Flag of Hamburg

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Hamburg
Name Hamburgfahne
Landesflagge
Use Civil and state flag and ensign
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 1834
Design A red flag with the lesser coat of arms.
Variant flag of Hamburg
Name Hamburgische Staatsflagge
Use State flag
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 1897
Design A red flag with the greater coat of arms.
Variant flag of Hamburg
Name Admiralitätsflagge
Use State ensign
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 1642

There are three flags of Hamburg, Germany. The Landesflagge (civil flag), the State flag of Hamburg (Staatsflagge) and the admiralty flag (Admiralitätsflagge) consist of the Coat of arms of Hamburg on a red flag.

Overview

The civil flag shows a white castle with three towers on red background, which is used as a civil flag as a state flag for most purposes. (It was historically used as civil ensign as well.) The oldest seal with the castle is thought to date from 1241. The first flag featuring the current form was in the mid-16th century, although this was most probably a red field, a white escutcheon and red castle. After about 1623, the escutcheon began to be omitted, leaving a red castle on white or a white castle on red. It was only in 1751 that the white castle on red was decreed as the flag of Hamburg.[1]

The civil flag is free for use to everybody. The state flag of Hamburg is only used by the Senate of Hamburg as the head of state. This flag was created in 1897 on the occasion of the opening of the new town hall. The Admiralty flag of Hamburg is used only for state buildings connected to the navigation, since there are no warships as of 2008. It portrays the admiralty coat of arms which have existed since 1642.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. Harry D. Schurdel (2005), Flaggen und Wappen — Deutschland  (German)
  2. State Chancellery (2006-06-17), Flaggen, Wappen und Logos, retrieved 2008-08-13  (German)
  3. Constitution of Hamburg (Article 5) (German)
    Article 5
    (1) The state colours are white-red.
    (2) The state coat-of-arms shows on a red escutcheon a white castle with three towers and a closed gate.
    (3) The state flag shows the white castle of the state coat-of-arms on a red field.
    (4) The law determines the details about the flag and the arms.

External links

Media related to Flags of Hamburg at Wikimedia Commons

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