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The flag of Germany is a Tricolour , consisting of three equal horizontal bands coloured (from top to bottom) black, red, and gold. The current flag, first used in the - 1949-10-07 . See Article 2 The flags of both West and East Germany were identical until 1959 when socialist symbols were added to the Flag Of The German Democratic Republic ,1 and the East German flag remained that way until the dissolution of the GDR in 1990. Following the Reunification Of Germany on 1990-10-03 , the black-red-gold tricolour continued to be used as the flag of the united German nation. SYMBOLISM See Also: National colours of Germany The colours of black, red and gold have played an important role in the History Of Germany and have had various meanings over time (''see History section below''). Today the colours are associated with the Republic an- Democracy formed after World War II and represent German unity and freedom: not only the freedom of Germany, but also the personal freedom of the German people.2 FLAG VARIANTS See Also: Flags of Germany Civil flag The German National Flag , containing only the black-red-gold tricolour, is used as the German Civil Flag and Civil Ensign . The national flag is used as a State Flag by non-federal authorities - for example, the authorities of the German States use the German national flag together with their own state flag. State flag The State Flag of Germany is known as the ''Dienstflagge der Bundesbehörden'' (state flag of the federal authorities) or ''Bundesdienstflagge'' for short. The state flag features the civil flag with a badge known as the ''Bundesschild''. The ''Bundesschild'' is a variant of the Coat Of Arms Of Germany , where the main differences are the illustration of the eagle and the shape of the shield (the ''Bundesschild'' is rounded, the standard coat of arms is not). The state flag may only be used by federal government authorities and its use by non-federal authorities (eg. state or municipal authorities) or private persons is a federal offence.3 However, public use of flags that are similar to the ''Bundesdienstflagge'' (eg. using the actual coat of arms instead of the ''Bundesschild'') is tolerated, so long as its usage signifies the user's solidarity with Germany. Such flags can sometimes be seen at international sporting events. Not all federal authorities use the state flag. Some of the highest federal authorities - the Bundestag , the Bundesrat , the Bundesversammlung , the Chancellery and the Constitutional Court - use the national flag to show their connection to the German people. Vertical flags In addition to the normal horizontal format, many public buildings in Germany make use of vertical flags. Most town halls fly their town flag together with the national flag in this way - many town flags in Germany exist only in vertical form. The proportions of these vertical flags were not specified until 1996, when a ratio of 5:2 was established.4. The 1996 reform also specified the layout for the vertical version of the state flag: the ''Bundesschild'' is displayed in the centre of the flag, overlapping with up to one fifth of the black and yellow bands. When draped, the black band should be on the left, as illustrated. When flown, the black band must face the mast. If the flag is hung from a horizontal flagpole, the black band should be farthest from the building. War flags The ''Bundesdienstflagge'' is also used as the German War Flag on land. At sea, the German Navy uses the ''Dienstflagge der Seestreitkräfte der Bundeswehr'' (Flag of the German Navy) - the state flag ending in a swallow-tail - as a war ensign. This naval flag is also used as a Navy Jack . DESIGN Following specifications set by the (West) German government in 1950, the flag displays three bars of equal width and has a width-length ratio of 3:5.5. The flag used during the Weimar Republic was slightly different, with a ratio of 2:3.6 Colour specifications The exact colours used for the German flag were not officially defined at the time of the flag's adoption and have changed over the years.7 - quoting a letter from the German Interior Ministry to a FOTW member, of 30 July 1998 Through a ruling of the Federal Cabinet on 2 June 1999 , the Corporate Design for the German government was developed. For use in this corporate design, the following colours are currently used:8
Gold or yellow? 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). When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the black-white-red colours of pre-1918 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. On 16 November 1959 , the Federal Court Of Justice (''Bundesgerichtshof'') put a clear end to the decades-long defamation of the flag's colours, stating that the usage of ''black-red-yellow'' and the like had "through years of Nazi agitation, attained the significance of a malicious slander against the democratic symbols of the state."Federal Court of Justice of Germany ( 1959-11-16 ). 3 StR 45/59. In Heraldic terms, the explicit usage of the colour gold instead of yellow presents a dilemma. The rules of heraldry state that Gold And Yellow Are Identical . Similarly, broad bands of metallic colour on a flag go against the rules of Vexillology . The nature of the colours on the German flag was summarised by heraldist Arnold Rabbow in 1968 as follows: ''"The German colours are black-red-yellow but they are called black-red-gold."''9 FLAG DAYS with banners displayed in mourning (note the black ribbons atop each mast) after the death of former German president Johannes Rau in 2004]] Following federal decree on 2005-03-22 , the flag must be flown from public buildings on the following dates.10 Not all of these days are public holidays.
