Flag of Germany
Germany's flag has three equal horizontal stripes: black on top, red in the middle and gold at the bottom.
At a glance
- Adopted
- May 23, 1949black-red-gold was first used in 1848 and was the flag of the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933; it returned in 1949 and became the flag of reunited Germany in 1990
- Shape (height : width)
- 3:5
- Capital
- Berlin
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- black
- red
- gold
What it means
- Black, red and gold: there is no official meaning; the colours stand for democracy, unity and freedom through their history of 1848 and 1919. A popular saying is: out of the blackness of servitude, through bloody battles, to the golden light of freedom
Where it came from
Nobody designed the flag as a single person. Historians are still not sure exactly where black, red and gold came from. Popular theories point to the black uniforms with red trim and gold buttons of the Lutzow Free Corps, volunteers who fought Napoleon, and to student groups in Jena.
In 1848 the Frankfurt Parliament, which tried to unite the German states, declared black-red-gold the colours of Germany. Germany's Basic Law of 1949 simply says: "The federal flag shall be black, red and gold."
History
From 1867 to 1918 the North German Confederation and then the German Empire used black, white and red instead. The Weimar Republic brought back black-red-gold in 1919, but the Nazis replaced it in 1933.
In 1949 both West Germany and East Germany chose black-red-gold. From 1959 East Germany added its coat of arms with a hammer and compass. When Germany reunited in 1990, the plain tricolour became the flag of the whole country.
Fun facts
- The third colour is officially gold, not yellow. In 1951 a German court ruled that calling it "black-red-yellow" to mock it was an offence.
- A small German state, Reuss-Greiz, used a black-red-gold tricolour as early as 1778.
- Its official name in German is Bundesflagge, which means "federal flag".
- For about ten years, 1949 to 1959, East and West Germany flew exactly the same flag.
Easy to mix up with
Belgium: Belgium uses black, yellow and red too, but in vertical stripes
Questions
What does the flag of Germany look like?
Germany's flag has three equal horizontal stripes: black on top, red in the middle and gold at the bottom.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Germany mean?
Black, red and gold: there is no official meaning; the colours stand for democracy, unity and freedom through their history of 1848 and 1919. A popular saying is: out of the blackness of servitude, through bloody battles, to the golden light of freedom.
When was the flag of Germany adopted?
The current flag of Germany was adopted on May 23, 1949. (black-red-gold was first used in 1848 and was the flag of the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933; it returned in 1949 and became the flag of reunited Germany in 1990)
What colours are on the flag of Germany?
The flag of Germany uses black, red and gold.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Germany?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Belgium. Belgium uses black, yellow and red too, but in vertical stripes
Famous landmarks in Germany
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)