Germany Flag: Black-Red-Gold Meaning, History, Ratio & Facts
Explore Germany’s black-red-gold flag, its 3:5 legal proportions, 1919 and 1949 history, why the color is officially gold, and the difference between the national and federal service flags.
What does the German flag look like?
The Bundesflagge consists of three equal horizontal stripes: black on top, red in the middle and gold at the bottom. The official Flag Order specifies a height-to-length ratio of 3:5.
The German Basic Law gives the flag unusually strong constitutional status: Article 22 states simply that the federal flag is schwarz-rot-gold.
What do black, red and gold mean?
There is no single official color legend assigning a separate concept to each stripe. Historically, the combined black-red-gold colors became associated with German unity, constitutional government and freedom.
The Bundestag describes black-red-gold as the national colors of the Weimar Republic and the Federal Republic, and the colors returned in 1949 as part of the democratic constitutional order.
Where did black-red-gold come from?
The colors became prominent in nineteenth-century German national and liberal movements and were used at events such as the Hambach Festival. They later appeared in the revolutionary period of 1848–49.
In 1919, the Weimar National Assembly adopted black-red-gold as the colors of the first German republic. The colors disappeared from state use after 1933 and returned in 1949 when the Federal Republic of Germany adopted them under the Basic Law.
East Germany also used black-red-gold, adding its state emblem from 1959. After reunification on October 3, 1990, the plain black-red-gold federal flag continued as the flag of unified Germany.
Why do some German flags have an eagle?
The plain black-red-gold tricolor is the Bundesflagge, the federal flag. A separate Bundesdienstflagge is used by federal authorities and carries the federal shield with the eagle over the same horizontal stripes.
Is the bottom stripe gold or yellow?
German law calls the color gold, not yellow. In physical cloth and screen reproduction it often appears as a bright yellow-gold, which is why casual descriptions sometimes call it yellow.
Germany flag quick facts
| Colors | Black, red and gold |
|---|---|
| Stripes | Three equal horizontal bands |
| Ratio | 3:5 |
| Constitutional basis | Basic Law, Article 22 |
| Weimar adoption | 1919 |
| Federal Republic adoption | 1949 |
| Reunified Germany | 1990–present |
Germany flag FAQ
Is the German flag black-red-yellow or black-red-gold?
The legal wording is black-red-gold.
What is the Germany flag ratio?
3:5.
Why does some German flag artwork have an eagle?
That is usually the federal service flag used by federal authorities.
When did Germany adopt black-red-gold?
The Weimar Republic adopted the colors in 1919; the Federal Republic restored them in 1949.
Do the three colors each have an official meaning?
No single legally prescribed color-by-color symbolism exists.
