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Saxony and Thuringia (Germany)

1) Saxony (Kingdom) - Royal Banner of the Stammwappen of Saxony

by Jaume Ollé, 28 August 1998

Green rue crown on 10 stripes black-yellow. Dates from at least the 14th century. In use until 1918. [Illustrated National Geographic 1917, p. 367, no. 998]
Norman Martin in March, 1998

2) Saxony (Kingdom, Free State and Land) - National

by Zeljko Heimer

Horizontal bicolor white-green. Officially adopted 1815, readopted 1920 and 1991.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

3) Saxony- Staatsflagge

by Zeljko Heimer

National flag of Saxony with the arms at the center. Adopted 1991. [Illustrated WK Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World, p.122]
Norman Martin in March, 1998

4) Saxony (Prussian Province) - Landesfarben
Horizontal bicolor black-yellow. Officially adopted 28 Apr 1884. Used as flag of Saxony-Anhalt State 1946-1952
Norman Martin in March, 1998

5) Anhalt. Landesfarben
Horizontal tricolor red-green-white. In use until 1935.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

5c) Anhalt-Bernburg (1830-1863), Anhalt-Dessau (1813-63) and Anhalt-Kothen (1813-63)

by Jaume Ollé, 29 August 1998

Info provided by Lucien Philippe

6) Anhalt. Landesflagge

by Jaume Ollé, 29 August 1998

Landesfarben with crowned small arms at center. In use until 1918.

After world war II, the Prussian Province of Saxony and the State of Anhalt were merged to form the State of Saxony-Anhalt. This was abolished in 1952, then re-established in 1990. Its initial flag was no. 4.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

6b) Saxony-Anhalt, 1948

by Jaume Ollé, 29 August 1998

On 14 December 1948 the shield was added to the flag. Law about flag regulation is dated 5 August 1949.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

7) Saxony- Anhalt state flag

Horizontal bicolor yellow-black. Adopted 1991.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

8) Saxony- Anhalt service flag

Horizontal bicolor yellow-black (no.20) with arms at center. Adopted 1991. [Illustrated WK Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World, p.122]
Norman Martin in March, 1998

9) Saxony (Grand Duchy) [Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach] - Royal

by Jaume Ollé, 30 August 1998

Like royal flag of Saxony, but with canton containing arms of the Landgravate of Thuringia (a lion red and white striped lion rampant on a blue field). In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

10) Saxony (Grand Duchy) [Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach] Landesfarben Horizontal tricolor black-yellow-green. In use until 1918. (One source gives black-green-yellow)

The flag was adopted in 1813 with the colors order black-green-yellow. In 1896 (officially from 29 January 1897) the order was changed (to match heraldic correctness!!!) to black-yellow-green - Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

11) Saxony Republic (c. 1920), fluvial patrol

by Jaume Ollé, 30 August 1998

12) Saxe-Meiningen - Landesfarben

Horizontal bicolor green-white. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

13) Saxe-Meiningen - Duke's Great Standard

by Jaume Ollé, 30 August 1998

Horizontal bicolor green-white with great arms of Saxe-Meiningen as canton, occupying approximately 3/4 of height. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

14) Saxe-Altenburg - Landesflagge

by Jaume Ollé, 31 August 1998

Horizontal bicolor green-white with crowned Saxon arms at center. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

'15) Saxe-Altenburg - Standard.

by Jaume Ollé, 30 August 1998

White flag with crowned Saxon arms and supporters at center. In use until 1918.

The small pennons were white-green from 1893, previously green-white. This standard was in use until 1909; later was adopted one with eight white and green stripes with the Saxon device in the canton (1:1) - Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998
Norman Martin in March, 1998

16) Saxe-Altenburg - Landesfarben Horizontal bicolor white-green. In use until 1918.

