View source for Flag of Germany

{{short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}

{{About-distinguish|the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany|Flag of the German Empire|Flag of Nazi Germany|Flag of East Germany}}{{Unreliable|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name        = Federal Republic of Germany
| Article     =
| Nickname    =
| Image       = Flag of Germany.svg
| Use         = 110100
| Symbol      = {{FIAV|110100}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Vertical normal}}
| Proportion  = 3:5
| Adoption    = {{Start date and age|1919|07|3|df=y}} (original proportions)<br />{{Start date and age|1949|05|23|df=y}} (current proportions)<br />{{start date and age|1990|10|03|df=y}} ([[German reunification]])
| Design      = A horizontal [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] of [[black]], [[red]], and [[gold (color)|gold]]
| Nickname2   = {{lang|de|Bundesdienstflagge und Dienstflagge der Landstreitkräfte der Bundeswehr}}
| Image2      = Flag of Germany (state).svg
| Use2        = 011010
| Symbol2     = {{FIAV|011010}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} {{FIAV|Vertical rotated}}
| Proportion2 = 3:5
| Adoption2   = {{start date and age|1950|06|07|df=y}}
| Design2     = The civil flag with [[Coat of arms of Germany|the coat of arms]] at the centre.
| Nickname3   = {{lang|de|Dienstflagge der Seestreitkräfte der Bundeswehr}}
| Image3      = Naval Ensign of Germany.svg
| Noborder3   = no
| Use3        = 000001
| Symbol3     = {{FIAV|000001}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}}
| Proportion3 = 3:5
| Adoption3   = {{start date and age|1956|05|25|df=y}}
| Design3     = A swallowtail of the civil flag with the coat of arms at the centre.
}}
[[File:Flag of Germany (unoff).svg|thumb|{{FIAV|variant}} Common unofficial flag variant with the [[coat of arms of Germany]]]]

The [[national flag]] of [[Germany]] ({{Langx|de|Flagge Deutschlands}}) is a [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the [[national colours of Germany]]: [[Sable (heraldry)|black]], [[Gules|red]], and [[Or (heraldry)|gold]] ({{langx|de|Schwarz-Rot-Gold}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/flaggano_1996/FlaggAnO_1996.pdf|title=Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen|date=13 November 1996|trans-title=Order concerning the German flags|language=de|access-date=14 February 2012|quote=Die Bundesflagge besteht aus drei gleich breiten Querstreifen, oben schwarz, in der Mitte rot, unten goldfarben|trans-quote=The federal flag consists of three horizontal stripes of equal breadth, black at the top, red in the middle, and gold-coloured at the bottom.|archive-date=5 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905072631/https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/flaggano_1996/FlaggAnO_1996.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The flag was first sighted in 1848 in the [[German Confederation]]. The flag was also used by the [[German Empire (1848–1849)|German Empire from 1848 to 1849]]. It was officially adopted as the national flag of the [[German Reich]] (during the period of the [[Weimar Republic]]) from 1919 to 1933, and has been in use since its reintroduction in the [[Federal Republic of Germany]] in 1949.

Since the mid-19th century, Germany has had two competing traditions of national colours, black-red-gold and black-white-red. Black-red-gold were the colours of the [[German revolutions of 1848–1849|1848–1849 Revolutions]], the [[Weimar Republic]] of 1919–1933 and the Federal Republic (since 1949). They were also [[Flag of East Germany|adopted]] by the [[German Democratic Republic]] (1949–1990).

The colours [[Flag of the German Empire|black-white-red]] appeared for the first time in 1867 in the constitution of the [[North German Confederation]]. This nation state for [[Prussia]] and other north and central [[States of Germany|German States]] was expanded to the south German states in 1870–71, under the name [[German Empire]]. It kept these colours until the revolution of 1918–19. Thereafter, black-white-red became a symbol of the political right. The Nazis ([[Nazi Party|National Socialist German Worker's Party]]) re-established these colours along with the party's own [[Flag of Nazi Germany|swastika flag]] in 1933. After World War II, black-white-red was still used by some conservative groups or by groups of the [[far right]], as it is not forbidden, unlike specific [[Nazi symbolism|Nazi symbols]] such as the aforementioned swastika.

Black-red-gold is the official flag of the Federal Republic of Germany. As an official symbol of the constitutional order, it is protected against [[defamation]]. According to §90a of the German penal code, the consequences are a fine or imprisonment up to three years.

== Origins ==
The German association with the colours [[black]], [[red]], and [[gold (color)|gold]] surfaced in the radical 1840s, when the black-red-gold flag was used to symbolise the movement against the [[Conservative Order]], which was established in [[Europe]] after [[Napoleon|Napoleon's]] defeat.

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 Students' League ({{lang|de|Jenaer Burschenschaft}}), one of the radically minded {{lang|de|[[Burschenschaft]]en|italic=no}} banned by {{lang|de|[[Metternich]]|italic=no}} in the [[Carlsbad Decrees]]. The colours are mentioned in their canonical order in the seventh verse of [[August Daniel von Binzer]]'s student song {{lang|de|[[Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus|Zur Auflösung der Jenaer Burschenschaft]]}} ("On the Dissolution of the Jena Students' League") quoted by {{lang|de|[[Johannes Brahms]]|italic=no}} in his ''[[Academic Festival Overture]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ingeb.org/Lieder/wirhatte.html |title=Zur Auflösung der Jenaer Burschenschaft / Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus free midi mp3 download Strand Hotel Sechelt bed breakfast |website=ingeb.org |access-date=21 September 2016 |archive-date=28 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428065848/http://ingeb.org/Lieder/wirhatte.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Another claim goes back to the uniforms (mainly black with red facings and gold buttons) of the [[Lützow Free Corps]], which were mostly worn by university students and were formed during the struggle against the occupying forces of Napoleon. Whatever the true explanation, those colours soon came to be regarded as the national colours of Germany during that brief period. Especially after their reintroduction during the [[Weimar period]], they became synonymous with [[social liberalism|liberalism]] in general.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://everythingaboutgermany.com/germany-country-information/the-flag-of-germany/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629012856/http://www.everythingaboutgermany.com/Germany-Flag.html |url-status=dead |title=The Flag of Germany |first=The German |last=Tourists |date=25 August 2011 |archive-date=29 June 2010 |website=Germany Tourism and Travel by Everything about Germany}}</ref> (The colours also appear in the medieval {{lang|de|[[Reichsadler]]}}.)

== Flag variants ==
{{see also|Flags of Germany}}

=== Civil flag ===
[[File:Berlin reichstag CP.jpg|thumb|The German Unity Flag is a national memorial to [[German reunification]] that was raised on 3 October 1990. It flies in front of the [[Reichstag building]] in [[Berlin]] (seat of the [[German parliament]]).]]
The German [[national flag]] or {{lang|de|Bundesflagge}} ({{Langx|en|Federal flag}}), containing only the black-red-gold tricolour, was introduced as part of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|(West) German constitution]] in 1949.<ref name="constitutionDE"/> Following the creation of separate government and military flags in later years, the plain tricolour is now used as the German [[civil flag]] and [[civil ensign]]. This flag is also used by non-federal authorities to show their connection to the federal government, e.g. the authorities of the [[States of Germany|German states]] use the German national flag together with [[Flags of German states|their own flag]].

=== Government flag ===
[[File:State flag of Germany.jpg|thumb|left|{{lang|de|Bundesdienstflagge}} at the [[German Embassy, Canberra]], Australia]]
The [[government flag]] of Germany is officially known as the {{lang|de|Dienstflagge der Bundesbehörden}} (state flag of the federal authorities) or {{lang|de|Bundesdienstflagge}} for short. It was introduced in 1950. It is the civil flag [[defacement (flag)|defaced]] with the {{lang|de|Bundesschild}} ("Federal Shield"), which overlaps with up to one fifth of the black and gold bands.<ref name="flag1950"/> The {{lang|de|Bundesschild}} is a variant of the [[coat of arms of Germany]], whose main differences are the illustration of the eagle and the shape of the shield: the {{lang|de|Bundesschild}} is rounded at the base, whereas the standard coat of arms is pointed.

