Germany .de

Meaning of the Flag

The national flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold (German: Schwarz-Rot-Gold). The flag was first sighted in 1848 in the German Confederation. The Confederation's Bundestag, alarmed by the events, hasted to adopt the tricolour (9 March 1848). 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. As a compromise, the old black-white-red flag was reintroduced in 1922 to represent German diplomatic missions abroad.

Meaning of Flag Colors

Red, Black, Gold

Flag History

1. 1806
   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.
2. 1867–1918
   

   The colours black-white-red appeared for the first time in 1867 in the constitution of the North German Confederation.
3. 1919–1933
   

   It was officially adopted as the national flag of the German Reich (during the period of the Weimar Republic) from 1919 to 1933, and has been in use since its reintroduction in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.
4. 1933–1935
   

   It was officially adopted as the national flag of the German Reich (during the period of the Weimar Republic) from 1919 to 1933, and has been in use since its reintroduction in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.
5. 1935–1945
   

   On 15 September 1935, one year after the death of Reich President Paul von Hindenburg and Hitler's elevation to the position of Führer, the dual flag arrangement was ended, with the exclusive use of the Nazi flag as the national flag of Germany.
6. 1946–1949
   

   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.
7. 1990–1996
   

   They were also adopted by the German Democratic Republic (1949–1990).
8. 1200–1350
   

   Flag in use 1200–1350.
9. 1990–present
   

   Current national flag, in use since 1990.

Location