In 1832 a green-white flag was adopted. Toward 1893 the flag became white-green with the coat of arms and was declared National flag. Shortly later it was again used green over white until 1918 - Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998
Norman Martin in March, 1998

17) Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Landesfarben

by Jaume Ollé, 30 August 1998

Horizontal bicolor green-white. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

18) Saxe-Coburg and Gotha - Landesflagge

Four stripes green-white. In the canton the Saxon banner of arms.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

This was the duke's standard; the Landesflagge was without the canton (four stripes from 1911) -
Mario Fabretto 31 August 1998

18c) Saxony-Lauenburg

It seems that the Dannebrog was in use.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

Until 1865 the flag was black-yellow. Lauenburg was given to the Danish king after the Wien congress and the Danish king represented the country in the German Confederation - Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998.

19) Reuss. Landesfarben Horizontal tricolor black-red-gold. In use until 1918.

by Jaume Ollé, 23 July 1996

There are several principalities with the name Reuss. In addition the princely dynasty was split into a senior and junior branch (each of them ruling some of the Reusses). I have found the following flag information. The colours are black-red-yellow. For the principalities of the junior branch, a "tricolour of the French type", for the senior branch, a horizontal triband (like the present German flag). The order of the colours is a bit unclear - it might also have been black-yellow-red. The red flag with the black saltire belongs to the princely house of Reuss-Greiz (senior branch), and is not to be considered a "national" flag. Source: G. Mattern and O. Neubecker, "History of the Flags of German States, Part II", in "Heraldische Mitteilungen, 1976/77" (in German). Harald Müller, 23 July 1996

19a) Antique line of Reus-Plauen (capital Untergreiz) was divided in 1625 into two lines: Reuss-Obergreiz and Reuss-Untergreiz. In 1768 they were reunified under Henry XI of Reuss-Untergreiz and renamed Reuss-Greiz.

Vertical black, red, yellow
Norman Martin in March, 1998

19b) Modern line of Reuss-Plauen (capital Gera) was divided 1613 into Reuss-Gera, Reuss-Schleiz and Reuss-Lobenstein, and redistribued in 1666. Reuss-Gera was extinguished in 1802 for unknown reasons (the existence of several lines makes the attribution uncertain)

Vertical black, yellow, red
Norman Martin in March, 1998

19c) Reuss-Schleiz received in 1802 half of Reuss-Gera and was renamed Reus-Schleiz-Gera. In 1848 receive Reuss-Lobenstein and was renamed Reuss-Gera

Horizontal black, red, yellow (ratio can be 4:5 or 5:6)
Norman Martin in March, 1998

19d) Reus-Lobenstein was extinguished in 1848 for unknown reasons (the existence of several lines makes the attribution uncertain)

Horizontal black, yellow, red
Norman Martin in March, 1998

In general the 17th century the flag was black and yellow, colors coming from those of the ruling family. Later the red was added. The three colors are known from the time of the Rhein Confederation (1806-14). In 1734 the officers of the 2nd regiment of Schwarzburg and Reuss united and wore the colors black-white-red, while during the Rhein Confederation the colors were yellow-red-black. On 14 August 1814, after the Paris peace treaty, soldiers from Reuss who fought against Napoleon brought at the Frankfurt parade the decoration ribbon black with red and yellow stripes. In 1820 the colors were proclaimed by the princesses "colors of the country" and in three horizontal stripes they formed the flag of Reuss, in particular of the Greiz line, while the Schleiz-Gera line mainly used them vertically. My sources gives different dates for territorial subdivisions and arrangements. As members of the German Confederation and of the German Empire only the two lines of Reuss-Greiz and Reuss-Schleiz-Gera are to be considered.
Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998

20) Reuss-Greiz. Dynastic flag?

by Jaume Ollé, 23 July 1996

Red flag with canton yellow with black St. Andrew's cross. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

These two flags come from the small principalities of Reuss in Thuringia. The first flag (red field with canton yellow and black cross "sotuer" on it) is described as the "Flag of Reuss". The second uses the national colours of Germany after 1919 and is described as the "National Flag of Reuss". The ratio is 27:34. As the principality of Reuss was split into two branches (greater and smaller), these flags may correspond to the two branches.
Jaume Ollé, 23 July 1996

