Flags of German states

All German states have a Landesflagge (flag of the state, sometimes known as a civil flag), that may be used by anyone. Some states have another variant, often showing the state coat of arms, called the Dienstflagge (service flag or government flag, sometimes known as a state flag), normally for use by official government offices only. In addition to these flags, in a few states there are variants exclusively for the state senate, or for state-operated ships. In some cases, there are specific flags for high-ranking officials, mainly used as car flags. Frequently, the flags are used in vertical variants.

A map of Germany, showing all the state flags and coat of arms

Current state flags

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Since German reunification in 1990, there are 16 states and state flags.[1]

Civil flagState flagAdministrative divisionAdoptedDescription Ref.

Baden-Württemberg1954–presentFlag of Baden-Württemberg [1]

Bavaria1949–presentFlag of Bavaria
Berlin1954–presentFlag of Berlin [1]
Brandenburg1991–presentFlag of Brandenburg

Bremen1952–presentFlag of Bremen
HamburgCivil flag 1751–present; state flag introduced in 1897, confirmed in 1952Flag of Hamburg [1]
Hesse1949–presentFlag of Hesse

Lower Saxony1951–presentFlag of Lower Saxony [1]
Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania1991–presentFlag of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania
North Rhine-Westphalia1953–presentFlag of North Rhine-Westphalia
Rhineland-Palatinate1948–presentFlag of Rhineland-Palatinate
Saarland1957–presentFlag of Saarland
Saxony1991–presentFlag of Saxony
Saxony-AnhaltFlag of Saxony-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein1948–presentFlag of Schleswig-Holstein
Thuringia1991–presentFlag of Thuringia

Historical flags

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FlagAdministrative divisionAdoptedDescription
South Baden1945–1952Flag of Baden
Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Hohenzollern
FlagAdministrative divisionAdoptedDescription
Gau Saxony1933-1945
Free State of PrussiaFlag of Prussia
State of ThuringiaFlag of Thuringia


Minority flags

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Slater, Stephen (2007). The world encyclopedia of flags & heraldry. London: Lorenz. pp. 147–149. ISBN 9780754817802.