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Thuringia (Germany)

Thüringen, Freistaat Thüringen, Free State of Thuringia

Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: thuringia | thueringen | lion(barry) | star(6-point) | stars(7) |
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• Introduction
• Civil Flag (Landesflagge)
• Civil Flag, Vertical Variant (Hängeflagge)
• State Flag (Landesdienstflagge)
• State Flag, Vertical Variant (Hängeflagge)
• Flag Law 1991 and Constitution 1994
• Coat-of-Arms (Landeswappen)
• Region of Franconian Thuringia or South Thuringia

• Historical Flags
• County and Municipal Flags (Landkreis- und Gemeindeflaggen)

• Germany

Introduction

• Laitenberger and Bassier 2000
• Schurdel 1995
• Günther 1999
• Thuringia official website, with information on history of the state coat-of-arms, also including links to the arms (with image) and flags (only descriptions) of the counties
• Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Thüringen vom 30. Januar 1991. Gesetzblatt für das Land Thüringen 1991, S. 1 (Law on the State Symbols of the State of Thuringia of 30 January 1991. Law Gazette for the State of Thuringia 1991, p. 1).
• Verfassung des Freistaats Thüringen vom 25. Oktober 1993. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für das Land Thüringen 1993, S. 625-638 (Constitution of the - Free State of Thuringia of 25 October 1993. Law and Official Gazette for the State of Thuringia 1993, p. 625-638)
• Verordnung zur Ausführung des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Thüringen vom 11. April 1991. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für das Land Thüringen 1991, S. 70-77 (Regulation on the implementation of the Law on the State Symbols of the State of Thuringia of 11 April 1991. Law and Official Gazette for the Land Thuringia 1991, p. 70-77)

Civil Flag
Landesflagge

As it is probably used		As shown in the legal text
3:5		1:2

Both images by M. Schmöger
Flag adopted 1921, abolished 1935, readopted 1946, abolished 1952, readopted 11 Apr 1991

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.
M. Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001

Civil Flag, Vertical Variant
Hängeflagge

2:1  Image by M. 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.
M. Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001

State Flag
Landesdienstflagge

As it is probably used		As shown in the legal text
3:5		1:2

Both images by M. Schmöger
Flag adopted 11th April 1991

Horizontal bicolour 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.
M. Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001

State Flag, Vertical Variant / Hängeflagge

As it is actually used		As shown in the legal text
7:2		2:1

Images both by M. 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.
M. Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001

Flag Law 1991 and Constitution 1994

Coat-of-Arms / Landeswappen

Image by M. Schmöger

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:

1. Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach
2. Sachsen-Meinigen
3. Sachsen-Altenburg
4. Sachsen-Gotha (1826-1918 part of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha - Coburg became Bavaria in 1920)
5. Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
6. Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
7. Reuß-Gera
8. Reuß-Greiz
9. former Prussian territories (Regierungsbezirk Erfurt and parts of the Regierungsbezirk Merseburg in the province of Sachsen and the Kreis Schmalkaden in Hessen-Nassau).

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.
M. Schmöger, 7 Oct 2001

Region of Franconian Thuringia or South Thuringia

3:5 image by Jens Pattke,

The Rennsteig is an historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in Central Germany. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Rennsteig marked the boundary of the Duchy of Franconia with the Landgraviate of Thuringia. Even today it forms a clear border between the Franconian part of South Thuringia from the otherwise Thuringian-Upper Saxon lands of Thuringia. The Rennsteig as a language border separates the East Franconian dialects (Hennebergisch, Itzgründisch and Upper Franconian) from the Thuringian dialects (Central Thuringian, Ilm Thuringian and Southeastern Thuringian) spoken in the mountains, in the northern part and east of the Thuringian Forest (Thüringer Wald).
Currently, there are aspirations to secede this historical region from Thuringia and to join Bavaria. Besides tradition, religion and dialect there are also economic reasons. The level of living in Bavaria tis many times higher than that one in Thuringia.
In addition to the flag of Thuringia (see above, in the counties of Hildburghausen, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Sonneberg, Wartburg County and in the city of Suhl hoisted the flag of Franconia.
The inofficial "Separatist" Region of Franconian Thuringia used a horizontally divided red-white flag with arms of alliance. The arms of alliance combine the Coats of Arms of Franconia and former Counts of Henneberg.
Sources: here and here
Jens Pattke, 19 Mar 2016

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