All German states have a (flag of the state, sometimes known as a civil flag), that may be used by anyone. Some states have another variant, often showing the state coat of arms, called the (service flag or government flag, sometimes known as a state flag), normally for use by official government offices only. In addition to these flags, in a few states there are variants exclusively for the state senate, or for state-operated ships. In some cases, there are specific flags for high-ranking officials, mainly used as car flags. Frequently, the flags are used in vertical variants.
Current state flags Since German reunification in 1990, there are 16 states and state flags. Civil flag State flag Administrative division Adopted Description Baden-Württemberg 1954–present Flag of Baden-Württemberg Bavaria 1949–present Flag of Bavaria Berlin 1954–present Flag of Berlin Brandenburg 1991–present Flag of Brandenburg Bremen 1952–present Flag of Bremen Hamburg Civil flag 1751–present; state flag introduced in 1897, confirmed in 1952 Flag of Hamburg Hesse 1949–present Flag of Hesse Lower Saxony 1951–present Flag of Lower Saxony Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania 1991–present Flag of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania North Rhine-Westphalia 1953–present Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate 1948–present Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland 1957–present Flag of Saarland Saxony 1991–present Flag of Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Flag of Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein 1948–present Flag of Schleswig-Holstein Thuringia 1991–present Flag of Thuringia
Historical flags Flag Administrative division Adopted Description South Baden 1945–1952 Flag of Baden Württemberg-Baden Württemberg-Hohenzollern
German Democratic Republic Flag Administrative division Adopted Description East Berlin 1956–1990 Flag of Berlin Brandenburg 1945–1952 Flag of Brandenburg Mecklenburg Flag of Mecklenburg Saxony-Anhalt Flag of Saxony-Anhalt
Greater German Reich Flag Administrative division Adopted Description Gau Saxony 1933-1945 Free State of Prussia Flag of Prussia State of Thuringia Flag of Thuringia
Weimar Republic/Nazi Germany Constituent states Flag Administrative division Adopted Description Free State of Anhalt 1918–1945 Republic of Baden Flag of Baden Free State of Brunswick 1918–1946 Free State of Coburg 1918–1920 People's State of Hesse 1918–1945 Flag of Hesse Free State of Lippe 1918–1947 Free City of Lübeck ?–1937 Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1918–1933 Flag of Mecklenburg Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Free State of Oldenburg 1918–1946 Free State of Prussia 1918–1933 Flag of Prussia People's State of Reuss 1919–1920 Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe 1918–1946 Free State of Saxe-Altenburg 1918–1920 Free State of Saxe-Meiningen Free State of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Free State of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Free State of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont 1918–1929 Free People's State of Württemberg 1918–1945
Provinces of Prussia Flag Administrative division Adopted Description Province of Brandenburg 1918–1945 Flag of Brandenburg East Prussia Province of Hanover Province of Hesse-Nassau 1918–1944 Province of Hohenzollern 1918–1945 Province of Kurhessen 1944–1945 Province of Lower Silesia and Province of Silesia 1919–1945 Flag of Silesia Province of Nassau 1944–1945 Province of Pomerania 1882–1945 Flag of Western Pomerania Posen-West Prussia 1922–1938 Rhine Province 1922–1945 Province of Saxony 1918–1945 Flag of Saxony-Anhalt Province of Schleswig-Holstein Flag of Schleswig-Holstein Province of Upper Silesia 1919–19381941–1945 Flag of Upper Silesia Province of Westphalia 1918–1945
German Empire Constituent states Flag Administrative division Adopted Description Alsace-Lorraine 1891–1918 Duchy of Anhalt 1863–1935 Grand Duchy of Baden 1891–1935 Flag of Baden Kingdom of Bavaria 1806–present Flag of Bavaria Free Hanseatic City of Bremen 1891–present Flag of Bremen Duchy of Brunswick 1830–1935 Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg 1834–present Flag of Hamburg Grand Duchy of Hesse 1806–1918 Flag of Hesse Principality of Lippe 1789–1918 The Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck 1815–1937 Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1813–1918 Flag of Mecklenburg Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Grand Duchy of Oldenburg 1871–1918 Kingdom of Prussia 1892–1918 Flag of Prussia Principality of Reuss-Greiz 1806–1918 Principality of Reuss-Gera Kingdom of Saxony 1815–1918 Flag of Saxony Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg 1893–1918 Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 1911–1920 Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen 1680–1918 Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe 1880–1935 Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1897–1920 Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt ???–1918 Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont 1830–1929 Kingdom of Württemberg 1816–1918
Provinces of Prussia Flag Administrative division Adopted Description Berlin 1861–1912 Flag of Berlin Province of Pomerania 1882–1945 Flag of Western Pomerania West Prussia 1886–1920
Minority flags
See also
Coats of arms of German states List of district flags of Germany Lists of German municipal flags
References