Last modified: 2006-01-14 by ivan sache
Keywords: belgium | german-speaking community | deutschsprachige gemeinschaft | lion (red) | law | quintefoils: 9 (blue) | gentian |
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![[Flag of the German-speaking Community]](../images/b/be-de.gif)
![[Flag of the German-speaking Community]](../images/b/be-de1.gif)
Flag of the German-speaking Community (left, official flag; right, flag in use) - Images by Mark Sensen, 2 July 2001
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The German-speaking Community stretches over 853 sq. km in the East of Wallonia, and includes ca. 67,000 inhabitants (German-speaking Belgian citizens). It is made of two parts, geographically not connected:
The German-speaking Community is not strictly equivalent to Eastern
Belgium (Ostbelgien) or the Eastern Districts (Ostkantonen,
Cantons de l'Est). Those two names were coined in 1920 to designate
the newly annexed, formerly Prussian districts (Kantonen) of Eupen, Malmédy and Sankt Vith. However, the municipalities from the district of Malmédy belong today to the French Community and not to the
German-speaking Community.
All the German-speaking municipalities are located in the
province of Liège.
Within the German-speaking Community, the legislative power is exercized by the Council (25 elected Councillors) and the Government of the German-speaking Community (a Minister-President and two Ministers), whereas the executive power is exercized by the Government of the German-speaking Community.
The competences of the Council and the Government of the German-speaking Community are defined by the Federal Consitution of Belgium, adopted on 17 February 1994.
Ivan Sache, 28 November 2004
The flag of the German-speaking Community is a banner of the arms of the Community. According to a drawing attached to the Decree prescribing the flag and arms, the flag should be square or "Belgian square" (13:15), but it is always used in 2:3 proportion.
This flag (square version) is shown on the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart [eba94], #71, with the following caption:
GERMAN-SPEAKING COMMUNITY
Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft - Eupen, Malmédy and Sankt-Vith
Belgium
The caption is erroneous since Malmédy is not part of the German-speaking Community.
![[Arms of the German-speaking Community]](../images/b/be)de.gif)
Coat of arms of the German-speaking Community - Image from the official website of the German-speaking Community, 2 July 2001
The arms of the German-speaking Community are:
Argent a lion gules surrounded by nine quintefoils azure.
In 1989, there was a call for proposals for a flag and arms of the
Community. Some of the proposals were published in the local
newspaper Grenz-Echo.
Before the Belgian independence (1830), the northern part of the
Community belonged to the Duchy of Limburg
whereas its southern part belonged to the Duchy of Luxembourg.
The coat of arms of the Community was designed by merging the arms of
the two former Duchies. Both include a red lion. The lion for the
Community was kept red, but lost its crown. Its claws and tongue were
changed from gold to red.
The (National) Council for Heraldry and Nobility asked to change the
forked tail in saltire for a simpler tail curved to the lion back.
The lion was modernized but many people did not enjoy the
modification, finding the animal much too aggressive and looking
jigsawed.
The silver field recalls both the fields of Limburg and Luxembourg
arms, the latter being charged with five azure stripes. In the
first draft of the arms of the Community, those blue stripes
were supposed to be recalled by nine green lime-tree leaves,
standing also for the nine municipalities of the Community.
Léon Nyssen was eventually able to convince the authorities
that the nine elements should be blue and changed for flowers
of a gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe), easily represented by
quintefoils. However, Nyssen could not convince the authorities to
"transpose" the arms into a flag rather than simply placing them on a
white field.
The flag and arms were adopted on 1 October 1990 by the Council of the German-speaking Community after long discussions. "Colours" were also adopted (white and
red), but their arrangement was not stated and they were
apparently never used.
The official texts in German do not strictly match their French and
Dutch translations, as it is unfortunately often the case in Belgium.
Source: Léon Nyssen Le drapeau de la Communauté germanophone. Vexillacta [vxl] #12, June 2001.
Ivan Sache & Pascal Vagnat, 2 July 2001
The Decree adopted on 1 October 1990 and published on 15 November 1990 prescribes the arms, the flag, the colours and the Community day. Here is an unofficial translation of the original version of the Decree (German).
Article 1.
The Day of the German-speaking Community shall be celebrated every year on 15 November.
Article 2.
The German-speaking Community shall bear the following arms:
In silver a red lion together with nine blue quintefoils, surmonted by a royal crown.
The flag of the German-speaking Community shall show on a white field a red lion together with nine blue quintefoils.
The colours of the German-speaking Community shall be white and red in a horizontal position.
Article 3.
The flag of the German-speaking Community shall be hoisted on 15 November on the official buildings of the German-speaking area (Gebiet of Belgium; outside this area, it shall be hoisted on the buildings, which, because of their use, are placed under the liability of the German-speaking Community or are temporarily put at its disposal.
In the German-speaking area of Belgium, the flag shall be further hoisted on the administrative buildings in the same conditions and on the same days as the Belgian national flag.
Source: Official website of the German-speaking Community
Ivan Sache & Santiago Dotor, 28 November 2004