Flag of Germany

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Flag of Germany.svg
Name Bundesflagge und Handelsflagge
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 23 May 1949
Design A horizontal tricolour of black, red, and gold.
Flag of Germany (state).svg
Variant flag of Germany
Name Bundesdienstflagge und Kriegsflagge
Use State flag and ensign and war flag Normal or de jure version of flag, or obverse side IFIS Mirror.svg
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 7 June 1950
Naval Ensign of Germany.svg
Variant flag of Germany
Name Seekriegsflagge und Gösch
Use Naval ensign Normal or de jure version of flag, or obverse side IFIS Mirror.svg
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 9 May 1956

The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold.[1] The flag was first adopted as the national flag of modern Germany in 1919, during the Weimar Republic.



The colour schemes of black-red-gold and black-white-red have played an important role in the history of Germany and have had various meanings. The colours of the modern flag are associated with the republican democracy formed after World War I, and represent German unity and freedom: not only the freedom of Germany, but also the personal freedom of the German people.[2] During the Weimar Republic, the black-red-gold colours were the colours of the democratic, centrist, and republican political parties, as opposed to the political right and political left, as seen in the name of Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold, formed by members of the SPD, the German Centre Party, and the German Democratic Party to defend the republic against extremists on the right and left, to teach the population to respect the new republic, and to honour its flag and the constitution.




The Frankfurt Parliament had declared the black-red-gold as the official colours of the German Confederation, with the red in the tricolour most likely referencing the Hanseatic League, and the gold and black symbolizing Austria as its empire, considered to be "German", had an influence over (what would become) southern Germany. There are many theories in circulation regarding the origins of the colour scheme used in the 1848 flag. It has been proposed that the colours were those of the Jena Student's League, one of the radically minded Burschenschaften banned by Metternich in the Carlsbad Decrees. Another claim goes back to the uniforms (mainly black with red facings and gold buttons) of the Lützow Free Corps, comprising mostly university students and formed during the struggle against the occupying forces of Napoleon. It is during the mid-nineteenth century that red became synonymous with revolution and Karl Marx's socialist vision. Whatever the true explanation, these colours soon came to be regarded as the national colours of Germany during this brief period, and especially after their reintroduction during the Weimar period, they have become synonymous with liberalism in general.[3]

Flag variants[edit]

Civil flag[edit]

The German Unity Flag is a national memorial to German Reunification that was raised on 3 October 1990. It waves in front of the Bundestag in Berlin (seat of the German parliament).


Government flag[edit]

Bundesdienstflagge at the German Embassy, Canberra, Australia


Vertical flags[edit]

Civil flag (hanging)
Government flag (hanging)


Military flags[edit]



Specifications for the flag of Germany


"The federal flag shall be black, red and gold."[4]


The exact colours used for the German flag were not officially defined at the time of the flag's adoption and have changed since then.[11] The federal cabinet introduced a corporate design for the German government on 2 June 1999, which currently uses the following colours:[12]

Colour scheme Black Red Gold
RAL 9005
Jet black
Traffic red
Cadmium yellow
Pantone Black 485 7405*
Hexadecimals #000000 #FF0000 #FFCC00
Decimals 0,0,0 255,0,0 255,204,0


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. Also note the slightly brighter red.

Gold or yellow?[edit]


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).[13] When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the black–white–red colours of pre-1918 Imperial 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.[14]


The use of a pure, neutral yellow without the slight orange tint (RGB #FFFF00 or similar) is considered a mistake, although it is common enough on unofficial flags such as those displayed by fans at sporting events.

Flag days[edit]

Following federal decree on 22 March 2005, the flag must be flown from public buildings on the following dates. Not all of these days are public holidays.

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
Date Name Reason
27 January Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism
Tag des Gedenkens an die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus
Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, observed by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (half-mast)
1 May International Workers' Day
Tag der Arbeit
Was established for the German labour unions to demonstrate for the promotion of workers' welfare.
9 May Europe Day
23 May Constitution Day Anniversary of the German constitution (1949)
17 June Jahrestag des 17. Juni 1953 Anniversary of the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
20 July Jahrestag des 20. Juli 1944 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
In memory of all killed during wartime (half-mast)
Source: Federal Government of Germany[16]

Election days for the Bundestag and the European Parliament are also flag days in some states, in addition to other state-specific 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.[16] When flags are required to be flown at half-mast, vertical flags are not lowered. A black mourning ribbon is instead attached, either atop the mast (if hung from a pole) or to each end of the flag's supporting cross-beams (if flown like a banner).[17]


