Historical Flags 1891-1935 (Bremen, Germany)

Freie Hansestadt Bremen

Last modified: 2002-06-14 by santiago dotor
Keywords: bremen | germany | chequy | chequy: hoist | anchor | canton (white) | panel (white) | coat of arms | stripes: 8 | stripes: 12 | stripes: 14 |
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• Introduction
• Civil Ensign 1891-1935 and since 1947 (previously unofficially used, reported 1842 and 1848)
• State Flag 1891 (reported 1848 and 1905)
• State Ensign 1891-1892 (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings)
• State Ensign 1893-1921 (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings)
• State Ensign 1921-1935 (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings)
• Civil Flag (Landesflagge)
• Revolutionary Period 1918-1919

See also:

• Historical Flags (Bremen)
• Hanseatic Cities (Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland)
• Bremen
• Germany

Previously unofficially used, reported 1842 and 1848

by Marcus Schmöger 2:3
Flag adopted 13 November 1891

Like the 1693-1891 flag, except 8 stripes. Officially (re-)adopted (as merchant flag) 13 November 1891. In use since, except 1935-1947. Variants with even number of stripes permitted by the regulation of 1891. In recent times, has tended to 8 stripes. Current flag of Bremen.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

Reported 1848 and 1905

by Jaume Ollé
Flag adopted 13 November 1891

Like the 1891 Civil Ensign, but with a white rectangle covering the 4 center stripes with the great arms with a helmet crest. Officially (re)-adopted (as state flag) 13 November 1891. Present rule allows this pattern, but only with 12 stripes as shown below.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

by Jaume Ollé

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings

    
both by Jaume Ollé

Variant with Lesser Arms

by Jaume Ollé

Like the 1871 State Flag, but with a white canton 3 stripes high and about 2/3rds as wide containing a blue anchor. Now used as service flag for state vessels.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

Like 1891 State Ensign, but with the lesser arms.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

Variant with Greater Arms

2:3
by Marcus Schmöger

Like the 1891 State Flag, but with a white canton 3 stripes high and about 2/3rds as wide containing a blue anchor. Now used as service flag for state vessels.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings

2:3
N.B. The imperial crown and fouled anchor should be yellow/gold not white
by Jaume Ollé

Like the Prussian State Ensign for Sea Services 1895-1918, except in the square canton, the Bremen lesser arms. Adopted 1893 and abandoned by 1921. Illustrated in Crampton 1990 p. 42, Meyers Konversations-Lexikon 1912 vol. 4, National Geographic 1917 p. 367, nos. 999 and 1004.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings

3:5
by Jaume Ollé

The black-white-red flag with the national arms in the center (apparently slightly offset towards the hoist) with a square white canton covering the black stripe in which the Bremen lesser arms. Thus the [1921-1926] national service flag with the canton. In use 1921-1935.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

[Martin and Dreyhaupt 2000 shows the] Bremen Dienstflagge: [national] Dientsflagge z. See (black-white-red with yellow shield with black-red eagle 1927 pattern in centre) with Bremen arms in a white square in canton.

Customs: Identical but with the red letters Z and V at sides of the central shield.

Toppflagge d[er] Lotsen [topmast pilot's flag]: Bremen flag (8 stripes, 4 red and 4 white). Occupying three stripes, in canton, a white square (in fact a bit higher that long) with a light blue anchor within [like the first image under state ensign 1891-1892].

Jaume Ollé, 24 January 2001

Landesflagge

by Jorge Candeias

Horizontal bicolor red over white.

Norman Martin, 25 February 1998

From November 1918 to Summer 1919 plain red flags and red over white flags were used. Later the striped flag of Bremen —adopted on 17th November 1891— was restored (ratio 15:23).

Jaume Ollé, 24 August 1998