Frankfurt 1833-1866 (Germany)

Free City of Frankfurt, Freie Stadt Frankfurt

Last modified: 2002-07-13 by santiago dotor
Keywords: germany | frankfurt | rhineland | reichsstadt | imperial city | canton (white) | stripes: 4 | coat of arms |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

2:3
by Jaume Ollé

• Introduction
• Description
• Variant reported 1862

See also:

• Hesse-Nassau (Prussian Province) 1892-1935 (Provinz Hessen-Nassau)
• Historical Flags (Germany)
• City of Frankfurt (Hesse / Hessen, Germany)
• Germany

Frankfurt (am Main) was an Imperial City (Reichsstadt) from 1219 to 1806 and a Free City (Freie Stadt) from 1806 to 1866. In 1866 it passed to Prussia and was included in the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. Further historical information at the Frankfurt am Main Official Website.

Santiago Dotor, 25 July 2000

Four stripes red-white-red-white with a white canton whose height is 1/2 of the flag with a shield with the arms of Frankfurt. Reported 1848 and 1865.

Norman Martin, April 1998

On 4 March 1833 the Trading Commission reported to the Senate that the State was lacking a law about the flag and proposed a white over red flag with the coat of arms in the canton. The Senate decided the next day (5 March) to choose a flag with four stripes red-white-red-white with the coat of arms in the canton. This flag was used until 1937 by the town motor boats. Proportions 2:3. The coat of arms has been, from the 15th century, "gules, an eagle argent, tongued and armed azure, beaked and crowned or". [Editor's note: the above blazon does not match the coat of arms in this page's flag images.]

Mario Fabretto, 27 August 1998

Over a year ago, I acquired a copy of Johnson's New Chart Of National Emblems, which has a copyright date of 1863. I purchased it because of my general interest in flags of that period, and specifically because it includes the flag of the Confederate States of America. The Confederate flag shown is the one adopted on 1 May 1863, which dates this chart to the later half of 1863 rather than earlier in the year. One of the flag images on the chart that interested me was that of Frankfurt. The 1863 Johnson chart shows the 4-striped version. The 1862 Bromme chart (Germany) shows the 3-stripe variant.

Devereaux Cannon, 31 May 2001

by Jaume Ollé

A horizontal triband red-white-red with a white canton whose height is 2/3 of the flag with a shield with the arms of Frankfurt.

Norman Martin, April 1998