Medieval period[edit]

Banners of the Holy Roman Emperor

14th century
15th–19th century
War flag Design used in the past, but now abandoned War flag of the Holy Roman Empire (13th–14th century)




In northern Italy, during the Guelph and Ghibelline conflict of the 12th–14th century, the armies of the Ghibelline (pro-imperial) communes adopted the war banner of the Holy Roman Emperor (white cross on red) as their own, while the Guelf (anti-imperial) communes reversed the colours (red cross on white). These two schemes are prevalent in the modern civic heraldry of northern Italian towns and remains a revealing indicator of their past factional leanings. Traditionally Ghibelline towns like Pavia, Novara, Como, and Asti, continue to sport the Ghibelline cross. The Guelf cross can be found on the civic arms of traditionally Guelf towns like Genoa, Milan, Vercelli, Alessandria, Reggio, and Bologna.

Napoleonic Wars[edit]

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


During the Napoleonic Wars, the German struggle against the occupying French forces 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.[20] 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. Gold-coloured buttons were widely available, and pennons used by the lancers in the unit were red and black. At the time, the colours represented:


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.[20]

German Confederation[edit]


Hambach Festival (May 1832), contemporary lithograph


The gold-red-black flag of the Jena Urburschenschaft featured prominently at this Wartburg festival and so the colours black, red, and gold eventually became symbolic of this desire for a unified German state. Austria, in its determination to maintain the status quo,[23] enacted the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 that banned all student organisations, officially putting an end to the Burschenschaften.


Revolution and the Frankfurt Parliament[edit]

Revolutionaries in Berlin (March 1848)
War ensign Design used in the past, but now abandoned War ensign of the Reichsflotte

In the Springtime of the Peoples during the Revolutions of 1848, revolutionaries took to the streets, many flying the tricolour. Liberals took power and, after prolonged deliberation, a national assembly was 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.[25] Also, a naval war ensign used these colours.

In 1850, the Frankfurt Parliament collapsed, and the German Confederation was restored under Austrian presidency, who suppressed the actions of the failed Frankfurt Parliament, including the tricolour. Afterwards, the most pressing issue was whether or not to include Austria in any future 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 and excluded Austria. The Prussian–Austrian duality within the Confederation eventually led to the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. During the war, the southern states allied with Austria adopted the black-red-gold tricolour as their flag, and the 8th German Army Corps also wore black-red-gold armbands.[22] The Kingdom of Prussia and its predominately north German allies defeated Austria and made way for the realisation of the Lesser German solution a few years later.

North German Confederation and the German Empire (1866–1918)[edit]

Following the dissolution of the German Confederation, Prussia formed its unofficial successor, the North German Confederation, in 1866 with the signing of the Confederation Treaty in August 1866 and then the ratification of the Constitution of 1867. This coalition consisted of Prussia, the largest member state, and 21 other north German states.

2:3 Civil and state flags and ensigns Design used in the past, but now abandoned Flag of the North German Confederation (1866–71) and the German Empire (1871–1918). In use at the beginning of the Weimar Republic (1918–1919), by the foreign services (1922–33), and by the Nazi regime from March 1933 until August 1935.


King William 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.[20] 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 this new state in 1871. In its constitution, the German Empire retained black, white, and red as its national colours,[27] with the tricolour previously used by the North German Confederation officially adopted as its flag in 1892.


Weimar Republic (1918–33)[edit]

2:3 Civil flag Design used in the past, but now abandoned Flag of Weimar Germany (1919–33)

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 19th 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.[28] Only the tiny German principalities of Reuss Elder and Younger Line as well as the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont and its republican successor Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont had upheld the tradition and had always continued to use the German colours of Black, Red, and Or in their flag. 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 this new flag as a symbol of humiliation following Germany's defeat in World War I. In the Reichswehr, 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 various derogatory names (see Gold or yellow? above). As a compromise, the old black-white-red flag was reintroduced in 1922 to represent German diplomatic missions abroad.[10]




Nazi Germany and World War II (1933–45)[edit]

3:5 Civil and state flags and ensigns Design used in the past, but now abandoned National flag of Germany (1933–35), jointly with the swastika flag.
3:5 Civil and state flags and ensigns Design used in the past, but now abandoned National flag of Germany and marine jack of Germany (1935–45)

With the establishment of the Nazi regime in Germany on 30 January 1933, the black-red-gold flag was swiftly scrapped; a ruling on 12 March established two legal national flags: the reintroduced black-white-red imperial tricolour and the flag of the Nazi Party.[30][31]