The government flag may only be used by federal government authorities and its use by others is an offence, punishable with a fine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bundesrecht.juris.de/owig_1968/__124.html |title=§ 124 OWiG: Benutzen von Wappen oder Dienstflaggen |author=Federal Government of Germany |language=de |trans-title=Administrative Offences Act § 124: Use of crest or official flags |date=24 May 1968 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=23 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623203849/http://bundesrecht.juris.de/owig_1968/__124.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, public use of flags similar to the {{lang|de|Bundesdienstflagge}} (e.g. using the actual coat of arms instead of the {{lang|de|Bundesschild}}) is tolerated, and such flags are sometimes seen at international sporting events.
<!-- (commenting out passage until supporting evidence can be found)
Not all federal authorities use the state flag. Some of the highest federal authorities—the [[Bundestag]], the [[Bundesrat of Germany|Bundesrat]], the [[Bundesversammlung (Germany)|Bundesversammlung]], the [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)|Chancellery]], and the [[Federal Constitutional Court of Germany|Constitutional Court]]—use the national flag. -->
{{Clear}}

=== Vertical flags ===
[[File:Flag of Germany (Hanging).svg|thumb|left|upright=0.25|{{FIAV|Vertical exclusive}} Civil banner]]
[[File:Flag of Germany (Hanging state flag).svg|thumb|upright=0.25|{{FIAV|Vertical exclusive}} Government banner]]
In addition to the normal horizontal format, many public buildings in [[Germany]] use [[vertical flag]]s. Most town halls fly their town flag together with the national flag (and usually the flag of the state they are in and the flag of the [[European Union]]) in this way; many town flags in Germany exist only in vertical form.{{cn|date=September 2024}} The proportions of these vertical flags are not specified<!-- (commented out until supporting evidence can be found), although a ratio of 5:2 is the most common-->. In 1996, a layout for the vertical version of the government flag was established, that coincidentally matched the pattern of the "conventional" black-red-gold flag of the [[Principality of Reuss-Gera]] ({{lang|de|Fürstentum Reuß-Gera}}) from 1806 to 1918: the {{lang|de|Bundesschild}} is displayed in the centre of the flag, overlapping with up to one fifth of the black and gold bands.<ref name="flag1996">{{cite web |author=Federal Government of Germany |url=http://bundesrecht.juris.de/flaggano_1996/BJNR172900996.html |title=Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen |work=Gesetze im Internet |language=de |trans-title=Arrangement of the German Flag |date=13 November 1996 |access-date=26 February 2008 |archive-date=13 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613050933/http://bundesrecht.juris.de/flaggano_1996/BJNR172900996.html |url-status=live }}</ref> When hung like a banner or draped, the black band should be on the left, as illustrated. When flown from a vertical flagpole, the black band must face the staff.<ref name="hangingflag">{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/de_hoist.html |title=Flag hoisting formats and terminology (Germany, Austria, and adjacent countries) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=26 October 2001 |access-date=24 February 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209123942/https://www.fotw.info/flags/de_hoist.html |archive-date=9 February 2008}}</ref> The only type of vertical flag that can be flown under the Federal Government Decree is a banner. Flags in vertical format, vertical flags with outrigger and hanging flags are not permitted.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.protokoll-inland.de/Webs/PI/EN/flag-displays/general-information/types/types-node.html | title=Kinds of flags | access-date=15 October 2022 | archive-date=15 October 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015233956/https://www.protokoll-inland.de/Webs/PI/EN/flag-displays/general-information/types/types-node.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Military flags ===
Since the German armed forces ({{lang|de|[[Bundeswehr]]}}) are a federal authority, the {{lang|de|Bundesdienstflagge}} is also used as the German [[war flag]] on land. In 1956, the {{lang|de|Dienstflagge der Seestreitkräfte der Bundeswehr}} (Flag of the [[German Navy]]) was introduced: the government flag ending in [[swallowtail (flag)|swallowtail]].<ref name="navyflag">{{cite web |url=http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bpr_sflaggenano/BJNR004470956.html |title=Anordnung des Bundespräsidenten über die Dienstflagge der Seestreitkräfte der Bundeswehr |author=Federal Government of Germany |work=Gesetze im Internet |language=de |date=25 May 1956 |access-date=10 February 2008 |archive-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204102102/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bpr_sflaggenano/BJNR004470956.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This naval flag is also used as a [[Maritime flag#Jacks|navy jack]].
{{Clear}}

== Design ==
[[File:Flag of Germany - dimensions.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Specifications for the flag of Germany]]
Article 22 of the German constitution, the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany]], states:

<blockquote>The federal flag shall be black, red and gold.<ref name="constitutionDE">[[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany]] (23 May 1949). [http://www.documentarchiv.de/brd/1949/grundgesetz.html German version] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116153917/http://www.documentarchiv.de/brd/1949/grundgesetz.html |date=16 November 2019 }} and [https://web.archive.org/web/20080625041054/http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/parliament/function/legal/germanbasiclaw.pdf English version (December 2000) (PDF)]. See Article 22. Retrieved on 24 February 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227112926/http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/parliament/function/legal/germanbasiclaw.pdf |date=27 February 2008}}</ref></blockquote>

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;<ref name="flag1950">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/brd/1950/deutsche-flaggen_ao.html |title=Anordnung über die deutschen Flaggen |author=Federal Government of Germany |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |trans-title=Arrangement of the German Flag |date=7 July 1950 |access-date=9 August 2007 |archive-date=21 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021202248/http://www.documentarchiv.de/brd/1950/deutsche-flaggen_ao.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the tricolour used during the Weimar Republic had a ratio of 2:3.<ref name="flag1921">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/1921/flaggen1921_vo.html |title=Verordnung über die deutschen Flaggen |author=Government of the German Reich |date=11 April 1921 |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |trans-title=Regulation on the German Flags |access-date=9 August 2007 |archive-date=15 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615104015/http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/1921/flaggen1921_vo.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the time of the adoption of the flag there were no exact colour specifications other than ''"Black-Red-Gold''".<ref name="FOTWcolor">{{cite web |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de_color.html |title=Colors of the Flag (Germany) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=5 August 1998 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=28 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228033237/http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/de_color.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de.html#his |title=Historical Use of the Current Flag |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=8 January 2019 |archive-date=8 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108201234/https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de.html#his |url-status=live }}</ref> However on 2 June 1999, the [[Cabinet of Germany|federal cabinet]] introduced a [[corporate design]] for the German government which defined the specifications of the official colours as:<ref name="govt_design">{{cite web |url=http://styleguide.bundesregierung.de/index_de.html?Content=basiselemente/farben/primaerfarben_de.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926233554/http://styleguide.bundesregierung.de/index_de.html?Content=basiselemente%2Ffarben%2Fprimaerfarben_de.html |archive-date=26 September 2007 |title=Primärfarben |work=Corporate Design Documentation |author=Federal Government of Germany |language=de |date=17 December 2007 |access-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Styleguide der Bundesregierung |url=https://styleguide.bundesregierung.de/sg-de/hidden/suche/farben-318376 |website=Bundesregierung |access-date=26 June 2020 |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615221640/https://styleguide.bundesregierung.de/sg-de/hidden/suche/farben-318376 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Colour scheme
! colspan="2" style="width:100px;"|Black
! colspan="2" style="width:100px;"|Red
! colspan="2" style="width:100px;"|Gold
|- align=center
| [[RAL (color space system)|RAL]]
| rowspan="6" style="background:#000000; width:20px;"|
| 9005<br />''Jet black''
| rowspan="6" style="background:#FF0000; width:20px;"|
| 3020<br />''Traffic red''
| rowspan="6" style="background:#FFCC00; width:20px;"|
| 1021<br />''[[Rapeseed]] yellow''
|- align=center
| [[HKS (colour system)|HKS]]
| 0, 0, 0
| 5.0PB 3.0/12
| 6.0R 4.5/14
|- align=center
| [[CMYK color model|CMYK]]
| 0.0.0.100
| 0.100.100.0
| 0.12.100.5
|- align=center
| [[Pantone]] (approximation)
| N/A
| 485
| 7405{{efn|The value given here is an alternative to the following more-complicated combination: Yellow (765&nbsp;g), Red 032 (26&nbsp;g), Black (11&nbsp;g), Transp. White (198&nbsp;g)}}
|- align=center
| [[Web color|Hexadecimal]]
| #000000
| #FF0000
| #FFCC00{{efn|Recommended RGB values for online use.}}
|- align=center
| Decimal [[RGB]]
| 0,0,0
| 255,0,0
| 255,204,0
|}
{{notelist-la}}

[[File:Schwarz Rot Gold.svg|thumb|{{FIAV|historical}} 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.]]

