Brandenburg State 1945-1952 (Germany)

Mark Brandenburg

Last modified: 2002-06-14 by santiago dotor
Keywords: brandenburg | mark brandenburg | coat of arms (tree) |
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3:5 | stripes 2+1+2
by Jaume Ollé
Flag adopted 15th December 1945 (coat-of-arms 16th November 1945), abolished 23rd July 1952

• Introduction
• Coat-of-Arms
• Civil and State Flag 24th October - 15th December 1945 (Provinzflagge)
• Civil Flag 15th December 1945 - 23rd July 1952 (Provinzflagge)
• State Flag 15th December 1945 - 23rd July 1952 (Dienstflagge)
• Coat-of-Arms
• Rank Flags of Brandenburg State/Province 1945-1990

See also:

• Historical Flags (Prussia, Germany)
• German Democratic Republic 1949-1990 (Deutsche Demokratische Republik)
• Brandenburg (Germany)
• Germany

Rimann 1996 reports on these Brandenburg flags. The passage (translated) is:

Till 1945 the colors of Brandenburg were red and white, the arms showed the red Brandenburg eagle on white. On 24 October 1945 the presidency of the Provincial Administration of Mark Brandenburg decided, "The colors of the province are red and white in the arrangement of red, white and red." "The colors of the state are red, white and red" was also stipulated by the constitution of Mark Brandenburg from 6 February 1947.

On 16 November 1945 the presidency voted for new arms: "Red, white and red, in the white fess an oak tree in front of a rising sun, in the upper red field a shield in the colors of the City of Brandenburg (blue, white and green), in the lower the number 1945".

In the constitution not adopted before 6 February 1947, article 1, paragraph 3 fixes: "Die Landesfarben sind rot-weiß-rot" [= "The state's colors are red, white and red]. The problem is in my opinion that the first arms were described as red with a silver/white fess. But what is the exact width of a heraldic fess? There are only heraldic customs, but no rules in this respect. Regularly the fess is presented narrower than the upper and lower field created by it. Thus it seems to be understandable that a flag deriving from the arms would have unequal stripes.

On the other hand, the Austrian arms are also described as "red with a silver fess", but the flag shows equal stripes of red, white and red! Until we have more exact information —and in my opinion Pascal Vagnat seems to have the best one— the flag was clearly to be red, white and red, but the writers of the laws forgot to define the widths. That should not surprise us in respect to the year of adoption.

Finally on 16 November 1945 the exact proportions of the flag were fixed as 2:1:2. It is very unlike and I did never hear from a later change (or re-change?) to the proportions 1:1:1.

The only assumption one can risk is that during the first month (24 October to 16 November 1945) the flag was erroneously, or in a lack of precise laws, shown in proportions of 1:1:1.

Dieter Linder, 26 April 1998

Some time ago was discus[s]ed about flags of Brandenburg. Today I have more info. Flag was adopted by the presidium of the provincial administration (Beschluss des Präsidiums der Provinzverwaltung) 24 October 1945. The colors of the province of Brandenburg are red and white arranged horizontally red-white-red. I assume that then was a three-band flag. Ratio unknow[n], perhaps 2:3 (like the old provincial flags) or 1:2 (like the soviet pattern). Arms were adopted in the 11th sesion of the presidium of the provincial administration 16 November 1945. Two models are legislated: one with inscription Brandenburg, and another, same but with inscription Mark Brandenburg. No of[f]icial regulation about use of this arms in the flag until 15 December 1945. This day the Presidium of the provincial administration give a circular that say:

The flag is a rectangle with the provincial colors. The colors are arranged in horizontal stripes, red, white, red, with the proportion 2:1:2. The proportion of the flag is 3:5. The government service flag (Dienstflagge) is a rectangle with same arrangement that the previous flag (provincial flag). In center are the new provincial arms, in white stripe and also occuping 1/4 of the red stripes. The proportion is 3:5.

• Provincial flag red-white-red (stripes 1+1+1);
• Provincial flag red-white-red (2+1+2);
• Government service flag red-white-red (2+1+2) with arms.

Jaume Ollé, 28 July 1999

Provinzflagge

2:3 or 3:5?
by Jorge Candeias

Red-white-red triband. Equal stripes. Ratio 2:3. May have been used between 24 October 1945 and 15 December 1945. Abolished 23 July 1952, when the states of the German Democratic Republic were abolished.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

Probably a flag red-white-red (1+1+1) with arms in center (...) never existed. Source: Jiri Tenora, L'information vexillologique standard, 1986, annexes 6-7.

Jaume Ollé, 28 July 1999

Provinzflagge

3:5 | stripes 2+1+2
by Jorge Candeias

Red-white-red triband. White stripe 1/5 of height. Ratio 2:3. Colours, but not form, adopted 24 October 1945. Adopted formally 16 November 1945 (15 December 1945?). Abolished 23 July 1952 when the states of the German Democratic Republic were abolished. Illustrated in Kannik 1957.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

Dienstflagge

3:5 | stripes 2+1+2
by Jaume Ollé

The government service flag (Dienstflagge) is a rectangle with same arrangement that the previous flag (provincial flag). In center are the new provincial arms, in white stripe and also occuping 1/4 of the red stripes. The proportion is 3:5. (...) Source: Jiri Tenora, L'information vexillologique standard, 1986, annexes 6-7.

Jaume Ollé, 28 July 1999

This would imply that the above image by Jaume Ollé has an oversize coat-of-arms, since it occupies about half of each red stripe.

Santiago Dotor, 13 March 2001

From the Landeswappen webpage at the Brandenburg Parliament website:

Das Landeswappen nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg
Der 1945 angestrebte radikale Bruch mit der Vergangenheit sollte sich auch in den Staatssymbolen widerspiegeln. Der Beschluss des Präsidiums der Provinzialverwaltung vom 24. Oktober 1945 kreierte ein gänzlich neues Wappen, in dem die Vergangenheit lediglich in den Farben der Stadt Brandenburg als Ursprung der Provinz "angedeutet wurde":

"Es ist ein von einem Bande mit der Aufschrift 'Mark Brandenburg' umschlossener roter Schild mit weißem Querbalken. Als Urbild der Kraft und Verkörperung des Aufbauwillens steht eine stilisierte Eiche im Mittelpunkt des Schildes. Sie wird vom Licht der aufgehenden Sonne als dem Sinnbild hoffnungsfroher Zukunft umstrahlt. Die Vergangenheit der Provinz ist in den Farben der Stadt Brandenburg blau-weiß-grün in einem oberhalb angeordneten Schild angedeutet, während unterhalb des Balkens angebrachte Jahreszahl '1945' die Zeitenwende der Gegenwart zum Ausdruck bringt."

Auch eine neue Fahne wurde erdacht: An die Stelle der überlieferten, durch Erlass vom 22. Oktober 1882 "landesherrlich" legitimierten rot-weißen Fahne trat nun eine rot-weiß-rote. Mit der Auflösung des Landes 1952 verschwand auch das wenig populäre Wappen.

Santiago Dotor, 6 June 2002