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Flag of Berlin

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Berlin
Landesflagge (state flag)
UseCivil flag and ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion3:5
Adopted26 May 1954
DesignA tricolor of red-white-red, defaced with an emblem.
Landesdienstflagge (state service flag)
UseState flag and ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion3:5
Adopted1954 (West); 1990 (Whole)
Standard of the Berlin Senate
UseState flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagSmall vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagReverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion1:1
Adopted1990

The state flag of Berlin, Germany has three stripes of red-white-red, the two outer stripes each occupying a fifth of its height, the middle the remaining three-fifths. It is emblazoned with a bear on the civil flag, while it bears the coat of arms of Berlin on the state flag.

The civil flag of West Berlin was adopted on 26 May 1954. Designed by Ottfried Neubecker, it came in second in the 1952 contest, the winner having been rejected by the Senate. The bear is placed slightly off-center toward the left.

A bear could be found on seals, coins, and signet rings from as early as the late 12th century (but not as a heraldic charge before 1709), presumably due to a canting association with the city's name.[1]

The state flag replaces the bear with the full coat of arms, with the bear inside the escutcheon. Being the state flag for West Berlin, it became the flag of the entire city after the reunification of Germany in 1990.[2] Prior to that, it had also been the naval ensign, as no other existing flag could be used. The proportions of the flag are 3:5.[3] However, it was only used until 2007 when the Abgeordnetenhaus passed a bill to abolish the state flag. Since then, Berlin has had only one official flag.

Historical flags[edit]

Between 1618 and 1861 a bicolor of black over white was used as both a civil and state flag, under Brandenburg and successive Prussian rules.

Between 1861 and 1912, a horizontal triband ("tricolor") of black, red, and white was used in the proportions of 2:3. It was designed by Ernst Fidicin based on the colors of Brandenburg following the coronation of Wilhelm I on 19 December 1861.

Between 1913 and 1954, the civil flag was similar to the current one, except the design of the bear was different. Until 1935, the emblem itself was not established.

From 1955 on, East Berlin had the addition of two white stripes taking the outside halves of the upper and lower red stripes, and a slightly different design for the bear inside an escutcheon, topped with a crown.[4] The East Berlin flag was therefore a slightly modified version of the old state flag, with the civil flag being deliberately avoided in East Berlin—and conversely, adopted as official in West Berlin—due to the bear in the civil flag being off-center to the left and facing left, strongly suggesting an orientation toward the West. The West Berlin flag was adopted for all of Berlin after 1990.

  • Flag of Berlin, 1618–1861
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagFlag of Berlin, 1618–1861
  • Flag of Berlin, 1861–1912
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagFlag of Berlin, 1861–1912
  • Flag of Berlin, 1913–1934 (Civil Flag, 1913–1954)
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagFlag of Berlin, 1913–1934 (Civil Flag, 1913–1954)
  • State Flag of Berlin 1934–1954
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagState Flag of Berlin 1934–1954
  • Flag of East Berlin, 1954–1990
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagFlag of East Berlin, 1954–1990
  • Flag of West Berlin, 1954–1990
    Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flagFlag of West Berlin, 1954–1990

Flag days[edit]

The senator for the Interior and Sports has designated several official flag days.[5] On these days, the Berlin flag must be flown on all public buildings. They include:

Date Name Reason
27 January Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp (1945)
8 March International Women's' Day International Women's' Day is a public holiday in Berlin since 2018
18 March Anniversary of the 18 March 1848 Anniversary of Uprisings during the German Revolution (1848)
1 May Labour Day Established for German labours to demonstrate for the promotion of workers' rights
8 May Commemoration Day for the Liberation from National Socialism Anniversary of the Victory in Europe Day 1945.
9 May Europe Day Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (1950)
23 May Constitution Day Anniversary of the German Basic Law (1949)
17 June Anniversary of 17 June 1953 Anniversary of the Uprising of 1953 in East Berlin and East Germany
20 June Commemoration Day for the Victims of Deportation Introduced in 2015 by the German Federal Government (World Refugee Day)
20 July Anniversary of 20 July 1944 Anniversary of the plot around Claus von Stauffenberg who tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler unsuccessfully (1944)
3 October Day of German Unity Anniversary of German reunification (1990)
9 November Commemoration Day for the November Revolution and Declaration of the Republic (1918), November pogroms (1938) and the Fall of the Wall (1989)
The Second Sunday before Advent People's Mourning Day In memory of all killed during wartime

On the Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism and People's Mourning Day, flags must be flown at half-mast. In addition, they are to be flown on days of the election of the federal president, to the European Parliament, the Bundestag, the Abgeordnetenhaus and borough assemblies.

Flags of boroughs in Berlin[edit]

All 12 boroughs have a flag.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Konrad Berlin, "Berliner Bär und Mäuseturm", Muttersprache 1958, pp. 271-273. The name Berlin is of Slavic origin and unrelated to the word bear, but the area was settled by German speakers from as early as the 12th century. Reinhard E. Fischer: Die Ortsnamen der Länder Brandenburg und Berlin. Alter – Herkunft – Bedeutung. be.bra wissenschaft verlag, Berlin-Brandenburg 2005, ISBN 3-937233-30-X, S. 25.
  2. ^ Birgit Laitenberger; Maria Bassier (2000), Wappen und Flaggen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und ihrer Länder: Allgemeine Einführung (Coats-of-arms and flags of the Federal Republic of Germany and her states: General introduction in state symbols) (in German)
  3. ^ State Chancellery (1954), Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Berlin vom 13. Mai 1954 (Law on the State Symbols of the State of Berlin of 13th May 1954) (in German)
  4. ^ Klemens Stadler (1966), Deutsche Wappen. Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Die Gemeindewappen von Rheinland-Pfalz und Saarland, Bremen, Hamburg, Westberlin. (German Coats-of-Arms. Federal Republic of Germany: Municipal Coats-of-Arms of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saar, Bremen, Hamburg, West Berlin.) (in German)
  5. ^ "Die Landesflagge". www.berlin.de (in German). 31 August 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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