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District Flags (Berlin, Germany)

Bezirksflaggen

Last modified: 2003-08-09 by santiago dotor
Keywords: berlin | district | stadtbezirk | bezirk | construction sheet | law |
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Introduction

Berlin has since the 1st January 2001 a new administrative division. The number of the districts decreased from 23 to 12 districts. The districts of Spandau, Reinickendorf and Neukölln remained with the borders of 1920, and keep on flying the flags adopted in the 1950s. The other districts have merged so that groups of two or three districts were joined into one. All new districts may adopt new coats-of-arms and flags. As soon as the flags of the district parliaments are adopted, I will report them.

Jens Pattke, 12 February 2001

Berlin is divided in 12 districts presently. The Berlin district is called in German Bezirk. The flag and the coat of arms are thus called Bezirksflagge and Bezirkswappen. The name Stadtbezirk (city district) is also used.

Jens Pattke, 14 February 2001

From the Berlin official website:

Since reunification in 1990, Berlin [was] divided into 23 boroughs. (...) On 1 January 2001, the number of boroughs was reduced from 23 to 12 in the course of borough reform. Without splitting any of the existing boroughs, they were combined to form larger, comparable administrative units with about 300,000 inhabitants each. (...) Only the three largest boroughs, Neukölln, Reinickendorf and Spandau remained unchanged. The others were integrated into larger administrative units while preserving the respective former borders. At the same time, the new borough structure achieved a certain balance in the number of inhabitants. (...) The new districts in detail (as of September 1999):
  1. Mitte [-Tiergarten-Wedding] (322,138 inhabitants)
  2. Friedrichshain - Kreuzberg (249,038 inhabitants)
  3. Prenzlauer Berg - Weißensee - Pankow (330,673 inhabitants)
  4. Charlottenburg - Wilmersdorf (318,731 inhabitants)
  5. Spandau (223,678 inhabitants)
  6. Zehlendorf - Steglitz (288,589 inhabitants)
  7. Tempelhof - Schöneberg (338,670 inhabitants)
  8. Neukölln (307,448 inhabitants)
  9. Treptow - Köpenick (228,253 inhabitants)
  10. Marzahn - Hellersdorf (269,433 inhabitants)
  11. Lichtenberg - Hohenschönhausen (268,265 inhabitants)
  12. Reinickendorf (247,431 inhabitants)

Santiago Dotor, 4 December 2001

Flag Usage

The district flags are the official flags used by the administrations of the districts in Berlin (state usage or ). They are flown from city district buildings as well as on vehicles of the district mayors. Flag hoisting days are established by the Verordnung über die Beflaggung öffentlicher Gebäude, Anlagen und Fahrzeuge (Beflaggungsverordnung) or "Regulation on the hoisting of flags on public buildings, plants and vehicles" of 21st June 1972. District flags are flown without special order on:

  • Labour Day (1st May)
  • Europe Day (5th May)
  • Anniversary of the proclamation of the German Constitution (23rd May)
  • Anniversary of the popular revolt in the GDR 17th June 1953
  • Anniversary of the German resistance (20th July)
  • Fatherland Day (2nd Sunday in September),
  • Day of the German Unity (3rd October)
  • Mourning day (2nd Sunday before the 1st Advent Sunday): flags at half mast
  • Day of the election to the German Parliament (Bundestag)
  • Day of the election to the European Parliament
  • Day of the election to the German President (Bundespräsident)
  • Day of the election to the House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus) of Berlin.
  • District occasions with particular authorizations.
On these days, the district flag is flown from all public and official buildings in the district beside the flags of Germany and Berlin. When more than three flag masts are available, the European flag is also flown.

District flags are also flown without authorization in social-democratic and communist-ruled districts on Christopher Street Day together with the rainbow-flag of the gay and lesbian movement.

Finally, the Spandau district flag is flown constantly since 1997 from the district hall building, a breach of the law.

Jens Pattke, 18 February 2001

Specifications and Construction Sheet

[Construction sheet for district flags (Berlin, Germany)] 3:5 | stripes 1+3+1
by Jens Pattke

Here is the generic construction sheet for the flags of Berlin districts. Source: Ausführungsvorschrift zum Gesetz über das Hoheitszeichen des Landes von Berlin, 16 December 1986, published under chapter 40 im Dienstblatt des Senates von Berlin, part I, no. 3, 23 January 1987, p. 17.

Jens Pattke, 22 February 2001

Bibliography

Here is a small bibliography of Berlin (my sources):

    Law

    1. Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Berlin, 13 May 1954, published in Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt des Landes Berlin, part I, 1954 p. 289
    2. Verordnung über die Beflaggung öffentlicher Gebäude, Anlagen und Fahrzeuge (Beflaggungsverordnung), 21 June 1972
    3. Ausführungsvorschrift zum Gesetz über das Hoheitszeichen des Landes von Berlin, 16 December 1986; published under chapter 40 in Dienstblatt des Senates von Berlin, part I, no. 3 (23 January 1987), p. 17

    Text and dates

    The districts of former West Berlin
    1. Vogel, Werner, Berlin und sein Wappen, Ullstein, Berlin (West) / Frankfurt am Main, 1987 (chapter on West Berlin) [Vogel 1987]

    The districts of former East Berlin
    1. Amtsblatt für Berlin, year 1993, no. 1 (7 January 1993) and no. 31 (30 June 1993)
    2. Amtsblatt für Berlin, year 1994, no. 6 (3 February 1994) and no. 54 (10 November 1994)
    3. Reichelt, Hans J., Der Berliner Bär. Kleine Geschichte eines Stadtsymbols in Siegel, Wappen und Flagge, Berliner Forum, East Berlin, 1979
    4. Machatscheck, Heinz, Als der Wappenbär geboren wurde. Aus der Geschichte des Berliner Wappens, Berlin-Information, East Berlin, 1987
    5. Vogel, Werner, Berlin und sein Wappen, Ullstein, Berlin (West) / Frankfurt am Main, 1987 (chapter on East Berlin, coats-of-arms valid until 3 October 1990) [Vogel 1987]
    6. Tenora, Jiri, Les drapeaux et les armoiries des arrondissements de Berlin-Est, 16th International Congress of Vexillology, Warsaw, July 1995
    7. Several reports of the Berlin gazettes Berliner Morgenpost, Tagesspiegel and Berliner Zeitung from 1993 and 1994

    The districts of Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, Lichtenberg, Neukölln, Schöneberg and Spandau
    1. Günther, Erwin, Wappen und Flaggen der Stadt- und Landkreise Brandenburgs und der ehemaligen Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen, Selbstverlag Günther, Limbach-Oberfrohna, October 1998; report from the 7th Congress of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Flaggenkunde, Erfurt, 1998 [Günther 1998]
    Present districts of Berlin
    1. Several reports of the Berlin gazettes Berliner Morgenpost, Tagesspiegel and Berliner Zeitung from 2000 and 2001
    2. Amtsblätter für Berlin, year 2001

    Images

    1. Coat-of-arms vector images for 22 districts by Gunnar Staack, flag images by Jens Pattke
    2. Coat-of-arms and flag images of district Hohenschönhausen (incl. proposal) by Jens Pattke
    3. Map images by gazette Berliner Morgenpost.

Jens Pattke, 16 February 2001