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Hesse (Germany)

Hessen

Last modified: 2000-01-07 by marcus wendel
Keywords: hesse | hessen | germany | lion | crown | kassel | wiesbaden |
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Land Flag

[Land Flag of Hesse] by Zeljko Heimer, 23 June 1996

State Flag

[State Flag of Hesse] by Marcus Wendel, 1999-09-04

The Great Duchy of Hesse was formerly named Hesse-Darmstadt (1816-1866). After 1866, when Prussia annexed Hesse-Kassel, it was named Hesse. The flag was probably first hoisted on 1 March, 1820.
In 1918 the republic was proclaimed, and the new constitution approved on 12 December 1919.
Jaume Ollé, 17 July 1996

Description of the Flags

The Land flag is red on white.
The state flag is the same with the arms in the middle.
The flag for the official cars has bigger arms in the middle.
Proportions 3:5
Pascal Vagnat, 19 December 1995

Kassel Bezirksverbände

[Flag of Kassel Bezirksverbände] by Pascal Vagnet, 1 December 1998

Wiesbaden Bezirksverbände

[Flag of Wiesbaden Bezirksverbände] by Pascal Vagnet, 1 December 1998

I found today two flags (or better colours) of two former Prussian Bezirksverbände ("district communities"). The two governemental districts having a Bezirksverband were Kassel and Wiesbaden and were part of the former Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau.

In 1922, the flag of the Bezirksverband Kassel was red-white in horizontal stripes. The flag of the Bezirksverband Wiesbaden was blue-orange in horizontal stripes. I don't know if there were also service flags with the coats of arms of these two entities, but that might have happen. Note that it is quite rare to find a flag with an orange colour in the German Reich at that time.

The coat of arms of the Bezirksverband of the governmental district of Kassel was "azure a lion of Hesse alternatively striped gules and argent (9 stripes) tongued gules, armed and crowned (Blätterkrone) or". This was adopted with a decision of the State Ministry of the 7th March 1927.

The coat of arms of the Bezirksverband of the governemental district of Wiesbaden was "azure a lion of Nassau or tongued gules surrounded by seven woodpieces or".This was adopted with a decision of the State Ministry of the 3th September 1924.

I don't know when the colours of these two Bezirksverbände were adopted. Probably the decisions of the State Ministry I am speaking about mentioned these colours, but the book I found mentioned already these colours in 1922. It is possible that these colours were first adopted with the royal ordinance of 3rd June 1892 (Reichsanzeiger Nr.143) concerning the colours of the province of Hesse-Nassau (red-white-blue). The coat of arms of this province was adopted with a decision of the State Ministry of the 7th March 1927.

Sources : - Preussischer Staatsministerium (Hrsg.), Handbuch über den Preussischen Staat, Berlin, R.v.Deckers Verlag, 1922, 128. Jahrgang.
- Preussischer Staatsministerium (Hrsg.), Handbuch über den Preussischen Staat, Berlin, R.v.Deckers Verlag, 1928, 134. Jahrgang.
Pascal Vagnat, 1 December 1998

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