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. One reason may have been the "Bremen incident" of 26 July 1935, in which a group of demonstrators in New York City boarded the SS Bremen, tore the Nazi Party flag from the jackstaff, and tossed it into the Hudson River. When the German ambassador protested, US officials responded that the German national flag had not been harmed, only a political party symbol.[32] The new flag law[33] was announced at the annual party rally in Nuremberg,[34] where Hermann Göring claimed the old black-white-red flag, while honoured, was the symbol of a bygone era and under threat of being used by "reactionaries".[35]

The design of the Nazi flag was introduced by Hitler as the party flag in mid-1920: a flag with a red background, a white disk and a black swastika in the middle. In Mein Kampf, Hitler explained the process by which the Nazi flag design was created: It was necessary to use the same colours as Imperial Germany, because in Hitler's opinion they were "revered colours expressive of our homage to the glorious past and which once brought so much honour to the German nation." The most important requirement was that "the new flag... should prove effective as a large poster" because "in hundreds of thousands of cases a really striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement." Nazi propaganda clarified the symbolism of the flag: the red colour stood for the social, white for the movement's national thinking and the swastika for the victory of the Aryan peoples over the Jewry.[36] Several designs by a number of different authors were considered, but the one adopted in the end was Hitler's personal design.[37] Albert Speer stated in his memoirs 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".[38]

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 (the name of the German Navy, 1933–45) warships.[39] The flags for use on sea had a through and through image, so the "left-facing" and "right-facing" version were each present on one side while the national flag was right-facing on both sides.[40]


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.[41] The possession of swastika flags is forbidden in many Western countries since then, with the importation or display of them forbidden particularly in Germany.

After World War II (1945–49)[edit]

2:3 Civil ensign Design used in the past, but now abandoned The C-Pennant (1946–49)

After the defeat of Germany in World War II, the country was placed under Allied administration. Although there was no national German government and no German flag, German ships were required by international law to have a national ensign of some kind. As a provisional civil ensign of Germany, the Council designated the international signal pennant Charlie representing the letter C ending in a swallowtail, known as the C-Pennant (C-Doppelstander). The Council ruled that "no ceremony shall be accorded this flag which shall not be dipped in salute to warships or merchant ships of any nationality".[42] Similarly, the Japanese civil ensign used immediately following World War II was the signal pennant for the letter E ending in a swallowtail.



Divided Germany (1949–89)[edit]

Design was proposed in the past, but never officially adopted Two variants of Josef Wirmer's 1944 "Resistance" design, created by his brother, Ernst. The top flag was proposed by conservative parties as a flag for West Germany (1948).
3:5 Civil and state flags and ensigns Normal or de jure version of flag, or obverse side Flag of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)
Flag of the German Democratic Republic (1949–59)
3:5 Civil and state flags and ensigns Design used in the past, but now abandoned Flag of the German Democratic Republic (1959–90)
Flag of the Unified Team of Germany, as used from the 1960 to 1968 Olympics
GDR flag at a 1955 boxing international


While there were suggestions for the new flag for West Germany,[51] the final choice was between two designs, both using black-red-gold. The Social Democrats proposed the re-introduction of the old Weimar flag, while the conservative parties such as the CDU/CSU and the German Party proposed a suggestion by Ernst Wirmer, a member of the Parlamentarischer Rat (parliamentary council) and future advisor of chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Wirmer suggested a variant of the 1944 "Resistance" flag (using the black-red-gold scheme in a Nordic Cross pattern) designed by his brother and July 20 co-conspirator Josef.[52] 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 23 May 1949, the black-red-gold tricolour was adopted as the flag for the Federal Republic of Germany.[4]

In 1955, the inhabitants of the French-administered Saar Protectorate voted to join West Germany.[53] Since its establishment as a separate French protectorate in 1947, the Saar had a white Nordic cross on a blue and red background as its flag.[54] To demonstrate the commitment of the Saar to be a part of West Germany, a new flag was selected on 9 July 1956: the black-red-gold tricolour defaced with the new coat of arms, also proposed on this day.[55] This flag came into force on 1 January 1957, upon the establishment of the Saarland as a state of West Germany.

