The black-red-gold tricolour was readopted in 1949 by West Germany and remains Germany's flag after reunification in 1990. The same colours were used during the 1848 revolution and the Weimar Republic.
The design
The Flag of Germany is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 3:5, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses Black, Red, Gold, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Black | Black | May reference the people, ancestral heritage, or the determination to overcome. |
| Red | Red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| Gold | Gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
| Source | Official flag law | The country’s own statute or constitutional appendix specifies exact shades and proportions. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The colours date to the 1848 democratic revolutions and the Holy Roman Empire's standard. Together they symbolise unity and freedom.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Germany — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1949. Earlier banners flown by Germany reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Germany should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Germany | — |
| Continent | Europe | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | DE | 2-letter code |
| ISO alpha-3 | DEU | 3-letter code |
| Adopted | 1949 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 3:5 | height : length |
| Colours | Black, Red, Gold | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | 🇩🇪 | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
Nazi Germany replaced these colours with the swastika flag in 1935; the postwar restoration was a deliberate return to democratic tradition.
