Flag of Berlin

Name	"Landesflagge"
Use	Civil flag
Proportion	3:5
Adopted	1954 (West); 1990 (Whole)
Design	A tricolor of red-white-red, defaced with an emblem.
Name	Landesdienstflagge
Use	State flag and naval ensign
Proportion	3:5
Adopted	1954 (West); 1990 (Whole) — 2007
Design	The civil flag with the emblem placed on a shield, topped with a crown.

The flag of Berlin has three stripes of red-white-red, the two outer stripes each occupying a fifth of its height, the middle the remaining three fifths. It is defaced with a bear in the case of the civil flag, and the coat of arms of Berlin on the state flag.

The civil flag of West Berlin was adopted on 26 May 1954. Designed by Ottfried Neubecker, it came was second place in the contest of 1952, the winner being rejected by the Senate. The emblem of the bear is apparently a pun on the city's name (Bär meaning Bear), and there have been suggested that it is a little bear (Bärlein bearing a resemblance to Berlin). The bear, the coat of arms with escutcheon, is aligned slightly to the left. It became the flag of the whole city after the unification of Germany in 1990.^[1]

The state flag replaces the bear in the centre of the flag with the full coat of arms, with escutcheon. Being the state flag for West Berlin, it similarly became the flag for unified Berlin in 1990. Previously to that, it had been also a naval ensign on the basis that either German one could not be used. It is in the proportion 3:5.^[2]

[edit] Historical Flags

In the period 1618 to 1861 a bicolor of black over white, opposite to that of Siena was used as both a civil and state flag, under successive Brandenburg then Prussian rule.

Between 1861 and 1912, a horizontal tricolor of black, red and white was used in the proportion 2:3. It was designed by Ernst Fidicin following the coronation of Wilhelm I, 19th December 1861, based in the Brandenburg colors.

Between 1913 and 1954, The civil flag was similar to the current one, except the design of the bear was different. Before 1935, the emblem itself had not been fixed.

After 1955, the West Berlin flag was that adopted for the whole of Berlin after 1990; East Berlin had the addition of two white stripes taking the outside halves of the upper and lower red stripes, and a slightly different design for the bear inside an escutcheon, topped with a crown.^[3]

[edit] See also

• Coat of arms of Berlin

[edit] References

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