The flag is [[blazon]]ed in English as, ''"Tierced in fess sable, gules and or."''

=== Colour ===
[[Vexillology]] rarely distinguishes between gold and yellow; in [[heraldry]], they are both ''[[Or (heraldry)|Or]]''. For the German flag, such a distinction is made: the colour used in the flag is called gold, not yellow.

When the black–red–gold tricolour was adopted by the Weimar Republic as its flag, it was attacked by [[conservatism|conservatives]], [[monarchism|monarchists]], and the [[far right]], who referred to the colours with spiteful nicknames such as {{lang|de|Schwarz–Rot–Gelb}} (black–red–yellow) or even {{lang|de|Schwarz–Rot–Senf}} (black–red–mustard).<ref name="Dreyhaupt2000">{{cite journal |last=Dreyhaupt |first= Rüdiger F. |year=2000 |title=Flags of the Weimar Republic |journal=Der Flaggenkurier | volume=11 | pages=3–17 |language=de}}</ref> 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 {{lang|de|Schwarz–Rot–Gold}}, using the same derogatory terms as previously used by the monarchists.<ref name="court1959"/>

On 24 December 1951, the [[Federal Court of Justice]] ({{lang|de|Bundesgerichtshof}}) stated 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" and was now an offence.<ref name="court1959">{{in lang|de}} Federal Court of Justice of Germany (16 November 1959). 3 StR 45/59.</ref> As summarised by heraldist Arnold Rabbow in 1968, "the German colours are black–red–yellow but they are called black–red–gold."<ref name="Rabbow1968">{{cite journal |last=Rabbow |year=1968 |title=Schwarz–Rot–Gold oder Schwarz–Rot–Gelb? |language=de |journal=Neue Heraldische Mitteilungen / Kleeblatt-Jahrbuch |place=Hanover| volume=6+7 |pages=30–32 |first=Arnold}}</ref>

== Flag-flying days ==
There are a number of [[Flag-flying day|flag-flying days]] in Germany. Following federal [[decree]] on 22 March 2005, the flag must be flown from public buildings on the following dates. Only 1 May and 3 October are public holidays.

[[File:MuensterStadtweinhaus.jpg|thumb|upright|The {{lang|de|Stadtweinhaus}} in [[Münster]] with banners displayed in mourning (note the black ribbons atop each staff) after the death of former German president [[Johannes Rau]] in 2006]]

{| class=wikitable style="font-size:100%"
|-
! Date
! Name
! Reason
|-
| 27 January
| Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism<br />{{lang|de|Tag des Gedenkens an die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus}}
| Anniversary of the liberation of [[Auschwitz concentration camp]] (1945), observed by the United Nations as [[International Holocaust Remembrance Day]] (half-staff)
|-
| 1 May
| [[International Workers' Day#Germany|Day of Labour]]<br />{{lang|de|Tag der Arbeit}}
| Established for German labour unions to demonstrate for the promotion of workers' welfare
|-
| 9 May
| [[Europe Day]]<br />{{lang|de|Europatag}}
| Anniversary of the [[Schuman Declaration]], leading to the [[European Union]] (1950)
|-
| 23 May
| Constitution Day<br />{{lang|de|Grundgesetztag}}
| Anniversary of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|German Basic Law]] (1949)
|-
| 17 June
| Anniversary of 17 June 1953<br />{{lang|de|Jahrestag des 17. Juni 1953}}
| Anniversary of the [[East German uprising of 1953]]
|-
| 20 July
| Anniversary of 20 July 1944<br />{{lang|de|Jahrestag des 20. Juli 1944}}
| Anniversary of the [[20 July Plot]], the failed assassination attempt on [[Adolf Hitler]] by [[Claus von Stauffenberg]] (1944)
|-
| 3 October
| [[German Unity Day]]<br />{{lang|de|Tag der Deutschen Einheit}}
| Anniversary of [[German reunification]] (1990)
|-
| The 2nd Sunday before [[Advent]]
| [[Volkstrauertag|People's Mourning Day]]<br />{{lang|de|Volkstrauertag}}
| In memory of all killed during wartime (half-staff)
|-
| colspan="3" | {{center|Source: Federal Government of Germany<ref name="flagday">{{cite web |url=http://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Standardartikel/DE/Ministerium/Protokoll/beflaggungserlass.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216020447/http://www.bund.de/nn_58840/Microsites/Protokoll/Beflaggung/Beflaggungserlass-der-Bundesregierung/Beflaggungserlass-knoten.html__nnn%3Dtrue |archive-date=16 December 2007 |title=Beflaggungserlass der Bundesregierung |author=Federal Government of Germany |language=de |date=22 March 2005 |access-date=11 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
|}

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 of Germany|president]] or the death of a prominent politician (whereupon flags would be at half-staff), can be declared at the discretion of the [[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)|Federal Ministry of the Interior]].<ref name="flagday"/> When flags are required to be flown at half-staff, vertical flags are not lowered. A black mourning ribbon is instead attached, either atop the staff (if hung from a pole) or to each end of the flag's supporting cross-beams (if flown like a banner).<ref name="flagprotocol">{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de_law.html#pro |title=Flag Protocol (Germany) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=6 February 2002 |access-date=26 February 2008 |archive-date=1 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101025611/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de_law.html#pro |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
=== Medieval period ===<!-- [[Holy Roman Empire]] links to here -->
{{see also|Flags of the Holy Roman Empire}}
{{multiple image
| align             = <!-- left/right/center -->
| header            = Banners of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]
| width             = 150
| image1            = Heiliges Römisches Reich - Reichssturmfahne vor 1433 (Nimbierter Adler).svg
| caption1          = Early 1400s
| image2            = Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1400-1806).svg
| caption2          = c. 1430–1806
}}



The [[Holy Roman Empire]] (800/962 – 1806, known as the ''Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation'' after 1512) did not have a national flag, but black and gold were used as colours of the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] and featured in the imperial banner: a [[Coat of arms of Germany|black eagle]] on a golden background. After the late 13th or early 14th century, the claws and beak of the eagle were coloured red. From the early 15th century, a [[double-headed eagle]] was used.<ref name="HRE">{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de_roman.html |title=Holy Roman Empire |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=26 February 2008 |archive-date=4 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604053116/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de_roman.html |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Flag of the Holy Roman Empire (1200-1350).svg|thumb|right|200px|{{FIAV|001000}} {{FIAV|historical}} [[War flag]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (12th–14th century)]]The colours red and white were also significant during this period. When the Holy Roman Empire took part in the [[Crusades]], a [[war flag]] was flown alongside the black-gold imperial banner. This flag, known as the "Saint George Flag", was a white cross on a red background: the reverse of the [[St George's Cross]] used as the [[flag of England]], and similar to the [[flag of Denmark]].<ref name="HRE" />{{multiple image
| align             = left
| header            = Early [[Hanseatic flags]]
| width             = 100
| image1            = Hanse Lübeck.svg
| caption1          = [[Lübeck]]
| image2            = Hanse Hamburg.svg
| caption2          = [[Hamburg]]
}}
Red and white were also colours of the [[Hanseatic League]] (13th–17th century). Hanseatic trading ships were identifiable by their red-white pennants, and most Hanseatic cities adopted red and white as their city colours (see [[Hanseatic flags]]). Red and white still feature as the colours of many former Hanseatic cities such as [[Hamburg]] or [[Bremen]].