The individual states of Germany have additional 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 . When flags are required to be flown at half-mast, vertical banner flags are generally not lowered. Instead, a black mourning ribbon is attached to the top of the mast. HISTORY See Also: National colours of Germany For centuries, a combination of black and gold was used in the colours on the semi-official Coat Of Arms of the Holy Roman Empire . These two colours later found their way into the flag of the Austrian Empire , created in 1804 by the last ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, Francis II . Austria's Habsburg Dynasty also used the colours and was appropriately known as the "Black and Gold Monarchy ." During the struggle against the occupying forces of Napoleon in the early Nineteenth Century , the uniforms of Lützow Free Corps , which were mainly black with red facings and gold buttons, gained prominence as the corps comprised mostly of university students. These veterans, which in 1815 had organised themselves in the Urburschenschaft fraternity of Jena , met in the Wartburg Festival of 1817, and continued to be active in political movements like '' Burschenschaft en'' banned by Metternich in the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 which set restrictions within the German Confederation , following the Congress Of Vienna . ]] The use of the Black-Red-Gold colours as symbol for the liberal, democratic and republican movement was already well-established in 1832 when flags were displayed on the Hambacher Fest , albeit upside-down as Gold-Red-Black. In the radical 1840s , when harsh economic conditions struck, a black-red-gold flag was used to symbolize the movement against the conservative order, in favor of liberal Republicanism . During the Springtime Of The Peoples during the Revolutions Of 1848 , liberals took power and after prolonged deliberation, a National Assembly was finally formulated. This Frankfurt Parliament declared the black-red-gold as the official colours of Germany . The gold and black is said to be a reference to the German people of the "Black and Gold monarchy", while the red in the tricolour may refer both to the former Hanseatic League and socialist revolution, with Karl Marx 's Communist Manifesto being published in 1848. Whatever the true explanation, black, red and gold were regarded as the colors of the liberal and republican movement of the Germans during this brief period, and especially after the color combination was reintroduced during the Weimar period, it become synonymous with German Liberalism in general. Ultimately, the Revolutions of 1848 failed and the monarchs returned to power. The most pressing issue for the German radicals was whether or not to include Austria in this new German nation, as Austria's status as a multiethnic empire complicated the dream of a united Greater Germany — the '' Grossdeutsch '' solution. Alternatively, there was the '' Kleindeutsch '' solution for a Germany that did not encompass all German lands, and this avoided the multi ethnic problem and perhaps just as importantly, issues of power distribution. When a compromised German state later emerged, it would be for both of these reasons. An important step towards this kleindeutsch solution was the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. With that, the German Confederation was officially disbanded and Prussia went on to form its unofficial successor, the North German Federation , in 1867. On 25 June of that year, the coalition adopted a flag that blended the colours of its largest and smallest member Prussia (black and white) and the cities of the former Hanseatic League (red and white) into a new black-white-red (''schwarz-weiß-rot'') horizontal tricolour. This flag would also be the national flag for the subsequent German Empire from 1892 to 1918 . Following Germany's defeat in World War I , the new Weimar Republic chose to replace the Imperial flag with the older black-red-gold sequence on 11 August 1919 . Throughout the days of the Weimar Republic there was a debate on which flag to use, causing strong controversy, with monarchists and conservatives in favor of re-adopting the black-white-red flag. In 1926 the old black-white-red flag was once more admitted to use, but only for Germany's diplomatic missions overseas. Simultaneously, the symbols of Imperial Germany became symbols of conservative protestation and were often used by nationalists in demonstrations. This included the '' Reichskriegflagge '', which has been revived in the present for similar use. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the black-red-gold flag was removed and replaced with the black-white-red. However, after 15 September 1935 , the Nazis replace virtually all German governmental flags with designs based featuring the Swastika , the symbol on their party flag and the symbol of their movement. The new flag featured the same colours as the Imperial flag, but it was arranged as a red flag with a white disk in the centre containing a black swastika. The old black-white-red flag was then banned by the Nazis as "reactionary"; ''see Flag Of Nazi Germany ''. After the defeat of Germany in World War II , the country was occupied and divided by the Allies . The Allied Control Council banished all German national flags which had been used over the years. As there was no national German government and German ships were required by international law to have a national ensign of some kind, the Council issued an order designating the International Signal Pennant representing the letter C (minus a triangular cutout) as the provisional Civil Ensign of Germany. "C" stood for "Capitulation". This C-Pennant () was intended to be a symbolic humiliation of defeated Germany, and the Council ruled that "no ceremonial shall be accorded this flag which shall not be dipped in salute to warships or merchant ships of any nationality."11 See Article 1 #3 Similarly, the Japanese Civil Ensign used immediately following World War II was the signal pennant for the letter E, minus a triangular cut-out. After some debate, the black-red-gold flag was once again adopted as the federal flag for the Federal Republic of Germany ( (symbolising intellectuals) inside ears of grain (symbolising farmers). This flag remained in place until just before the territory of the former GDR was reunified with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 (the GDR formally removed the emblem shortly before reunification). The flag of the GDR was banned, and any use of it considered a criminal offence, in West Germany during much of the Cold War. USE OF THE GERMAN FLAG TODAY In Germany, the use of the flag and other national symbols is relatively low; this is considered a reaction against the widespread use of flags by the Nazi party, and against the nationalistic furor of the Nazis in general. The flag is used primarily by official authorities on special occasions or by citizens during sporting events. In some regions (e.g. Bavaria , Schleswig-Holstein ) residents may prefer the use of regional flags instead of the national flag. When the German National Football Team was competing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup , public use of the national flag was considerably increased, but, contrary to the expectations of some at the time, its use by private citizens following the World Cup has largely returned to its previous low level. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES |
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