.svg)
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.
Current state flags
Since German reunification in 1990, there are 16 states and state flags.[1]
| Civil flag | State flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | _2020.svg) .svg) |  | Baden-Württemberg | 1954–present | Flag of Baden-Württemberg | [1] |
.svg) .svg) |  | Bavaria | 1949–present | Flag of Bavaria | ||
 |  | Berlin | 1954–present | Flag of Berlin | [1] | |
 |  | Brandenburg | 1991–present | Flag of Brandenburg | ||
 |  .svg) |  | Bremen | 1952–present | Flag of Bremen | |
 |  |  | Hamburg | Civil flag 1751–present; state flag introduced in 1897, confirmed in 1952 | Flag of Hamburg | [1] |
 | .svg) |  | Hesse | 1949–present | Flag of Hesse | |
 | .svg) |  | Lower Saxony | 1951–present | Flag of Lower Saxony | [1] |
 | .svg) |  | Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania | 1991–present | Flag of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania | |
 | .svg) |  | North Rhine-Westphalia | 1953–present | Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia | |
 |  | Rhineland-Palatinate | 1948–present | Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate | ||
 |  | Saarland | 1957–present | Flag of Saarland | ||
 | .svg) |  | Saxony | 1991–present | Flag of Saxony | |
.svg) |  | Saxony-Anhalt | Flag of Saxony-Anhalt | |||
 | .svg) |  | Schleswig-Holstein | 1948–present | Flag of Schleswig-Holstein | |
 | .svg) |  | Thuringia | 1991–present | Flag of Thuringia | |
Historical flags
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) |  | South Baden | 1945–1952 | Flag of Baden |
 |  | Württemberg-Baden | ||
 |  | Württemberg-Hohenzollern | ||
German Democratic Republic
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) | .svg) | East Berlin | 1956–1990 | Flag of Berlin |
.svg) |  | Brandenburg | 1945–1952 | Flag of Brandenburg |
 |  | Mecklenburg | Flag of Mecklenburg | |
 |  | Saxony-Anhalt | Flag of Saxony-Anhalt | |
Greater German Reich
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | .svg) | Gau Saxony | 1933-1945 | |
 | .svg) | Free State of Prussia | Flag of Prussia | |
 | .svg) | State of Thuringia | Flag of Thuringia | |
Weimar Republic/Nazi Germany
Constituent states
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | .svg) | Free State of Anhalt | 1918–1945 | |
| .svg) | Republic of Baden | Flag of Baden | |
 | .svg) | Free State of Brunswick | 1918–1946 | |
.svg) | .svg) | Free State of Coburg | 1918–1920 | |
 | .svg) | People's State of Hesse | 1918–1945 | Flag of Hesse |
 | .svg) | Free State of Lippe | 1918–1947 | |
 | .svg) | Free City of Lübeck | ?–1937 | |
| .svg) | Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | 1918–1933 | Flag of Mecklenburg |
.svg) | Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | |||
 | .svg) | Free State of Oldenburg | 1918–1946 | |
.svg) | | Free State of Prussia | 1918–1933 | Flag of Prussia |
.svg) | People's State of Reuss | 1919–1920 | ||
 | .svg) | Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe | 1918–1946 | |
.svg) | .svg) | Free State of Saxe-Altenburg | 1918–1920 | |
.svg) | Free State of Saxe-Meiningen | |||
.svg) | .svg) | Free State of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ||
 | .svg) | Free State of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | ||
.svg) | Free State of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | |||
| .svg) | Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont | 1918–1929 | |
| .svg) | Free People's State of Württemberg | 1918–1945 | |
Provinces of Prussia
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | .svg) | Province of Brandenburg | 1918–1945 | Flag of Brandenburg |
 | .svg) | East Prussia | ||
 | .svg) | Province of Hanover | ||
 | .svg) | Province of Hesse-Nassau | 1918–1944 | |
 | .svg) | Province of Hohenzollern | 1918–1945 | |
 |  | Province of Kurhessen | 1944–1945 | |
 | .svg) | Province of Lower Silesia and Province of Silesia | 1919–1945 | Flag of Silesia |
 | .png) | Province of Nassau | 1944–1945 | |
 | .svg) | Province of Pomerania | 1882–1945 | Flag of Western Pomerania |
 | .svg) | Posen-West Prussia | 1922–1938 | |
 | .svg) | Rhine Province | 1922–1945 | |
| .svg) | Province of Saxony | 1918–1945 | Flag of Saxony-Anhalt |
 | .svg) | Province of Schleswig-Holstein | Flag of Schleswig-Holstein | |
 | .svg) | Province of Upper Silesia | 1919–1938 1941–1945 | Flag of Upper Silesia |
 | .svg) | Province of Westphalia | 1918–1945 | |
German Empire
Constituent states
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | .svg) | Alsace-Lorraine | 1891–1918 | |
| .svg) | Duchy of Anhalt | 1863–1935 | |
| .svg) | Grand Duchy of Baden | 1891–1935 | |
|  | Kingdom of Bavaria | 1806–present | |
|  | Free Hanseatic City of Bremen | 1891–present | |
| .svg) | Duchy of Brunswick | 1830–1935 | |
| .svg) | Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg | 1834–present | |
| .svg) | Grand Duchy of Hesse | 1806–1918 | |
| .svg) | Principality of Lippe | 1789–1918 | |
| .svg) | The Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck | 1815–1937 | |
| .svg) | Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | 1813–1918 | |
.svg) | Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | |||
.svg) | .svg) | Grand Duchy of Oldenburg | 1871–1918 | |
.svg) | .svg) | Kingdom of Prussia | 1892–1918 | |
 | .svg) | Principality of Reuss-Greiz | 1806–1918 | |
 | .svg) | Principality of Reuss-Gera | ||
.svg) | .svg) | Kingdom of Saxony | 1815–1918 | |
.svg) | | Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg | 1893–1918 | |
| | Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 1911–1920 | |
.svg) | | Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen | 1680–1918 | |
| .svg) | Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe | 1880–1935 | |
| | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | 1897–1920 | |
| | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | ???–1918 | |
| Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | |||
.svg) | .svg) | Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont | 1830–1929 | |
| .svg) | Kingdom of Württemberg | 1816–1918 | |
Provinces of Prussia
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | .svg) | Berlin | 1861–1912 | Flag of Berlin |
| | Province of Pomerania | 1882–1945 | Flag of Western Pomerania |
 | .svg) | West Prussia | 1886–1920 | |
Minority flags
Flag of Silesians (with eagle)
Flag of Silesians (Saxony)
Flag of Sorbs (Saxony)
.png)
See also
References
- Slater, Stephen (2007). The world encyclopedia of flags & heraldry. London: Lorenz. pp. 147–149. ISBN 9780754817802.