While the use of black-red-gold had been suggested in the Soviet zone in 1946, the Second People's 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,[51] a German anti-Nazi organisation that operated in the Soviet Union in the last two years of the war. In 1949, following a suggestion from Friedrich Ebert junior, the black-red-gold tricolour was instead selected as the flag of the German Democratic Republic upon the formation of this state on 7 October 1949.[56] From 1949 to 1959, the flags of both West and East Germany were identical. On 1 October 1959, the East German government changed its flag with the addition of its coat of arms.[57] 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 (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 Olympic Games as a single team, known as the Unified 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 by the Unified Team of Germany from 1960 to 1964, featuring the black-red-gold tricolour defaced with white Olympic rings in the red stripe. In 1968 the teams from the two German states entered separately, but both used the same German Olympic flag. From 1972 to 1988, the separate West and East German teams used their respective national flags.


German football fans during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Some flags seen here contain the federal coat of arms and must not be confused with the state flag, which displays the Bundesschild.
Flag of unified Germany (1990-present)

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, many East Germans cut the coat of arms out of their flags, as Hungarians had done in 1956,[58][59] and as Romanians would soon do during the fall of Ceauşescu. The widespread act of removing the coat of arms from the East German flag implied the plain black-red-gold tricolour as symbol for a united and democratic Germany. Finally, on 3 October 1990, as the area of 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. Essentially a state-planned, anti-communist propaganda institution, it was created as a government response to the widespread Ostalgie from the impoverished eastern inhabitants that longed for their old State. As its logo, the foundation uses this cut-out version of the East German flag.[60]

The old black-white-red tricolour of the German Empire is still used by monarchists and those members of German royalty who long for the peaceful reintroduction of a German democratic monarchy.[61] 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, which the Nazis themselves banned in 1935.[33] The ban of Nazi symbols in Germany and some other countries is the main reason why many computer games related to World War II released in Germany and some other countries do not feature the Nazi flag, sometimes replacing it with the anachronistic flag of pre-1933 Weimar Germany or the modern tricolour.