=== Principality of Reuss-Greiz ===
[[File:Flagge Fürstentum Reuß ältere Linie.svg|thumb|right|200px|After [[Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz|Prince Heinrich XI]] began his rule over the [[Principality of Reuss-Greiz|Reuss Elder Line]] in 1778, the first-ever black-red-gold tricolour flag was adopted within a German sovereign state.]]When [[Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz]] was appointed by [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor]] to rule the then-new [[Principality of Reuss-Greiz]] on 12 May 1778, the flag adopted by the ''Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz'' was the first-ever appearance of the black-red-gold tricolour in its modern arrangement in any [[sovereign state]] [[Thuringia|within what today]] comprises Germany &ndash; the Reuss elder line that ruled the principality used a flag whose proportions were close to a "nearly square"-shape 4:5 [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|hoist/fly]] ratio, instead of the modern German flag's 3:5 figure.

=== Napoleonic Wars === <!-- [[Confederation of the Rhine]] links here -->

In 1804, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] declared the [[First French Empire]]. In response to this, Holy Roman Emperor [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis II]] of the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg dynasty]] declared his personal domain to be the [[Austrian Empire]] and became Francis I of Austria. Taking the colours of the banner of the Holy Roman Emperor, the flag of the Austrian Empire was black and gold. Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, with Napoleon forcing the empire's dissolution in 1806. After this point, these colours continued to be used as the [[flag of Austria]] until 1918.

With the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, many of its dukes and princes joined the [[Confederation of the Rhine]], a confederation of Napoleonic client states. These states preferred to use their own flags. The confederation had no flag of its own; instead it used the blue-white-red [[flag of France]] and the Imperial Standard of its protector, [[Napoleon]].<ref name="confR">{{cite web |url= http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de-rh806.html |title= Unidentified 'Rhine Republic' Flag 1806 (Germany) |work= [[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date= 26 February 2008 |archive-date= 16 March 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080316000806/http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/de-rh806.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the German struggle against the occupying French forces was significantly symbolised by the colours of black, red, and gold, which became popular after their use in the uniforms of the [[Lützow Free Corps]], a volunteer unit of the [[Prussian Army]]. This unit had uniforms in black with red facings and gold buttons. The colour choice had pragmatic origins, even though black-red-gold were the former colours used by the Holy Roman Empire.<ref name="Rabbow2007">{{cite journal |last=Rabbow |first=Arnold |year=2007 |title=Schwarz-Rot-Gold: Einheit in Freiheit |journal=Der Flaggenkurier [The Flag Courier] |volume=25 |pages=41–45 |language=de |trans-title=Black-Red-Gold. Unity in Freedom}}</ref> At the time, the colours represented:
{{bquote|''Out of the blackness (black) of servitude through bloody (red) battles to the golden (gold) light of freedom''.{{Efn|{{langx|de|Aus der Schwärze der Knechtschaft durch blutige Schlachten ans goldene Licht der Freiheit.}}}}<ref>{{in lang|de}} Scheidler, Karl Hermann (5 August 1865) {{lang|de|Illustrierte Zeitung}}, Leipzig, 98.</ref>}}

Members of the corps were required to supply their own clothing: in order to present a uniform appearance it was easiest to dye all clothes black. Gold-coloured buttons were widely available, and [[pennon]]s used by the [[lancer]]s in the unit were red and black. As the members of this unit came from all over Germany and included a modest but well known number of university students and academics, the Lützow Free Corps and their colours gained considerable exposure among the German people.<ref name="Rabbow2007"/> {{clear}}

=== German Confederation ===
[[File:Flag of Urburschenschaft.svg|thumb|The flag adopted by the Jena Urburschenschaft]]
The 1815–16 [[Congress of Vienna]] led to the creation of the [[German Confederation]], a loose union of all remaining German states after the Napoleonic Wars. The Confederation was created as a replacement for the now-extinct Holy Roman Empire, with [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis I of Austria]]—the last Holy Roman Emperor—as its president. The confederation did not have a flag of its own, although the black-red-gold tricolour is sometimes mistakenly attributed to it.<ref name="GermConf">{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de1848.html |title=German Confederation |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=2 March 2008 |archive-date=2 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302010056/http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/de1848.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Upon returning from the war, veterans of the Lützow Free Corps founded the {{lang|de|[[Urburschenschaft]]}} fraternity in [[Jena]] in June 1815. The Jena {{lang|de|Urburschenschaft}} eventually adopted a flag with three equal horizontal bands of red, black, and red, with gold trim and a golden oak branch across the black band, following the colours of the uniforms of the Free Corps.<ref name="Rabbow2007"/> The famous gymnast and student union (''{{lang|de|[[Burschenschaft]]en}}'') founder [[Friedrich Ludwig Jahn]] proposed a black-red-gold banner for the Burschen. Some members interpreted the colours as a rebirth of the Imperial black-yellow colours embellished with the red of liberty or the blood of war. More radical students exclaimed that the colours stood for the black night of slavery, the bloody struggle for liberty, and the golden dawn of freedom.<ref>[[Heinrich von Treitschke]], ''History of Germany in the Nineteenth Century'', English translation 1917. Volume 3, p. 51.</ref> In a memoir, Anton Probsthan of Mecklenburg, who served in the Lützow Free Corps, claimed his relative Fraulein Nitschke of Jena presented the Burschenschaft with a flag at the time of its foundation, and for this purpose chose the black-red-and-gold colours of the defunct secret society ''Vandalia''.<ref>Heinrich Treitschke, ''History of Germany in the Nineteenth Century'', English translation 1917. Volume 3 Appendixes, p. 603.</ref>

[[File:Zug auf das Schloss Hambach 1832 Deutschland.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Hambach Festival]] (May 1832), contemporary lithograph]] [[File:Hambach Fest 4 Fahne.JPG|thumb|right|The 1832 ''Ur-Fahne'']]
Since the students who served in the Lützow Free Corps came from various German states, the idea of a unified German state began to gain momentum within the {{lang|de|Urburschenschaft}} and similar Burschenschaft that were subsequently formed throughout the Confederation. On 18 October 1817, the fourth anniversary of the [[Battle of Leipzig]], hundreds of fraternity members and academics from across the Confederation states met in [[Wartburg]] in [[Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]] (in modern [[Thuringia]]), calling for a free and unified German nation.

The gold-red-black flag of the Jena {{lang|de|Urburschenschaft}} featured prominently at this [[Wartburg festival]]. Therefore, the colours black, red, and gold eventually became symbolic of this desire for a unified German state. The Ministerial Council of the German Confederation, in its determination to maintain the status quo,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33361 |title=Austria: The Age of Metternich |year=2008 |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online |access-date=5 March 2008 |archive-date=28 March 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060328145216/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33361 |url-status=live }}</ref> enacted the [[Carlsbad Decrees]] of 1819 that banned all student organisations, officially putting an end to the {{lang|de|Burschenschaften}}.

