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Brandenburg (Germany)

State of Brandenburg, Land Brandenburg

Last modified: 2005-10-08 by santiago dotor
Keywords: germany | brandenburg | land brandenburg | state of brandenburg | coat of arms (eagle: red) | pennant (red-white) | police |
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[Brandenburg (Germany)] 3:5
by Marcus Schmöger, coat-of-arms based on Felix Braun's image
Flag adopted 30th January 1991, coat-of-arms adopted 18th May 1993

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Description

The (civil and state) flag of Brandenburg is a horizontal bicolour of red over white with the arms in the center. The proportions of the flag are 3:5. The above image shows the newer variant of the arms.

Marcus Schmöger, 26 May 2001

Santiago Dotor asked whether there is a specified ratio between the size of the arms and the height of the flag. As in most cases in German flags, not really. There is a pattern attached as an appendix to the law (Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Brandenburg); this shows the arms' height being roughly 60% of the flag's height. I drew the above image accordingly.

In the regulation (Verordnung über die Führung des Landeswappens vom 30. Mai 1991) there is also an appendix, that shows three different variants of vertical flags. The width of the arms in these three cases varies from 45% to 50% of the flag's width. So I conclude, that one should not trust these images in the laws and regulations too much. The image of the vertical flag I made shows the arms as wide as 50% the flag width.

Marcus Schmöger, 28 May 2001

Hanging Flag

Banner

[Brandenburg, hanging flag (Germany)] 5:2
by Marcus Schmöger, coat-of-arms based on Felix Braun's image
Flag adopted 30th January 1991, coat-of-arms adopted 18th May 1993

As usual for German states there is also the variant of a hanging flag. This is also described in the regulations. As a typical proportion of this flag (the actual proportions are not prescribed) I assume 5:2 which is quite frequent in Germany.

Marcus Schmöger, 26 May 2001

Jack for Police Boats

Gösch für Wasserfahrzeuge der Polizei

[Jack for Police Boats (Brandenburg, Germany)] 3:5
by Marcus Schmöger, coat-of-arms based on Felix Braun's image

Police boats in Brandenburg use a triangular pennant as the jack (the ensign is the German state flag).

Marcus Schmöger, 26 May 2001

Coat-of-Arms

Landeswappen

[Coat-of-Arms (Brandenburg, Germany)]
by Felix Braun, exported to GIF by Santiago Dotor, modified by Marcus Schmöger
Coat-of-arms adopted 18th May 1993

The arms of Brandenburg is white with a red eagle, with a yellow beak and talons and yellow clover stalks [Kleestengeln] on its wings. Felix Braun's image shows the clover stalks as in the pattern in use from 1991 to 1993.

As there was no formal law or regulation changing the pattern, but only a publication of an image of the modified pattern, I guess that both variants are in use now. New office shields and new flags would surely show the newer variant, but the old ones shall only eventually be replaced.

Marcus Schmöger, 26 May 2001

From the Landeswappen webpage at the Brandenburg Parliament website:

Im August 1990 hatte eine Arbeitsgruppe ihre Tätigkeit aufgenommen, die beauftragt war, in Vorbereitung der Neugründung des Landes einen Gesetzentwurf über Wappen, Flagge und Siegel zu erarbeiten. Sie legte den Entwurf eines Hoheitszeichens vor, das "in der friedfertigen Form des Adlers" —also ohne Beigaben Kurhut, Schwert, Zepter und Brustschild mit Kämmererstab— auf seine älteste Form aus dem 12. Jahrhundert zurückgriff.
Summarizing, a workgroup was formed in August 1990 to prepare a bill on arms, flag and seal of the new state of Brandenburg. They presented a proposal for a coat of arms "with a peaceful eagle" —i.e. without the accessory electoral cap, sword, scepter and inescutcheon with [Imperial hereditary] chamberlain's baton/scepter— in its oldest form dating from the 12th century. However, the webpage mentions earlier that the provincial Brandenburg arms followed that pattern until 2nd April 1824, when the electoral cap, sword and scepter —which previously only appeared on the standard of the prince-electors— were added. The Reichserzkämmerer's inescutcheon was added even later, on 11th January 1864.

Santiago Dotor, 6 June 2002

Coat-of-Arms 1991-1993

[Coat-of-Arms 1991-1993 (Brandenburg, Germany)]
by Felix Braun, exported to GIF by Santiago Dotor
Coat-of-arms adopted 1991, adopted and modified 1993

Felix Braun sent me a very good vectorial image he had made of the Land coat-of-arms. He based his drawing in the official documents he saw when he worked at a court in Brandenburg, as well as on the images at the official website of the Landtag (state parliament) and on Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website.

Santiago Dotor, 21 May 2001