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Upper Lusatia Region (Saxony, Germany)

Oberlausitz

by Dirk Schönberger

Description

See also:

Lower Lusatia Region (Niederlausitz, Brandenburg, Germany)
Sorb People
Saxony (Sachsen, Germany)
Germany

Description

This flag is used in the German region of Oberlausitz (Upper Lusatia). Oberlausitz is not an administrative unit. It is situated in the easter part of Saxony, near the Polish border. Unofficial capital is Bautzen. The coat of arms is also used by the city of Bautzen, and a variant of it is used by the district of Bautzen. The district of Bautzen uses a similar flag, but the yellow and blue colours are in reversed order. On the district coat of arms the shield is rounded on the upper border.

Dirk Schönberger, 13 March 2001

As far as I know the Oberlausitz flag has no coat-of-arms. And the flag of Bautzen is the same, also without coat-of-arms. Maybe the coat-of-arms is added sometimes to distinguish it from the (identical) flag of the city. Although the flag should be unofficial (not being an administrative unit) it has an official status and can be hoisted next to the Landesflagge or Landesdienstflagge on administrative buildings. It has the same status as the flag of the Sorbs which can also be hoisted officially on administrative buildings.

The coat-of-arms does not belong to Oberlausitz and is additionally used by Bautzen, but the other way round. Historians presume that the city used the coat-of-arms before it became the coat-of-arms of the region.

By the way, shouldn't the shade of blue on the coat-of-arms and on the flag's top stripe be the same?

Ralf Stelter, 14 March 2001

At least my sources (Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website) shows the coat of arms in light blue. The flag is flown in such colours (as seen by Falko Schmidt in the town of Zittau).

Dirk Schönberger, 13 March 2001

From Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website:

The area around Bautzen has been inhabited for many years and there has been a village since the 7th century. Being a border town, Bautzen was ruled by German, Polish and Bohemian rulers for many centuries, until 1635 when it became part of Sachsen and thus Germany. It is not known when Bautzen received city rights, but already in 1200 it had a clear urban character, and due to the incorporation of some villages in 1250 it became a large city. The arms are, according to legend, based on the banner of the Lord of Bauzen, Wiprecht of Groitzsch from around 1080. A banner with a similar composition as the arms was mentioned in 1378. Since the 15th century the city is known to have used the wall as arms. The arms have thus have never changed since.
Literature: Bensing et al 1985.

Santiago Dotor, 22 February 2002