In May 1832, around 30,000 people demonstrated at the [[Hambach Festival]] for freedom, unity, and civil rights. The colours black, red, and gold had become a well established symbol for the liberal, democratic and republican movement within the German states since the Wartburg Festival, and flags in these colours were flown en masse at the Hambach Festival. While contemporary illustrations showed prominent use of a gold-red-black tricolour (an upside-down version of the modern German flag), surviving flags from the event were in black-red-gold. Such an example is the {{lang|de|Ur-Fahne}}, the flag flown from [[Hambach Castle]] during the festival: a black-red-gold tricolour where the red band contains the inscription {{lang|de|Deutschlands Wiedergeburt}} (Germany's rebirth). This flag is now on permanent display at the castle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hambacher-schloss.de/html_en/The_exhibition/The_Hambach_Festival.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040819212751/http://www.hambacher-schloss.de/html_en/The_exhibition/The_Hambach_Festival.htm |archive-date=19 August 2004 |title=The Hambach Festival |year=2007 |work=Official website of [[Hambach Castle]] |access-date=24 February 2008}}</ref>

=== Revolution and the Frankfurt Parliament ===
[[File:Flag of the German Confederation (war).svg|thumb|{{FIAV|000001}} {{FIAV|historical}} War ensign of the [[Reichsflotte]] (1848–1852)]]
[[File:Image Germania (painting).jpg|thumb|upright|left|''[[Germania (St. Paul's Church, Frankfurt am Main)|Germania]]''. The painting hung inside the ''Paulskirche'' above where the Frankfurt Parliament assembled]]
In the [[German revolutions of 1848–1849|Springtime of the Peoples]] during the [[Revolutions of 1848]], revolutionaries took to the streets, many flying the tricolour. The Confederation's Bundestag, alarmed by the events, hasted to adopt the tricolour (9 March 1848). Liberals took power and made the Bundestag call for general elections for a German parliament, the national assembly. This [[Frankfurt Parliament]] declared the black-red-gold as the official colours of Germany and passed a [[Imperial law regarding the introduction of a German war and civil ensign|law]] stating its civil ensign was the black-red-yellow tricolour.<ref name="flag1848">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/nzjh/1848/reichsflaggen1848_ges.html |title=Gesetz betreffend die Einführung einer deutschen Kriegs- und Handelsflagge |author=Frankfurt Parliament |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |trans-title=Act concerning the introduction of a German navy and merchant flag |date=12 November 1848 |access-date=9 August 2007 |archive-date=19 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019050120/http://www.documentarchiv.de/nzjh/1848/reichsflaggen1848_ges.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Also, a naval war ensign used these colours.
[[File:Erinnerung an den Befreiungskampf (Märzrevolution) 1848.png|thumb|200px|Revolutionaries in [[Berlin]], [[Berlin Palace]] in the background (March 1848)]]

In May 1849, the larger states actively fought the revolution and the Frankfurt parliament. In late 1850, the [[German Confederation]] was definitely restored under Austrian-Prussian leadership. The tricolour remained official but was no longer used before 1863 at a conference of the German governments. 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 {{lang|de|[[Kleindeutschland and Großdeutschland|grossdeutsch]]}} solution. Alternatively, there was the {{lang|de|[[Kleindeutschland|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.<ref name="GermConf"/> 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. {{clear}}

=== North German Confederation and the German Empire (1867–1918) ===<!-- [[North German Confederation]] and [[German Empire]] both link to here -->
{{see also|Reichskriegsflagge|Flag of the German Empire}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = North German Confederation and the German Empire
| Image = File:Flag of the German Empire.svg
| Use = 010110
| Symbol = {{FIAV|010110}} {{FIAV|historical}}
| Proportion = 2:3 (3:5 in 1933–1935)
| Adoption = *{{Start date and age|1867}} (first 2:3 ratio)
*{{Start date and age|1933}} (second 3:5 ratio)
| Relinquished = *{{Start date and age|1919}} (first 2:3 ratio)
*{{Start date and age|1935}} (second 3:5 ratio)
| Design = A horizontal tricolour of black, white, and red
| Designer = 
| Type = 
}}

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

The question regarding what flag should be adopted by the new confederation was first raised by the shipping sector and its desire to have an internationally recognisable identity. Virtually all international shipping that belonged to the confederation originated from either Prussia or the three Hanseatic city-states of [[Bremen (state)|Bremen]], [[Hamburg]], and [[Free City of Lübeck|Lübeck]]. Based on this, [[Adolf Soetbeer]], secretary of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, suggested in the {{lang|de|Bremer Handelsblatt}} on 22 September 1866 that any planned flag should combine the [[Flag of Prussia|colours of Prussia]] (black and white) with the [[Hanseatic flags|Hanseatic colours]] (red and white). In the following year, the [[North German Constitution|constitution of the North German Confederation]] was enacted, where a horizontal black-white-red tricolour was declared to be both the civil and war ensign.<ref name="NDBconst">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/nzjh/ndbd/verfndbd.html |title=Constitution of the North German Confederation |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |date=27 June 1867 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=28 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028010740/http://www.documentarchiv.de/nzjh/ndbd/verfndbd.html |url-status=live }} See Article 55.</ref>

King [[William I, German Emperor|Wilhelm I of Prussia]] was satisfied with the colour choice: the red and white were also taken to represent the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]], the [[Prince-elector|Imperial elector state]] that was a predecessor of the Kingdom of Prussia.<ref name="Rabbow2007"/> 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. In the [[Franco-Prussian War]], the remaining southern German states allied with the North German Confederation, leading to the [[unification of Germany]]. A new constitution of 1871 gave the federal state the new name of German Empire and the Prussian king the title of Emperor. The [[German Empire]] retained black, white, and red as its national colours.<ref name="GEconst">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ksr/verfksr.html |title=Constitution of the German Empire |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |date=16 April 1871 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=17 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017045814/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ksr/verfksr.html |url-status=live }} See Article 55.</ref> An ordinance of 1892 dealt with the official use of the colours.

The black-white-red tricolour remained the flag of Germany until the end of the German Empire in 1918, in the final days of [[World War I]].

A visually near-identical flag was used as the national flag of the [[Republic of Upper Volta]], adopted upon the country's independence in 1958 and used until 1984, when the nation was overthrown and re-established as [[Burkina Faso]].

=== Weimar Republic (1918–1933) ===<!-- [[Weimar Republic]] links to here. [[Flag of the Weimar Republic]] redirects here -->
[[File:Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).svg|thumb|2:3 {{FIAV|100000}} {{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the Weimar Republic (1919–1933)]]
[[File:Merchant flag of Germany (1919–1933).svg|thumb|Merchant flag of the Weimar Republic]]
Following the declaration of the German republic in 1918 and the ensuing [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|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.<ref name="WRconst">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/wrv.html |title=Constitution of the Weimar Republic |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |date=11 August 1919 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=27 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127054556/http://www.documentarchiv.de/wr/wrv.html |url-status=live }} See Article 3.</ref> Only the tiny German principalities of [[Principality of Reuss-Greiz|Reuss-Greiz]], where the use and layout of the ''schwarz-rot-gold'' design had originated some 140 years earlier, [[Principality of Reuss-Gera|Reuss-Gera]], [[Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont|Waldeck-Pyrmont]] and [[Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont|its republican successor]] had upheld the 1778-established tradition, and had always continued to use the German colours of [[Sable (heraldry)|black]], [[Gules|red]], and [[Or (heraldry)|or]] (gold) 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 the First World War. In the {{lang|de|[[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 [[#Colour|Colour]] above''). As a compromise, the old black-white-red flag was reintroduced in 1922 to represent German diplomatic missions abroad.<ref name="flag1921"/>

The symbols of Imperial Germany became symbols of monarchist and nationalist protest and were often used by monarchist and nationalist organisations (e.g. ''[[Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten]]''). This included the {{lang|de|[[Reichskriegsflagge]]}} (war flag of the Reich), which has been revived in the present for similar use. Many nationalist political parties during the Weimar period—such as the [[German National People's Party]] (see poster) and the [[Nazi Party|National Socialist German Workers Party]] (Nazi Party)—used the imperial colours, a practice that has continued today with the [[National Democratic Party of Germany]].

On 24 February 1924, the organisation {{lang|de|[[Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold]]}} was founded in [[Magdeburg]] by the member parties of the [[Weimar Coalition]] ([[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre]], [[German Democratic Party|DDP]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]) and the [[trade union]]s. This organisation was formed to protect the fragile democracy of the Weimar Republic, which was under constant pressure by both the far right and far left. Through this organisation, the black-red-gold flag became not only a symbol of German democracy, but also of resistance to political extremism. This was summarised by the organisation's first chairman, [[Otto Hörsing]], who described their task as a "struggle against the [[swastika]] and the [[Red star|Soviet star]]".<ref name="rbanner">{{cite web |url=http://www.landtag.rlp.de/icc/Internet-DE/med/623/623604fe-6922-3211-33e2-dcbf983c6eac,11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111 |title=Symbol für Freiheit, Einheit und Demokratie |language=de |trans-title=Symbol for Freedom, Unity and Democracy |access-date=10 January 2008 |author=State government of Rhineland-Palatinate |year=2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528045244/http://www.landtag.rlp.de/icc/Internet-DE/med/623/623604fe-6922-3211-33e2-dcbf983c6eac,11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111 |archive-date=28 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the face of the increasingly violent conflicts between the communists and Nazis, the growing polarisation of the German population and a multitude of other factors, mainly the drastic economic sinking, extreme hyperinflation and corruption of the republic, the Weimar Republic collapsed in 1933 with the Nazi seizure of power ({{lang|de|[[Machtergreifung]]}}) and the appointment of [[Adolf Hitler]] as [[Chancellor of Germany (German Reich)|German chancellor]].

