Both the civil and state flag of the German state 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 ...

feature a bicolour of white over red. Introduced with the formation of the state of Thuringia within the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

in 1920, it is the reverse of the

flag of Hesse The civil flag of Hesse consists of a bicolor of a red top and a bottom white stripe, in the proportion 3:5. The state flag is similar, except it is emblazoned with the state coat of arms in the centre, and may only be used by government departm ...

, both flags ultimately reflecting the heraldic colours of the

Ludovingian The Ludovingians or Ludowingians (german: Ludowinger) were the ruling dynasty of Thuringia and Hesse during the 11th to 13th centuries. Their progenitor was Louis the Bearded who was descended from a noble family whose genealogy cannot be pre ...

rulers of the medieval

Duchy of Thuringia The Duchy of Thuringia was an eastern frontier march of the Merovingian dynasty, Merovingian kingdom of Austrasia, established about 631 by King Dagobert I after his troops had been defeated by the forces of the Samo, Slavic confederation of Samo ...

. The flag's similarity to that of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

is coincidental. Like many German state's flags, the most commonly used size commercially is 3:5, although in law it is stated as being 'at least 1:2'. The civil bicolour flag of white over red was used in the Weimar Republic, and formally abolished in 1935, under the reforms of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. It was re-adopted 1946 when Thuringia became a state again, and again abolished 1952 under governing reforms of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. When Germany was reunited, Thuringia became a state yet again, and so the flag was finally re-adopted in 1991, having been a much used symbol during the demonstrations in the German Democratic Republic in 1989/90. It was immediately accepted as ''Landesflagge'' after the reunification and the re-establishment of Thuringia as a state on 3 October 1990. The first legal regulation was the ''Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen'' of 30 January 1991. The new arms of Thuringia are the old arms of the Ludovingian Landgraves of Thuringia, with a couple of alterations. Because of the similarities between Hesse and Thuringia Coats of Arms, the flags appear similar too. (Illustrated)

History

File:Flagge Fürstentümer Schwarzburg.svg,

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a small principality in Germany, in the present day state of Thuringia, with its capital at Sondershausen. History Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was a county until 1697. In that year, it became a principality, which ...

(1599–1918) File:Flag of Saxe-Altenburg (1893-1918).svg,

Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Altenburg (german: Sachsen-Altenburg, links=no) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in present-day Thuringia. It was one of the smallest of the German states with an area of 1323 square kilometer ...

(1893–1918) File:Flag of Saxe-Meiningen (1826).svg,

Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen (; german: Sachsen-Meiningen ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ernestin ...

File:Flagge Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (1826-1911).svg,

Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchy in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently used by the District of Hildburghausen. History After the Duk ...

File:Flag of Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg.svg,

Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg () was a duchy ruled by the Ernestine branch of the House of Wettin in today's Thuringia, Germany. The extinction of the line in 1825 led to a major re-organisation of the Thuringian states. History In 1640 the sons of the l ...

File:Flagge Fürstentum Reuß ältere Linie.svg,

Principality of Reuss-Greiz The Principality of Reuss-Greiz (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Greiz), called the Principality of the Reuss Elder Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß älterer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of ...

File:Flagge Fürstentum Reuß jüngere Linie.svg,

Principality of Reuss-Gera The Principality of Reuss-Gera (german: Fürstentum Reuß-Gera), called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line (german: Fürstentum Reuß jüngerer Linie) after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Re ...

File:Flagge Großherzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1813-1897).svg, Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach (1813–1897) File:Flagge Großherzogtum Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach 1897-1918.svg, Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach (1897–1918) File:Flagge Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (1911-1920).svg,

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present-d ...

(1911–1920) File:State Flag of Thuringia 1933.svg, 1933 flag design

References

{{GermanFlags 1921 establishments in Germany

Culture of Thuringia

History

See also

References