The Franconian flag (german: Frankenfahne or ''Frankenflagge'') is a

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

, a region in North

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

and parts of

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

and

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Description

The

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

consists of two horizontal bands of equal thickness, the upper one is red, the lower one is white or

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

.''Kleine fränkische Wappen- und Flaggenkunde''
: www.tagderfranken2013.de, retrieved 22 December 2013 (pdf) The Franconian Rake is usually placed in the centre. Also common is the word ''Franken'' ("Franconia") in white letters on a black field above the rake. Although not official, the Franconian Rake is also commonly used as the flag itself, replacing the horizontal bands with the rake. The Franconian flag is neither a state symbol nor an emblem of sovereignty because Franconia is only a geographical or cultural region, not an administrative unit. it is used mainly on festival days or similar purposes by private individuals and clubs. On Franconia Day it may also be hoisted by the authorities. In the Franconian provinces the coat of arm of the respective province ( Upper, Middle or Lower Franconia) may take the place of the Franconian Rake. The flag is also sometimes seen incorrectly with the colours reversed.

History

The flag takes its colours from the so-called Franconian Rake. This coat of arms first surfaced in the early 14th century on the gravestone of the Würzburg prince bishop, Wolfram Wolfskeel von Grumbach, as well as a seal for the village of Gerolzhofen. It was a symbol of Franconian ducal sovereignty, which the Wurzburg prince bishops nominally had. The field banners of the contingents of soldiers of the Franconian Circle within the Imperial Army of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

also bore these colours. The flag was, however, not a symbol of the whole of Franconia because it was never a separate state. When, in 1835, a new Bavarian coat of arms was introduced, the officials responsible for the task ensured that the Franconian territories were recognised. They chose the Franconian Rake as the emblem of the whole of Franconia, which has since been integrated into the

armorial achievement In heraldry, an achievement, armorial achievement or heraldic achievement (historical: hatchment) is a full display or depiction of all the heraldic components to which the bearer of a coat of arms is entitled. An achievement comprises not only ...

Flag dispute

File:Pleinfeld Rathaus.jpg, The Franconian flag at half mast in front of

Pleinfeld Pleinfeld is a Franconian municipality and market town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in the German state of Bavaria. It is situated in the Metropolitan Area of Nuremberg and in the Franconian Lake District. Pleinfeld is a nationally re ...

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

in the county of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen,

Middle Franconia Middle Franconia (german: Mittelfranken, ) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the west of Bavaria and borders the state of Baden-Württemberg. The administrative seat is Ansbach; however, ...

File:Rathaus Feucht 01.jpg, The Franconian flag in front of the town hall of Feucht,

Nürnberger Land Nürnberger Land is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Forchheim, Bayreuth, Amberg-Sulzbach, Neumarkt, Roth and Erlangen-Höchstadt, and by the city of Nuremberg. Hi ...

File:Coburg-Rathaus1.jpg, The Franconian flag in front of the town hall of Coburg, Upper Franconia With the introduction of Franconia Day there has been pressure to fly the Franconian flag on public buildings. But because it is not a state flag, this request was refused by the

Bavarian state parliament The Landtag of Bavaria, officially known in English as the Bavarian State Parliament, is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Bavaria. The parliament meets in the Maximilianeum in Munich. Elections to the Landtag are held every f ...

, the ''

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

''. However, the constitutional committee of the ''Landtag'' decided in 2012 that the flag could be hoisted for advertising purposes on public buildings alongside the

flag of Germany The national flag of Germany is a tricolour (flag), tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: Sable (heraldry), black, Gules, red, and Or (heraldry), gold (german: :de:Schwarz-Rot-Gold, Sc ...

, the Bavarian state flag and the flag of Europe, because the state was neither able nor permitted to make a ruling. There were more arguments over the flags on

Nuremberg Castle Nuremberg Castle (german: Nürnberger Burg) is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one ...

. In 2008 a Bavarian flag was hoisted on the castle for the first time. This was taken as an affront by many of the locals. SPD members of parliament demanded that the Free State also displayed the Franconian flag on the castle. This demand was rejected, however, by the Bavarian Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann. In summer 2009 Lord Mayor

Ulrich Maly Dr. Ulrich Maly (born 8 August 1960) is a German politician, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany who served as Mayor of Nuremberg from 2002 till 2020. Early life and education Ulrich Maly was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria, and edu ...

escalated the flag dispute but allowing the Nuremberg municipal flag to be raised alongside the German and Bavarian flags. Because it is also red and white, the version without the city coat of arms resembles the Franconian flag. Including the requisite additional eight-metre-high flagpole the cost came to €25,000. In summer 2012 the flags were changed again: on the ''

palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval ''Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson, ...

'', the main building of the castle, the German flag was replaced by a Bavarian flag. On the flagpole where this Bavarian flag had hitherto been hoisted (the ''Heidenturm'' tower) a Franconian flag was now displayed. The

now fluttered on a pole erected for it in the open. The Franconian flag is also used as a symbol by the Franconia football team.

References

External links

{{commons category, Flags of Franconia Franconia Flags of Germany Red and white flags