=== Nazi Germany and World War II (1933–1945) ===
[[File:SS Bremen incident illustration.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Illustration depicting anti-Nazi demonstrators attacking ''Bremen'' docked in New York Harbor, United States on 26 July 1935.]]
[[File:Flag of German Reich (1933–1935).svg|thumb|3:5 {{FIAV|110110}} {{FIAV|historical}} [[Flag of the German Empire|National flag and ensign of Nazi Germany (1933–1935)]]. It used a slightly different aspect ratio than the previous flag of the German Empire. Along with this flag, the [[Flag of Nazi Germany|swastika flag]] of the [[Nazi Party]] was ordered to be flown.]]
[[File:Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg|thumb|3:5 {{FIAV|110110}} {{FIAV|historical}} [[Flag of Nazi Germany|National flag, ensign and naval jack of Nazi Germany (1935–1945)]]. An alternate centre-disc version was the flag of the [[Nazi Party]] (1920–1945) and flown jointly with the tricolour national flag (1933–1935).]]
[[File:War Ensign of Germany (1933–1935).svg|thumb|[[Reichskriegsflagge|War flag]] of [[Nazi Germany]] adopted in 1933 and abolished in 1935.]]
[[File:War Ensign of Germany (1935–1938).svg|thumb|[[Reichskriegsflagge|War flag]] of [[Nazi Germany]] adopted in 1935, with some minor changes in 1938, used by the army and navy until 1945.]]
{{anchor|Nazi Germany}}
{{see also|Flag of Nazi Germany|Reichskriegsflagge|List of German flags#Nazi Germany (1933–1945)}}

After [[Adolf Hitler]] became leader on 30 January 1933, the black-red-gold flag was banned; a ruling on 12 March established two legal flags: the reintroduced black-white-red imperial tricolour national flag and the flag of the [[Nazi Party]].<ref name="flag1933">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/flaggen.html |title=Erlaß des Reichspräsidenten über die vorläufige Regelung der Flaggenhissung |author=von Hindenburg, Paul |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |trans-title=Decree of the President for the provisional regulation of raising flags |date=12 March 1933 |access-date=17 July 2010 |author-link=Paul von Hindenburg |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024195036/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/flaggen.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="historicalFlags">{{cite web |url=http://www.loeser.us/flags/germany_note_1.html |title=The German Swastika Flag 1933–1945 |author=Fornax |work=Historical flags of our ancestors |access-date=17 July 2010 |archive-date=8 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208193101/http://loeser.us/flags/germany_note_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 15 September 1935, one year after the death of [[President of Germany (1919–1945)|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 [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]. One reason may have been the "[[SS Bremen (1928)|''Bremen'']] incident" of 26 July 1935, in which a group of demonstrators in New York City boarded the ocean liner 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.<ref>Brian Leigh Davis: Flags & standards of the Third Reich, Macdonald & Jane's, London 1975, {{ISBN|0-356-04879-9}}.</ref> The new flag law{{hsp}}<ref name="flag1935">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/1935/flaggen1935_ges.html |title=Reichsflaggengesetz |author=Government of the German Reich |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |trans-title=Reich Flag Act |date=15 September 1935 |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-date=27 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127054521/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/1935/flaggen1935_ges.html |url-status=live }}</ref> was announced at the annual party rally in Nuremberg,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104135248/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,749071-2,00.html "Germany: Little Man, Big Doings"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 23 September 1935.</ref> 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".<ref name="time-magazine-1935-nazi-rally">Statement by [[Hermann Göring]], quoted in the {{lang|de|[[Völkischer Beobachter]]}} (17 September 1935) (in German).</ref>

The design of the Nazi flag was introduced by Hitler as the party flag in mid-1920, roughly a year before he became his political party's leader: 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&nbsp;... 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 Aryan humanity.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/pimpfhitler.htm |title=The Life of the Fuehrer |website=research.calvin.edu |access-date=12 February 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224164332/https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/pimpfhitler.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 {{lang|de|[[Kriegsmarine]]}} (the name of the [[German Navy]], 1933–1945) warships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/1933/flaggen-kauffahrteischiffe_vo.html |title=Verordnung über die vorläufige Regelung der Flaggenführung auf Kauffahrteischiffen |author=Government of the German Reich |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de |date=20 December 1933 |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024190746/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/1933/flaggen-kauffahrteischiffe_vo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The flags for use on sea had a through and through image, so the reverse side had a "left-facing" swastika; the national flag was right-facing on both sides.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.loeser.us/flags/germany_note_1.html |title=Historical Flags of Our Ancestors – The German Swastika Flag |website=loeser.us |access-date=11 December 2009 |archive-date=8 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208193101/http://loeser.us/flags/germany_note_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 1933 to at least 1938, the Nazis sometimes "sanctified" swastika flags by touching them with the {{lang|de|[[Blutfahne]]}} (blood flag), the swastika flag used by Nazi paramilitaries during the failed [[Beer Hall Putsch]] in 1923. This ceremony took place at every [[Nuremberg Rally]]. It is unknown whether this tradition was continued after the last Nuremberg rally in 1938.

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ena.lu/?doc=16808&lang=2 |title=Law N° 1 from the Control Council for Germany: Repealing of Nazi Laws |author=[[Allied Control Council]] |work=European Navigator |date=30 August 1945 |access-date=23 December 2007 |archive-date=10 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810090843/https://www.ena.lu/?doc=16808&lang=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> The possession of swastika flags is [[Swastika#Post–World War II stigmatisation|forbidden in several countries]] since then, with the importation or display of them forbidden [[Strafgesetzbuch section 86a|particularly in Germany]].

=== {{anchor|After World War II}} After World War II (1945–1949) ===
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After the defeat of Germany in World War II, the country was [[Allied-administered Germany|placed under Allied administration]]. Although there was neither a national German government nor a 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 [[Allied Control Council|Council]] designated the [[International maritime signal flags|international signal pennant Charlie]] representing the letter C ending in a [[swallowtail (flag)|swallowtail]], known as the C-Pennant ({{lang|de|C-Doppelstander}}). The Council ruled that "no ceremony shall be accorded this flag which shall not be [[Flag dipping|dipped]] in salute to warships or merchant ships of any nationality".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/de1945.html#law |title=Law No. 39 of the Allied Control Commission |author=[[Allied Control Council]] |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |date=30 November 1946 |access-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312195426/https://www.fotw.info/flags/de1945.html#law |archive-date=12 March 2008}} See Article 1 #3.</ref> Similarly, the [[Flag of Japan#U.S. occupation|Japanese civil ensign]] used immediately following World War II was the signal pennant for the letter E ending in a swallowtail, and the [[United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands#Flag|Ryūkyūan civil ensign]] was a swallowtailed letter D signal pennant. [[File:Flag of Germany (1946-1949).svg|thumb|right|2:3 {{FIAV|000100}} {{FIAV|historical}} The C-Pennant (1946–1949)]]

West of the [[Oder–Neisse line]], the German states were reorganised along the lines of the [[Allied Occupation Zones in Germany|zones of occupation]], and new state governments were established. Within the American zone, the northern halves of the former states of [[Free People's State of Württemberg|Württemberg]] and [[Republic of Baden|Baden]] were merged to form [[Württemberg-Baden]] in 1946. As its flag, Württemberg-Baden adopted the black-red-gold tricolour.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.verfassungen.de/de/bw/wuerttemberg-baden/wuertt-b46-index.htm |title=Constitution of Württemberg-Baden |work=Verfassungen der Welt |date=30 November 1946 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233239/http://www.verfassungen.de/de/bw/wuerttemberg-baden/wuertt-b46-index.htm |url-status=live }} See Article 45 (in German).</ref> The choice of these colours was not based on the historical use of the tricolour, but the simple addition of gold to Württemberg's colours of red and black.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/de-wb947.html |title=Württemberg-Baden 1947–1952 (Germany) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=24 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312195401/https://www.fotw.info/flags/de-wb947.html |archive-date=12 March 2008}} Contains quotation from discussion of the constitution committee.</ref> Coincidentally, Baden's colours were red and yellow, so the colour choice could be mistaken for a combination of the two flags. In 1952, Württemberg-Baden became part of the modern German state of [[Baden-Württemberg]], whose flag is black and gold.

