Last modified: 2008-07-05 by jarig bakker
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Provinces of the Kingdom of Prussia which continued to exist 1918-1945 (flags abolished 1935):
Divided in thirds horizontally and in half vertically. Left black-white-black,
right white-black-white. Adopted 1920. Abolished 1935.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
The Landesfarben were granted by the Prussian state ministry to the province on the 9th September 1923 and lasted until 1940, although all the flags of the Länder and provinces were already abolished in 1935. An explanation for this would have been the use of the flag for political propaganda at that time. It should be noted that the combination of the colours of Western Prussia with the one of Posen appeared before the adoption of the coat of arms of the Grenzmark where the inescutcheon on the eagle displayed this combination. Till 1929, the inescutcheon was the coat of arms of Poland.
Erwin Günther shows a flag with the proportions 3:5 but Ottfried Neubecker,
who is the best reference for coat of arms and flags, shows a 2:3 flag.
Sources: Günther 1998 and Ottfried Neubecker,
Die
neuen Wappen der preussischen Provinzen, in Der Deutsche Herold.
Zeitschrift für Wappen-, Siegel- und Familienkunde, 60. Jahrgang, Selbstverlag
des Vereins "Herold", Berlin, 1929, pp. 5-6.
Pascal Vagnat, 26 Nov 1999
Would this do as an alternative drawing of Posen-West Prussia Official
Flag (doubtful) on (http://flagspot.net/flags/de-pr19-.html#pwo ) mentioned
by Norman Martin (With three rows and two columns, not the other way round)?
Peter A. Loeser, 4 Jul 2008
White-yellow horizontal bicolor. Adopted 1920. Abolished 1935.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
Yellow-blue horizontal bicolor. Adopted 1920. Abolished 1935.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
These ones are only a guess. We have no indication about administrative
flags for the German kingdom's Länder.
Mario Fabretto, 17 Aug 1998
What do we really know about the flags of German states before 1935
(and of Prussian provinces)? Do we know that there were these "official"
flags, i.e. service flags with the coat-of-arms? Or do we just assume that?
Marcus Schmöger, 21 Oct 2001
Dreyhaupt 2001 shows the Dienstflaggen
(service flags) of East Prussia, (Lower) Silesia
and Upper Silesia. It also says that the coat-of-arms
of the Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen (Posen-West Prussia
Frontier Province) as it appears on FOTW was adopted in 1929. From 1925
to 1929 the arms was the West Prussian eagle bearing an inescutcheon with
the Posen (i.e. Polish) arms. It does not mention however (as far as a
quick reading reveals) a Dienstflagge with either coat-of-arms on
the Posen-West Prussia flag.
Santiago Dotor, 23 Oct 2001
Editor's note: see also Attributed Flags for
East and Central German Territories 1950s-1960s.
Possible administrative flag. Like Brandenburg
1882-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with
a red Brandenburg eagle with, in escutcheon
the shield of the Reichserbkämmerers, at the center.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
Editor's note: see also nowadays' Brandenburg.
Possible administrative flag. Like East Prussia
1882-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with
a black Prussian eagle, at the center.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
Isn't that the arms of West-Prussia?
Jarig Bakker, 13 Jun 2008
Jarig is of course correct. The arms should be without the crown around
the neck and the arm and sword, but with the crowned head and the FR monogram
on the breast; thus, the arms of Posen with
the monogram replacing the escutcheon. (Source for arms: Erlass des
preussischen Staatsministeriums vom 28.2.1881). Please note that the
qualifications on the all the Prussian administrative flags apply, that
is: I am not aware of an official source for any of the flags (as opposed
to the Landesfarben, but I have seen (all? most?) of them for sale and
in flag shops etc.
Norman Martin, 16 Jun 2008
I read what Jarig Bakker and Norman Martin said about the drawing of
the "East Prussia Official Flag" and I've modified it. See if it is more
like they want. My ancestors came from East Prussia and I want to get it
right. I got rid of the crown and sword and made it look more like the
one being sold.
Peter A. Loeser, 22 Jun 2008
Possible administrative flag. Yellow-white bicolor with Hanover arms
(white horse on red field).
Norman Martin, 1998
Possible administrative flag. Like Lower Silesia 1920-1935,
but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with a black Silesian
eagle (with cross and crescent pattern on breast), at the center.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
Possible administrative flag. Like Pomerania
1882-1935, but with Pomeranian arms (red griffin in silver field) in
center.
Norman Martin, 3 Mar 1998
Possible administrative flag. Like Posen-West Prussia
1920-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with
a black Prussian eagle, emerging from the neck is a silver arm with armor
grasping a silver sword. In the center a escutcheon of the same field as
the flag.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
There wasn't any service flag for this province. After the [Second World]
War, the association in West Germany of people coming
from the former province, used the former banner of the Grenzmark
Posen-Westpreussen with the coat of arms of this province in the
center of the first quartering of the flag (that is one-third from the
top). They used also a variant of the flag of the Grenzmark where
it was (here) divided in half vertically and in thirds horizontally [as
on the above image]. These two last flags are exceptions and were privately
used.
Sources: Günther 1998 and Ottfried Neubecker,
Die
neuen Wappen der preussischen Provinzen, in Der Deutsche Herold.
Zeitschrift für Wappen-, Siegel- und Familienkunde, 60. Jahrgang, Selbstverlag
des Vereins "Herold", Berlin, 1929, pp. 5-6.
Pascal Vagnat, 26 Nov 1999
Possible administrative flag. Like Upper Silesia 1920-1935,
but with coat of arms, consisting of a blue field with a yellow eagle above
a scythe and crossed hammers, at the center.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
Possible administrative flag. Like Lower Silesia 1920-1935,
but with coat of arms, like above, at the center. If real, presumably a
transitional form around 1920.
Norman Martin, 20 Jan 1998
image by Adam Kromer |
image by António Martins and Adam Kromer |
There was a variant flag of West Prussia
with [the historical Royal (Polish) Prussia]
coat of arms. I do not know when this variant was created. It was definitely
in use in the 20th century, to 1920, maybe 1939-1945 too. I have made a
GIF and here is also a scan.
Adam Kromer, 20 Jul 2000