All German states have a German: Landesflagge (flag of the state, sometimes known as a civil flag), that may be used by anyone. Some states have another variant, often showing the state coat of arms, called the German: Dienstflagge (service flag or government flag, sometimes known as a state flag), normally for use by official government offices only. In addition to these flags, in a few states there are variants exclusively for the state senate, or for state-operated ships. In some cases, there are specific flags for high-ranking officials, mainly used as car flags. Frequently, the flags are used in vertical variants.
Since German reunification in 1990, there are 16 states and state flags.[1]
| Civil flag | State flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–present | Flag of Baden-Württemberg | |||||
| 1949–present | Flag of Bavaria | |||||
| 1954–present | Flag of Berlin | |||||
| 1991–present | Flag of Brandenburg | |||||
| 1952–present | Flag of Bremen | |||||
| Civil flag 1751–present; state flag introduced in 1897, confirmed in 1952 | Flag of Hamburg | |||||
| 1949–present | Flag of Hesse | |||||
| 1951–present | Flag of Lower Saxony | |||||
| 1991–present | Flag of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania | |||||
| 1953–present | Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia | |||||
| 1948–present | Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate | |||||
| 1957–present | Flag of Saarland | |||||
| 1991–present | Flag of Saxony | |||||
| 1991–present | Flag of Saxony-Anhalt | |||||
| 1948–present | Flag of Schleswig-Holstein | |||||
| 1991–present | Flag of Thuringia | |||||
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945–1952 | Flag of Baden | ||||
| 1945–1952 | |||||
| 1945–1952 | |||||
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–1990 | Flag of Berlin | |||
| 1945–1952 | Flag of Brandenburg | |||
| 1945–1952 | Flag of Mecklenburg | |||
| 1945–1952 | Flag of Saxony-Anhalt | |||
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933-1945 | ||||
| 1933–1935 | Flag of Prussia | |||
| 1933–1935 | Flag of Thuringia | |||
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918–1945 | ||||
| 1918–1945 | Flag of Baden | |||
| 1918–1946 | ||||
| 1918–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1945 | Flag of Hesse | |||
| 1918–1947 | ||||
| ?–1937 | ||||
| 1918–1933 | Flag of Mecklenburg | |||
| 1918–1933 | Flag of Mecklenburg | |||
| 1918–1946 | ||||
| 1918–1933 | Flag of Prussia | |||
| 1919–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1946 | ||||
| 1918–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1920 | ||||
| 1918–1929 | ||||
| 1918–1945 | ||||
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918–1945 | Flag of Brandenburg | ||||
| 1918–1945 | |||||
| 1918–1945 | |||||
| 1918–1944 | |||||
| 1918–1945 | |||||
| 1944–1945 | |||||
| 1919–1945 | Flag of Silesia | ||||
| 1944–1945 | |||||
| 1882–1945 | Flag of Western Pomerania | ||||
| 1922–1938 | |||||
| 1922–1945 | |||||
| 1918–1945 | Flag of Saxony-Anhalt | ||||
| 1918–1945 | Flag of Schleswig-Holstein | ||||
| 1919–1938 1941–1945 | Flag of Upper Silesia | ||||
| 1918–1945 | |||||
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1861–1912 | Flag of Berlin | ||||
| 1882–1945 | Flag of Western Pomerania | ||||
| 1886–1920 | |||||