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Schwerin (Germany)

Landeshauptstadt Schwerin, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania

7:9 image by Stefan Schwoon, 13 Feb 2001
Flag adopted 2 May 2000

City of Schwerin
Schwerin city banner
Schwerin city arms

See also:

County and Municipal Flags (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania / Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)
Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)
Germany

City of Schwerin

Schwerin is the capital of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. Its flag is yellow-blue-yellow in proportions 2:3:2, format 7:9. Described in the statutes, available online at the city website: Hauptsatzung für die Landeshauptstadt Schwerin (02.05.2000)

(2) Das Stadtwappen zeigt in Blau das goldene Reiterbildnis Herzog Heinrichs des Löwen: einen Ritter mit Topfhelm auf einem gezäumten, schreitenden Roß, der in der Rechten eine dreilatzige Fahne und in der Linken einen Dreiecksschild mit einem leopardierten Löwen hält.
(3) Die Stadtflagge ist dreifach längsgestreift. Die äußeren Streifen zeigen die Farbe Gelb und nehmen je zwei Siebentel der Höhe ein. Der mittlere Streifen zeigt die Farbe Blau. Er nimmt drei Siebentel der Höhe ein und ist mit der etwas zum Liek hin verschobenen gelben Wappenfigur belegt. Die Höhe des Flaggentuchs verhält sich zur Länge wie 7 zu 9.

Sources: Staack 1997 and Günther 1999a.
Stefan Schwoon, 13 Feb 2001

Schwerin city banner

5:2 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Mar 2007
Flag adopted 2 May 2000

Its ratio is 5:2. It is a yellow over blue over yellow banner. The ratio between the three fields is estimated 5:7:5. In the blue field is a knight in full armor who has mounted his horse. The knight wears helmet, shield and a gonfanon on top of his lance (all in gold). He is moving towards the (heraldic) right side.
I spotted this flag on 3 January 2005 in front of the townhall of Schwerin.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Mar 2007

Schwerin city arms

The arms were granted on 10 April 1858, changed on 30 September 1939 and again on 11 February 1991.
Schwerin probably already received city rights as early as 1177 and became the most important city in the region. The arms show a medieval knight holding a shield
with a lion, probably showing the founder of the city, Duke Heinrich der Löwen (Henry the lion) of Sachsen and Bayern. The leopard is the lion of the Welfen
family, to which the duke belonged. The image already appeared on the historical seals of the city, as shown below from a seal of 1298.
The arms of 1858 are nearly identical to the present arms, there are some differences in the shape and armour of the knight, and the lion is shown as a normal lion,
not as a leopard as in the present arms. In 1939 the small shield was changed into the original colours of the Welfen family, see below. In 1991 the historical arms (in
two colours) were restored again.
Literature : Bensing et al., 1984; Schütt, 2002.
Source: Ralf Hartemink's website.