designs did he (Adolf Hitler) execute the same care as he did his Obersalzberg house: that of the Reich War Flag and his own standard of Chief of State", showing that Hitler was an avid vexillographer (flag designer).

An off-centred disk version of the swastika flag was used as the civil ensign on German-registered civilian ships and was used as the Jack on Kriegsmarine warships.^[22] Nazi ensigns had a through and through image, so the "left-facing" and "right-facing" version were each present on one side. However, the Nazi flag on land was right-facing on both sides while the centred-disk flag was commonly used by civilians and the German armed forces aside from the navy. There is still some debate as to whether the off-centred disk flag was the official national flag from 1935 to 1945.^[23]

From 1933 to at least 1938 in Nazi Germany, before any official swastika flag went into use, it had to be put into a ceremony where it touched the "Blutfahne" or Blood flag, the swastika flag used by Nazi paramilitaries during the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. This lengthy ceremony took place at every Nuremberg Rally. It is unknown whether this tradition was continued after the last Nuremberg rally in 1938.

At the end of World War II, the first law enacted by the Allied Control Council abolished all Nazi symbols and repealed all relevant laws.^[24] The possession of swastika flags is forbidden in many Western countries, particularly in Germany.

2:3 The C-Pennant (1946-1949)

Main article: Allied-administered Germany

After the defeat of Germany in World War II, the country was occupied and divided by the Allies. The Allied Control Council, responsible for the administration of post-war Germany, banished all German national flags which had been used over the years. As there was no national German government and German ships were required by international law to have a national ensign of some kind, the Council designated the international signal pennant representing the letter C (minus a triangular cutout) as the provisional civil ensign of Germany. "C" stood for "Capitulation". This C-Pennant (German: C-Doppelstander) was intended to be a symbolic humiliation of defeated Germany, and the Council ruled that "no ceremonial shall be accorded this flag which shall not be dipped in salute to warships or merchant ships of any nationality."^[25] Similarly, the Japanese civil ensign used immediately following World War II was the signal pennant for the letter E, minus a triangular cut-out.

West of the Oder-Neisse Line, the various German states were reorganized along the lines of the various 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 the state of Württemberg-Baden in 1946. As its flag, Württemberg-Baden adopted the black-red-gold tricolor.^[26] 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.^[27] Coincidentally, Baden's colours were red and yellow, so the colour choice could be mistaken for a combination of the two flags. 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.^[28][29] These two states were formed from various parts of other states and no combination of colours 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.

It has been suggested that Flag of the German Democratic Republic be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

3:5 Flag of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949-today)
Flag of the German Democratic Republic (1949-1959)

Main articles: West Germany and East Germany

With relations deteriorating between the Soviet Union and the United States, the three western Allies met in March 1948 to merge their zones of occupation and allow the formation of a new German nation. This was the Federal Republic of Germany, previously known as West Germany, now simply as Germany. Meanwhile, the eastern Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany.

During the preparation of the new constitution for West Germany, discussions regarding its national symbols took place in August 1948 during a meeting at Herrenchiemsee. Although there were some objections to the creation of a national flag prior to reunification with the east, it was decided to proceed. This decision was primarily motivated by the proposed constitution by the eastern SED in November 1946,^[30] where black-red-gold were suggested as the colours for a future German republic.^[31]

A proposed flag for West Germany (1948)

While the Social Democrats called for the reintroduction of the old Weimar flag, conservative parties such as the CDU/CSU and the German Party suggested a Nordic Cross flag in black-red-gold. Josef Wirmer, co-conspirator in the July 20 Plot, had developed a Nordic Cross flag as a replacement national flag to be used if the assassination of Hitler had succeeded. Wirner's brother had proposed a variant of this flag to the CDU, who described it in their draft constitution as a red field with a black Nordic Cross, which contained a further cross in gold - the original flag developed by Wirner had the the black and gold colours reversed.^[32] 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 1949-05-23, the black-red-gold tricolour was adopted as the flag for the Federal Republic of Germany.^[2]

3:5 Flag of the German Democratic Republic (1959-1990)

While the use of black-red-gold had been suggested in the Soviet zone in 1946, the Second Peoples' Congress in 1948 decided to adopt the old black-white-red tricolour as a national flag for East Germany. This choice was based on the use of these colours by the National Committee for a Free Germany,^[32] a German anti-Nazi organization that operated in the Soviet Union in the last two years of the war. In 1949, following a suggestion from Friedrich Ebert, the black-red-gold tricolour was instead selected as the flag of the German Democratic Republic upon the formation of this state on 1949-10-07.^[3] From 1949 to 1959, the flags of both West and East Germany were identical. On 1959-10-01, the East German government changed its flag with the addition of its coat of arms.^[4] In West Germany, these changes were seen as a deliberate attempt to divide the two Germanies, Displaying this flag in West Germany and West Berlin - where it became known as the Spalterflagge (literally meaning "divider-flag") - was seen as a breach of the constitution and subsequently banned until the late 1960s.

From 1956 to 1964, West and East Germany attended the Winter and Summer Olympics as a single team, known as the United Team of Germany. After the East German national flag was changed in 1959, neither country accepted the flag of the other. As a compromise, a new flag was used, featuring the black-red-gold tricolour defaced with the Olympic rings in white.

The East German flag with the emblem cut out, displayed by many East Germans prior to reunification.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, many East Germans cut the coat of arms out of their flags. The inspiration for this came from Romania, where this was done during the fall of Ceauşescu. The widespread act of removing the coat of arms from the East German flag implied that the plain black-red-gold tricolour was a symbol for a united and democratic Germany and, on 1990-10-03, as 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 Reconciliation of the SED Dictatorship was formed. 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 uses the cut-out version of the East German flag.^[33]

Neo-Nazi march in Munich (2005)

The old black-white-red tricolour is still used by monarchists and those members of German royalty who long for the peaceful reintroduction of a German monarchy, along the lines of the parliamentary monarchies of Sweden or the Netherlands. This use of the old flag is almost completely overshadowed by its prevalent use by the far right. Since the swastika is illegal in Germany, the far right have been forced to forego any Nazi flags and instead use the old tricolour. The fact that Nazi symbols are banned in various countries is the main reason why many computer games related to World War II do not feature the Nazi flag, sometimes replacing it with the anachronistic flag of the German Empire.

German football fans during the 2006 FIFA World Cup

In Germany, the use of the flag and other national symbols is relatively low; this is considered a reaction against the widespread use of flags by the Nazi party, and against the nationalistic furore of the Nazis in general. The flag is used primarily by official authorities on special occasions or by citizens during sporting events. In some regions (e.g. Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein) residents may prefer the use of regional flags instead of the national flag. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup which took place in Germany, public use of the national flag increased dramatically, much to the surprise of many Germans.^[34] Contrary to the expectations of some at the time, its use by private citizens following the World Cup has largely returned to previous levels.

• National colours of Germany
• List of German flags
• Flags of German states

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Flags of Germany

• German-Flag-History.com
• Germany at Flags of the World
• All medieval flags of Germany

v • d • e Flags of Germany
Germany	National flag
German states	Baden-Württemberg • Bavaria • Berlin • Brandenburg • Bremen • Hamburg • Hesse • Lower Saxony • Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania • North Rhine-Westphalia • Rhineland-Palatinate • Saarland • Saxony • Saxony-Anhalt • Schleswig-Holstein • Thuringia