In Germany, the use of the flag and other national symbols has been relatively low for most of the time since the Second World War—a reaction against the widespread use of flags by the Nazi Party and against the nationalistic furore of the Nazis in general.[62] The flag is used primarily by official authorities on special occasions or by citizens during international sporting events. In some states (e.g. Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein) or sub-state historical regions (e.g. Baden, Franconia) 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.[63] Although this explosion in the flag's popularity was initially greeted by many Germans with a mixture of surprise and apprehension,[64] the decades-old fear that German flag-waving and national pride was inextricably associated with its Nazi past was dismissed by the end of the tournament by Germans and non-Germans alike.[65]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ "Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen, dated 13.11.1996" [Order concerning the German flags, dated 13 November 1996] (pdf) (in German). Retrieved 2012-02-14. "Die Bundesflagge besteht aus drei gleich breiten Querstreifen, oben schwarz, in der Mitte rot, unten goldfarben [The national flag consists of three horizontal stipes of equal breadth, black at the top, red in the middle, and gold at the bottom]" 
  2. ^ Federal Parliament of Germany (2004-12-15). "Schwarz Rot Gold. Symbol der Einheit" [Black Red Gold. Symbol of unity] (in German). Retrieved 2007-05-29. 
  3. ^ The Flag of Germany
  4. ^ a b c Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (23 May 1949). German version and English version (December 2000) (PDF). See Article 22. Retrieved on 24 February 2008. Archived February 27, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b Federal Government of Germany (1950-07-07). "Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen" [Arrangement of the German Flag]. documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2007-08-09. 
  7. ^ Federal Government of Germany (1996-11-13). "Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen" [Arrangement of the German Flag]. Gesetze im Internet (in German). Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  8. ^ "Flag hoisting formats and terminology (Germany, Austria, and adjacent countries)". Flags of the World. 26 October 2001. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  9. ^ Federal Government of Germany (1956-05-25). "Anordnung des Bundespräsidenten über die Dienstflagge der Seestreitkräfte der Bundeswehr". Gesetze im Internet (in German). Retrieved 2008-02-10. 
  10. ^ a b Government of the German Reich (1921-04-11). "Verordnung über die deutschen Flaggen" [Regulation on the German Flags]. documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2007-08-09. 
  11. ^ "Colours of the Flag (Germany)". Flags of the World. 5 August 1998. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  Contains a letter from the German Ministry of the Interior (30 July 1998)
  12. ^ Federal Government of Germany (17 December 2007). "Primärfarben". Corporate Design Documentation (in German). Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2008-02-26. [broken citation]
  13. ^ (German) Dreyhaupt, Rüdiger F. (2000). "Flags of the Weimar Republic". Der Flaggenkurier 11: 3–17. 
  14. ^ a b (German) Federal Court of Justice of Germany (16 November 1959). 3 StR 45/59.
  15. ^ (German) Rabbow, Arnold (1968). "Schwarz–Rot–Gold oder Schwarz–Rot–Gelb?". Neue Heraldische Mitteilungen / Kleeblatt-Jahrbuch (Hanover) 6+7: 30–32. 
  16. ^ a b Federal Government of Germany (2005-03-22). "Beflaggungserlass der Bundesregierung" (in German). Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2008-02-24. [broken citation]
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  18. ^ a b "Holy Roman Empire". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  19. ^ "Unidentified 'Rhine Republic' Flag 1806 (Germany)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2008-02-26. 
  21. ^ (German) Scheidler, Karl Hermann (1865-08-05) Illustrierte Zeitung, Leipzig, 98
  22. ^ a b "German Confederation". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2008-03-02. 
  23. ^ "Austria: The Age of Metternich". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 
  24. ^ "The Hambach Festival". Official website of Hambach Castle. 2007. Archived from the original on 2004-08-19. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  25. ^ Frankfurt Parliament (1848-11-12). "Gesetz betreffend die Einführung einer deutschen Kriegs- und Handelsflagge" [Act concerning the introduction of a German navy and merchant flag]. documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2007-08-09. 
  26. ^ "Constitution of the North German Confederation". documentArchiv.de (in German). 1867-06-27. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  See Article 55.
  27. ^ "Constitution of the German Empire". documentArchiv.de (in German). 1871-04-16. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  See Article 55.
  28. ^ "Constitution of the Weimar Republic". documentArchiv.de (in German). 1919-08-11. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  See Article 3.
  29. ^ State government of Rhineland-Palatinate (2007). "Symbol für Freiheit, Einheit und Demokratie" [Symbol for Freedom, Unity and Democracy] (in German). Retrieved 2008-01-10. 
  33. ^ a b Government of the German Reich (1935-09-15). "Reichsflaggengesetz" [Reich Flag Act]. documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
  34. ^ GERMANY: Little Man, Big Doings, TIME Magazine, September 23, 1935
  36. ^ Nazi propaganda pamphlet "The Life of the Führer"
  38. ^ Speer, Albert (1970). Inside the Third Reich. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-684-82949-5. 
  39. ^ Government of the German Reich (1933-12-20). "Verordnung über die vorläufige Regelung der Flaggenführung auf Kauffahrteischiffen". documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
  40. ^ The German swastika flag 1933–1945
  41. ^ Allied Control Council (1945-08-30). "Law N° 1 from the Control Council for Germany: Repealing of Nazi Laws". European Navigator. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
  42. ^ Allied Control Council (30 November 1946). "Law No. 39 of the Allied Control Commission". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2008-02-26.  See Article 1 #3.
  43. ^ "Constitution of Württemberg-Baden". Verfassungen der Welt. 1946-11-30. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  See Article 45 (in German)
  44. ^ "Württemberg-Baden 1947–1952 (Germany)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  Contains quotation from discussion of the constitution committee.
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  46. ^ "Preliminary constitution of Lower Saxony". Verfassungen der Welt (in German). 1951-04-13. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  See Article 1 #2
  47. ^ "Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2008-03-03. 
  50. ^ "SED-proposed constitution of the German Democratic Republic". documentArchiv.de. 1946-11-14. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  (in German)
  53. ^ "The Saar referendum". European Navigator. 1955-10-23. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  54. ^ "Constitution of the Saarland". documentArchiv.de. 1947-12-15. Retrieved 2008-02-24.  See Article 61. (in German)
  55. ^ (German) Government of the Saarland (1956-07-09) Gesetz Nr. 508 über die Flagge des Saarlandes and Gesetz Nr. 509 über das Wappen des Saarlandes
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  57. ^ (German) Government of the German Democratic Republic (1959-10-01). "Gesetz zur Änderung des Gesetzes über das Staatswappen und die Staatsflagge der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik". documentArchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  58. ^ Flag of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution on Wikipedia
  59. ^ File:MindszentyPlaza Cleveland.JPG
  60. ^ Information pamphlet by the Foundation for the Reconciliation of the SED Dictatorship. Retrieved on 9 March 2008.
  62. ^ Sontheimer, Michael (2006-06-29). "Dr. Strangelove: How Germans Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Flag". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 
  63. ^ Young, Marc (2006-06-14). "Germany flies the flag". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  64. ^ Bernstein, Richard (2006-06-14). "In World Cup Surprise, Flags Fly With German Pride". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 
  65. ^ Crossland, David (2006-07-10). "Germany's World Cup Recovery: From Humorless to Carefree in 30 Days". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 

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