Last modified: 2007-10-20 by jarig bakker
Keywords: thuringia | thüringen |
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1:2
image by Marcus Schmöger
Flag adopted 11 Apr 1991
As it is probably used | As shown in the legal text |
3:5 | 1:2 |
The Landesflagge is white on red. The state flag
is the same with the arms in the middle. Proportions
1:2 — different from the other German flags. (...) The colours of the Land
were adopted on the 30th January 1991, and the flags (Landesflagge
and Landesdienstflagge) on the 11th April 1991.
Pascal Vagnat, 22 Apr 1998
The civil flag is a bicolour of white over red. Already used after the First World War, this flag was widely used by the people during the demonstrations in the German Democratic Republic in 1989/90. So it was immediately accepted as Landesflagge after the reunification and the re-establishment of Thuringia as a Land on 3 October 1990. The first legal regulation was the Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen of 30 January 1991, that introduced the Landesfarben as white-red; however, this law came into force retroactively as of 3 October 1990.
Further on it was regulated in Art. 44 of the constitution of 25 October
1993. The most detailed prescription, however, is in the Verordnung
zur Ausführung des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen of 11 April 1991.
From this Verordnung stems the common misconception, that the proportions
of the flag are defined as 1:2, which is very unusual for German flags.
The Verordnung says in § 3 (1): "Width and length of the flag must
have a proportion of at least 1 to 2."
My interpretation is, that they may have a proportion of 1.2:2 (=3:5)
or 1.333:2 (2:3) as well, but not of 1:3 for example. So probably the flags
(normal hoisted flags) in Thuringia have a proportion of 3:5, as most German
flagmakers produce them like that. Also the books usually show the flags
of Thuringia in 3:5 proportion, at least Laitenberger
and Bassier 2000 and Schurdel 1995.
On the other hand, the Verordnung shows sketches of the flags in
1:2 in the appendix.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001
2:1
by Marcus Schmöger |
This is the vertical variant of the civil flag as shown in the appendix
of the Verordnung (2:1). Vertical variants are usually
longer than that in Germany.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001
As it is probably used | As shown in the legal text |
3:5 | 1:2 |
Horizontal bicolor white-red, proportions 1:2, in the center the new
arms of Thuringia: the old arms of the Landgravate of Thuringia (a red-white
striped lion rampant on a blue field, but facing left) and with 8 white
6-pointed stars on the blue. Illustrated in Dorling-Kindersley
1997, p. 122.
Norman Martin, March 1998
The state flag is the civil flag with the coat-of-arms
in the center. It is also regulated in the Art. 44 of the constitution
of 25 October 1993, and in the Verordnung zur Ausführung des Gesetzes
über die Hoheitszeichen of 11 April 1991. However, as with the civil
flag, the actual use of the flag differs from the sketches in the appendix
of the Verordnung. The proportions are usually not 1:2, and the
coat-of-arms is usually bigger (see Laitenberger
and Bassier 2000 and Schurdel 1995).
The state flag, as it is probably used, has proportions 3:5 and a bigger
coat-of-arms (50% of the flag height). As shown in the appendix of the
Verordnung,
it has proportions 1:2 and a coat-of-arms of only 40% of the flag height.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001
As it is actually used | As shown in the legal text | ||
7:2 | 2:1
both by Marcus Schmöger |
The vertical variant in actual use has a proportion 7:2 and a bigger
coat-of-arms: an example of the use can be seen on the Thuringia
website. The vertical variant as shown in the appendix of the Verordnung
has proportion 2:1 and a smaller coat-of-arms.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001
The Constitution of Thuringia, containing in its article 44.2 the colours
and the coat-of-arms of this state, was adopted by the parliament on the
25th Obtober 1993, published on the 29th October 1993, adopted by referendum
on the 16th October 1994 by the population, and the result was announced
by a Bekanntmachung (notice) of the 26th October 1994, published
on the 3rd November 1994. That Constitution entered with this referendum
into force.
Pascal Vagnat, 1 May 1998
The shield is blue, with a crowned lion (rampant). The lion is divided
into eight horizontal stripes, alternating red and white. The crown and
claws are gold. Surrounding the lion are eight white six-pointed stars.
This is very similar to the arms of Hesse.
David Lewellen
It seems that the coat of arms of the federal Land of Thuringia and
the federal Land of Hesse both use the red and white lion. I thought that
the red and white lion was associated with the house of Nassau and therefore
with Hesse. Is it also a symbol of Thuringia?
Harold, 10 Jun 2006
There are little differences between the arms: the lion of Thuringia
is red and white and the lion of Hesse is white and red.
The first count of Hesse, Henry I, took over the lion of Thuringia
in the 13th century. The lion of Thuringia is the older.
Jörg Majewski, 10 Jun 2006
And in answer to the question regarding Nassau, I should mention that
the lion of Nassau was (and is) gold, not barry silver and red (or red
and silver).
There is no connection.
In fact lions are an extremely common charge in Germany, as they are
also in Britain, but they are to be found most of all in the Low Countries.
Mike Oettle, 11 Jun 2006
The modern coat-of-arms shows eight stars. There were seven stars on the Arms of 1921-1933, no stars on the one of 1933-1945 and eight stars on the one of 1945-1952. These stand for:
The state coat-of-arms is blasoned:
Azure,
a lion rampant barry of eight Gules and Argent, crowned and armed Or, surrounded
by eight mullets Argent. The first legal regulation was the Gesetz
über die Hoheitszeichen of 30 January 1991 (coming into force retroactively
as of 3 October 1990). Further on it was regulated in Art. 44 of the constitution
of 25 October 1993. The Verordnung zur Ausführung des Gesetzes über
die Hoheitszeichen of 11 April 1991 only prescribes the actual use
of the coat-of-arms. The history of the different coats-of-arms of Thüringen
is thoroughly described in the Thuringian
official website.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001