Two other states that were created after the war, [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] (French zone) and [[Lower Saxony]] (British zone), chose to use the black-red-gold tricolour as their flag, defaced with the state's coat of arms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://verfassungen.de/de/rlp/rlp47-index.htm |title=Constitution of Rhineland-Palatinate |work=Verfassungen der Welt |language=de |date=18 May 1947 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215024706/http://verfassungen.de/de/rlp/rlp47-index.htm |archive-date=15 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://verfassungen.de/de/nds/niedersachsen51.htm |title=Preliminary constitution of Lower Saxony |work=Verfassungen der Welt |language=de |date=13 April 1951 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311105823/http://verfassungen.de/de/nds/niedersachsen51.htm |archive-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead}} See Article 1 #2.</ref> These two states were formed from parts of other states, and no colour combinations from these previous states were accepted as a new state flag. This led to the use of the black-red-gold for two reasons: the colours did not relate particularly to any one of the previous states, and using the old flag from the Weimar Republic was intended to be a symbol of the new democracy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de-rp.html |title=Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=3 March 2008 |archive-date=10 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310234406/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/Flags/de-rp.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de-ni.html |title=Lower Saxony (Germany) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=3 March 2008 |archive-date=16 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316010814/http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/de-ni.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Divided Germany (1949–1990) ===
<!-- [[Flag of the German Democratic Republic]] redirects here -->
{{see also|Flag of East Germany}}

[[File:Flag of Germany (RGB).svg|thumb|right|200px|3:5 {{FIAV|110110}} {{FIAV|historical}} Flag of [[West Germany]] and [[Germany|Germany after reunification]] (1949–present), also flag of [[East Germany]] (1949–59)]]

With relations deteriorating between the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[United States]], the three western Allies met in March 1948 to merge their zones of occupation and allow the formation of what became the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly known as [[West Germany]]. Meanwhile, the eastern Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic, commonly known as [[East Germany]].
During the preparation of the new constitution for West Germany, discussions regarding its national symbols took place in August 1948 during a meeting at [[Herrenchiemsee]]. Although there were objections to the creation of a national flag before reunification with the east, it was decided to proceed. This decision was primarily motivated by the proposed constitution by the eastern [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|SED]] in November 1946,<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedel |first=Alois |title=Deutsche Staatssymbole |language=de |trans-title=German state symbols |year=1968 |publisher=Athenäum-Verlag |isbn=978-3-7610-5115-3}}</ref> where black-red-gold were suggested as the colours for a future German republic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/1946/sed-verfassungsentwurf-ddr.html |title=SED-proposed constitution of the German Democratic Republic |work=documentArchiv.de |date=14 November 1946 |language=de |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=26 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126134018/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/1946/sed-verfassungsentwurf-ddr.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Proposed designs ===
<gallery>
File:Proposed flag of Germany (Robert Lehr).svg|alt=|Design by Robert Lehr (1948)
File:Proposed flag of Germany (Paul Wentzcke).svg|alt=Flag was proposed but never officially adopted|"Republican Tricolour" by Paul Wentzcke (1948)
File:Flag De Redslob.svg|alt=|Draft by Edwin Redslob (1948)
</gallery>{{multiple image
| align     = 
| direction = horizontal
| footer    = {{FIAV|proposal}} [[Wirmer Flag|The left flag]] is a variant of [[Josef Wirmer]]'s "Resistance" design (1944), created by his brother Ernst. [[Wirmer_Flag#Proposed_national_flag_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Germany|The right flag]] was proposed by conservative parties as a flag for West Germany (1948).
| image1    = German Resistance Flag Proposal 1944.svg
| width1    = 150
| caption1  =
| image2    = Proposed German National Flag 1948.svg
| width2    = 125
| caption2  =
}}
[[File:Flag of German Democratic Republic.svg|thumb|left|200px|3:5 {{FIAV|110110}} {{FIAV|historical}} Flag of [[East Germany]] (1959–90)]]
[[File:Flag of East Germany with cut out emblem.svg|thumb|left|200px|3:5 {{FIAV|110110}} {{FIAV|historical}} Following the reunification of Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall, many Germans cut out the emblem of East Germany.]]
[[File:Flag of German Olympic Team 1960-1968.svg|thumb|right|200px|upright=0.5|Flag of the [[United Team of Germany]], as used from the 1960 to 1968 Olympics]]

While there were other suggestions for the new flag for West Germany,<ref name="proposals">{{cite web |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de!1949.html |title=Proposals 1944–1949 (Germany) |work=[[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]] |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=1 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101031657/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de!1949.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the final choice was between two designs, both using black-red-gold. The [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrats]] proposed the re-introduction of the old Weimar flag, while the conservative parties such as the [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]/[[Christian Social Union of Bavaria|CSU]] and the [[German Party (1947)|German Party]] proposed a suggestion by Ernst Wirmer, a member of the {{lang|de|[[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 flag|Nordic Cross]] pattern) designed by his brother and [[July 20 Plot|20 July]] co-conspirator Josef.<ref name="proposal1944">{{cite journal |last=Rabbow |first=Arnold |date=May–August 1983 |title=A Flag Against Hitler. The 1944 National Flag Proposal of the German Resistance Movement |journal=Flag Bulletin |volume=100}}</ref> The tricolour was ultimately selected, largely to illustrate the continuity between the Weimar Republic and this new German state. With the enactment of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|(West) German constitution]] on 23 May 1949, the black-red-gold tricolour was readopted as the flag for the Federal Republic of Germany.<ref name="constitutionDE"/>

In 1955, the inhabitants of the French-administered [[Saar Protectorate]] voted to join West Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ena.lu/saar-referendum-23-october-1955-022100041.html |title=The Saar referendum |work=European Navigator |date=23 October 1955 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=11 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311132612/http://www.ena.lu/saar-referendum-23-october-1955-022100041.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since its establishment as a separate French protectorate in 1947, the Saar had a [[Flag of Saarland|white Nordic cross on a blue and red background]] as its flag.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/de/saar/saarland47-index.htm |title=Constitution of the Saarland |work=documentArchiv.de |date=15 December 1947 |language=de |access-date=24 February 2008}} See Article 61.</ref> 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 of Saarland|coat of arms]], also proposed on this day.<ref>{{in lang|de}} Government of the Saarland (9 July 1956) {{lang|de|Gesetz Nr. 508 über die Flagge des Saarlandes}} and {{lang|de|Gesetz Nr. 509 über das Wappen des Saarlandes}}.</ref> This flag came into force on 1 January 1957, upon the establishment of the [[Saarland]] as a state of West Germany.
[[File:National Committee for a Free Germany logo.svg|thumb|177x177px|Logo of the [[National Committee for a Free Germany]] used the [[Flag of the German Empire|Reichsflagge (flag of the German Empire)]]]]
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]],<ref name="proposals"/> a German anti-[[Nazism|Nazi]] organisation that operated in the [[Soviet Union]] in the last two years of the war. In 1949, following a suggestion from [[Friedrich Ebert, Jr.]], 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.<ref name="DDRconst">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/verfddr1949.html |title=Constitution of the German Democratic Republic |work=documentArchiv.de |date=7 October 1949 |access-date=24 February 2008 |language=de |archive-date=30 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130042244/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/verfddr1949.html |url-status=live }} See Article 2.</ref> 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 [[Coat of arms of East Germany|its coat of arms]].<ref name="DDR1959">{{cite web |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/1959/ddr-staatswappen-staatsflagge-aender_ges.html |title=Gesetz zur Änderung des Gesetzes über das Staatswappen und die Staatsflagge der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik |language=de |author=Government of the German Democratic Republic |work=documentArchiv.de |date=1 October 1959 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=13 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113012908/http://www.documentarchiv.de/ddr/1959/ddr-staatswappen-staatsflagge-aender_ges.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 {{lang|de|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 Olympic Games|Winter]] and [[Summer Olympic Games]] as a single team, known as the [[United 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 United Team of Germany from 1960 to 1964, featuring the black-red-gold tricolour [[Defacement (flag)|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.{{clear}}