This was the princely standard. The canton was square and represented the coat of arms of the burgraviate of Meissen: during the Middle Ages the principality of Reuss was also the burgraviate of Meissen. Proportions: 2:2.5. This standard was for the Greiz line, while in Schleiz-Gera they used the country flag.
Mario Fabretto, 31 August 1998

Reuss 1919

by Pascal Vagnat, 23 May 1999

The (short-lived) People's Republic of Reuss in 1919 is reported in an article found in the heraldical magazine "Herold-Jahrbuch", of 1997. The author of the article, who has researched the coats of arms of the present German Länder, says that despite all his research he hasn't been able to find a coat of arms for the People's Republic of Reuss. This state had however a seal which showed a big "R" under the pair of scales of Justice. I also found the drawing in the short vexillological and heraldical article "Reuss", that the great vexillologist Ottfried Neubecker made for the Brockhaus Enzyklopaedie in the 1960's. Neubecker says also that the People's Republic used the black-red-yellow flag.

In 1920, the People's Republic became a part of the new Land of Thuringia, which adopted a white-red horizontally flag. The flag of the authorities of the Land had the coat of arms (gules seven six-pointed stars argent) in the white stripe in the canton. See picture above.

The picture below is the coat of arms of the two principalties of Reuss, both Reuss jüngere Linie and Reuss ältere Linie (Reuss young dynasty and Reuss old dynasty). Both principalties used the same coat of arms and flag.

Sources:
-Steinbruch, Karl-Heinz : "Die Enstehung der Landeswappen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland", Herold Jahrbuch, Neue Folge, 2. Band, Berlin, 1997.
- Neubecker, Ottfried. Vexillological and heraldical part of the article "Reuss" in the Brockhaus Enzyklopaedie in 24 Bände, Wiesbaden 1965.
- Neubecker, Ottfried - Rentzmann, Wilhelm : "Wappen, Bilder Lexikon. Dictionnaire héraldique. Encyclopaedia of heraldry", Muenchen, Battenberg Verlag, 1974.

Pascal Vagnat, 23 May 1999

Arms of the State of Reuss

by Ralph Hartemink, 22 May 1999

21) Schwarzburg - Rudolstadt

by Jaume Ollé, 1 September 1998

Square yellow flag with crowned black eagle, with a crown on a yellow field in escutcheon. (Arms awarded by Emperor on the occasion of promotion to the status of prince in 1697). In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

22) Schwarzburg - Sonderhausen

by Jaume Ollé, 1 September 1998

Blue-white bicolor with gold lion rampant in upper hoist. In the center a coat of arms with the arms awarded by the Emperor. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

23) Schwarzburg (both principalities) Landesfarben

Blue-white bicolor. Adopted officially 1866. In use until 1918.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

After World War I, the various duchies and principalities in the Thuringian region were merged to form the state of Thuringia.

24) Thuringia. Landesflagge

by Zeljko Heimer, 23 June 1996

Horizontal bicolor white-red. Proportion: 1:2, different from other German flags. In use 1921-1935, 1946-1952 and since 1991. [Illustrated: Grosse Brockhaus, 15th ed., vol.4, p.656]
Norman Martin in March, 1998

Thuringian State Police

by Jaume Ollé, 15 September 1998

Adopted 1933
Norman Martin in March, 1998

25) Thuringia. Service flag 1946-52

No. 24, in the center the arms of Thuringia of the period: A gold lion rampant, uncrowned, on a red field.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

25a) Thuringia. President 1946-1952

by Jaume Ollé, 2 September 1998

Used also with inscription in Russian and in German and Russian.
Norman Martin in March, 1998

25b) Thuringia. Vice-President 1946-1952

by Jaume Ollé, 2 September 1998

26) Thuringia. Service flag. 11 April 1991 No. 24, in the center the new arms of Thuringia (the old arms of the Landgravate of Thuringia: A red-white lion rampant on a blue field, but facing left and with 8 white 6-pointed stars on the blue ) [Illustrated WK Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World, p.122]
Norman Martin in March, 1998

See also:

Germany
Historical German states
Saxony modern state
Saxony-Anhalt modern state
Thuringia modern state