=== 1990–present ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-1003-400, Berlin, deutsche Vereinigung, vor dem Reichstag.jpg|thumb|left|Flag of unified Germany raised at midnight of 3 October 1990 in front of the [[Reichstag building]]]]
After the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] in November 1989, many East Germans removed the coat of arms from their flags to imply the plain black-red-gold tricolour symbolic of a united Germany.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Montserrat |last1=Guibernau |title=Belonging: Solidarity and Division in Modern Societies |publisher=Polity Press |date=26 July 2013 |isbn=978-0745655079 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oz_nkP8m8a0C&q=Montserrat+Guibernau+Belonging%3A+Solidarity+and+Division+in+Modern+Societies |page=95}}</ref> 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 [[German reunification|reunified Germany]]. In 1998, the [[Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur|Foundation for the Reappraisal 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. As its logo, the foundation used an East German flag with the Communist coat of arms cut out.<ref>[http://www.stiftung-aufarbeitung.de/downloads/pdf/english.pdf Information pamphlet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227143044/http://www.stiftung-aufarbeitung.de/downloads/pdf/english.pdf |date=27 February 2012}} by the Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship. Retrieved on 9 March 2008.</ref>

[[File:Fangschnur Fahnenbegleitung.png|thumb|325x325px|Flag delegation of the [[Bundeswehr]] 2008]]
The old black-white-red tricolour of the German Empire is still used by [[monarchist]]s and those members of German royalty who long for the peaceful reintroduction of a German democratic monarchy.<ref name="pro-monarchy">[http://www.promonarchie.de/ Home page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804022948/http://www.promonarchie.de/ |date=4 August 2020 }} of monarchist organisation {{lang|de|[[Tradition und Leben]]}}. See German section for more detailed text. Retrieved on 24 February 2008.</ref> This use of the old flag is almost completely overshadowed by its prevalent use by the far right, however; since the aforementioned ban on all [[Nazi symbolism]] (e.g. the swastika), the ''[[Schutzstaffel]]'s'' (SS) double [[sig rune]], etc.) is still in effect within today's Germany, the far right have been forced to forgo any Nazi flags and instead use the old imperial flag, which the Nazis themselves banned in 1935.<ref name="flag1935" />[[File:World Cup 2006 German fans at Bochum.jpg|thumb|right|German football fans during a match against Ecuador in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]. Some flags seen here contain the [[Coat of arms of Germany|federal coat of arms]] but should not be confused with the [[#Government flag|''Bundesdienstflagge'']], which displays the {{lang|de|Bundesschild}} and may only be used by government authorities.]]In Germany, the use of the flag and other national symbols has been relatively low for most of the time since World War II – a reaction against the widespread use of flags by the Nazi Party and against nationalistic fervour in general.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,424373,00.html |title=Dr. Strangelove: How Germans Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Flag |author=Sontheimer, Michael |work=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]] |date=29 June 2006 |access-date=5 March 2008 |archive-date=15 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215134020/http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,424373,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], which took place in Germany and in which the [[Germany national football team|Germany national team]] made a deep run into the knockout rounds (being eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners [[Italy national football team|Italy]]), public use of the national flag increased drastically.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,421241,00.html |title=Germany flies the flag |author=Young, Marc |work=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]] |date=14 June 2006 |access-date=24 February 2008 |archive-date=13 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313183938/http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,421241,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This explosion in the flag's occurrence in day-to-day life was initially greeted by many Germans with a mixture of surprise and apprehension.<ref name="NYT2006">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/world/europe/18germany.html |title=In World Cup Surprise, Flags Fly With German Pride |author=Bernstein, Richard |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 June 2006 |access-date=5 March 2008 |archive-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714082034/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/world/europe/18germany.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,426063,00.html |title=Germany's World Cup Recovery: From Humorless to Carefree in 30 Days |author=Crossland, David |work=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]] |date=10 July 2006 |access-date=5 March 2008 |archive-date=16 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216010729/http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,426063,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As many Germans regarded showing their flag as part of support for their own team in the tournament, most flags disappeared after the end of a tournament, sometimes due to administrative decisions.<ref name="faz2008">{{cite news
|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/fussball-wm-2006/deutschland-und-die-wm/nach-der-wm-die-party-ist-aus-flaggen-muessen-weg-1354035.html
|title=Nach der WM: Die Party ist aus: Flaggen müssen weg
|work=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]
|date=2006-07-11
|access-date=2019-01-05
|archive-date=8 August 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808224843/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/fussball-wm-2006/deutschland-und-die-wm/nach-der-wm-die-party-ist-aus-flaggen-muessen-weg-1354035.html
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
By the time of Germany's World Cup victory in [[2014 FIFA World Cup|2014]], usage of the German flag had been increasing sporadically.<ref name="Spon2016">{{cite web
|url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/patriotismus-waehrend-der-fussball-em-schwarz-rot-kompliziert-a-1096553.html
|title=EM-Patriotismus: Schwarz-rot-kompliziert
|last=Borcholte
|first=Andreas
|work=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]]
|date=2016-06-12
|access-date=2019-01-05
|archive-date=28 December 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228195455/http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/patriotismus-waehrend-der-fussball-em-schwarz-rot-kompliziert-a-1096553.html
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In the following period the display of the German flag colours, even outside stadiums, was regularly limited to the period of major sporting events.

With the rise of [[German nationalism|nationalist currents]], however, ([[Pegida]], [[Alternative for Germany|AfD]], etc.) and their showing of the German flag as a symbol of their nationalism, the flag again became more widespread but remained somewhat contentious in everyday life.<ref name="Spon2016" /> Mainstream society remains hesitant to use the colours.<ref name="Zeit2018">{{cite news
|url=https://www.zeit.de/2018/43/deutschlandfahne-symbol-rechte-szene-unteilbar-demonstration
|title=Deutschlandfahne: Farbe bekennen
|last=Lau
|first=Mariam
|work=[[Die Zeit|Zeit Online]]
|date=2018-10-17
|access-date=2019-01-05
|archive-date=6 January 2019
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106011943/https://www.zeit.de/2018/43/deutschlandfahne-symbol-rechte-szene-unteilbar-demonstration
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Germany}}
* [[Coat of arms of Germany]]
* [[Flag of Prussia]]
* [[Flags of German states]]
* [[Hanseatic flags]]
* [[List of German flags]]
* [[National colours of Germany]]
* [[Reichskriegsflagge]]

== References ==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category|Flags of Germany|Flags of Germany}}
* {{FOTW|title=Germany|id=de}}
* [http://www.flaggenlexikon.de/fdtlhi1r.htm All medieval flags of Germany]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193821/http://www.flagsforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=35 Imperial German Empire Army colours]

{{GermanFlags}}
{{National symbols of Germany}}
{{Germany topics}}
{{Flag of Europe}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Germany, Flag of}}
[[Category:Flags of Germany| ]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1949]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1990]]
[[Category:National flags]]
[[Category:National symbols of Germany|Flag]]
[[Category:Tricolor flags]]
[[Category:Horizontally symmetrical flags]]