Subnational Flags 1919-1935 (Prussia, Germany)

Last modified: 2004-03-06 by santiago dotor
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• Provinces of the Kingdom of Prussia which continued to exist 1918-1945 (flags abolished 1935):
  • Brandenburg 1882-1935 (Provinz Brandenburg)
  • East Prussia 1882-1935 (Provinz Ostpreussen)
  • Hanover 1887-1935 (Provinz Hannover)
  • Hesse-Nassau 1892-1935 (Provinz Hessen-Nassau)
  • Hohenzollern 1882-1935 (Provinz Hohenzollern)
  • Pomerania 1882-1935 (Provinz Pommern)
  • Rhineland 1882-1935 (Provinz Rheinland)
  • Saxony 1884-1935 (Provinz Sachsen)
  • Westphalia 1882-1935 (Provinz Westfalen)
  
  
• Provinces of the Kingdom of Prussia which continued to exist only 1918-1920:
  • Posen 1886-1920 (Provinz Posen)
  • West Prussia 1886-1920 (Provinz Westpreussen)
  • Silesia 1882-1920 (Provinz Schlesien)
  
  
• Prussian Provinces created after 1918:
  • Posen-West Prussia Frontier Province 1920-1935 (Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen)
  • Lower Silesia 1920-1935 (Provinz Niederschlesien)
  • Upper Silesia 1920-1935 (Provinz Oberschlesien)
  
  
• Prussian Landesfarben with Arms?:
  • Brandenburg Official Flag (doubtful)
  • East Prussia Official Flag (doubtful)
  • Hanover Official Flag (doubtful)
  • Lower Silesia Official Flag (doubtful)
  • Pomerania Official Flag (doubtful)
  • Posen-West Prussia Official Flag (doubtful)
  • Upper Silesia Official Flag (doubtful)
  • West Prussia Official Flag

See also:

• Prussia 1919-1935
• Subnational Flags 1815-1918
• Subnational Flags 1919-1933 (Germany)
• Attributed Flags for East and Central German Territories 1950s-1960s

Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen

2:3
by Santiago Dotor

Divided in thirds horizontally and in half vertically. Left black-white-black, right white-black-white. Adopted 1920. Abolished 1935.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

The Landesfarben were granted by the Prussian state ministry to the province on the 9th September 1923 and lasted until 1940, although all the flags of the Länder and provinces were already abolished in 1935. An explanation for this would have been the use of the flag for political propaganda at that time. It shall be noted that the combination of the colours of Western Prussia with the one of Posen appeared before the adoption of the coat of arms of the Grenzmark where the inescutcheon on the eagle displayed this combination. Till 1929, the inescutcheon was the coat of arms of Poland.

Erwin Günther shows a flag with the proportions 3:5 but Ottfried Neubecker, who is the best reference for coat of arms and flags, shows a 2:3 flag. Sources: Günther 1998 and Ottfried Neubecker, Die neuen Wappen der preussischen Provinzen, in Der Deutsche Herold. Zeitschrift für Wappen-, Siegel- und Familienkunde, 60. Jahrgang, Selbstverlag des Vereins "Herold", Berlin, 1929, pp. 5-6.

Pascal Vagnat, 26 November 1999

Provinz Niederschlesien

by Santiago Dotor

White-yellow horizontal bicolor. Adopted 1920. Abolished 1935.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

Provinz Oberschlesien

by Santiago Dotor

Yellow-blue horizontal bicolor. Adopted 1920. Abolished 1935.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

I have also seen flags consisting of the Landesfarben with coats of arms at the center. These would appear to be either flags of the provincial authorities (most likely) or unauthorized variants.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

These ones are only a guess. We have no indication about administrative flags for the German kingdom's Länder.

Mario Fabretto, 17 August 1998

What do we really know about the flags of German states before 1935 (and of Prussian provinces)? Do we know that there were these "official" flags, i.e. service flags with the coat-of-arms? Or do we just assume that?

Marcus Schmöger, 21 October 2001

Dreyhaupt 2001 shows the Dienstflaggen (service flags) of East Prussia, (Lower) Silesia and Upper Silesia. It also says that the coat-of-arms of the Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen (Posen-West Prussia Frontier Province) as it appears on FOTW was adopted in 1929. From 1925 to 1929 the arms was the West Prussian eagle bearing an inescutcheon with the Posen (i.e. Polish) arms. It does not mention however (as far as a quick reading reveals) a Dienstflagge with either coat-of-arms on the Posen-West Prussia flag.

Santiago Dotor, 23 October 2001

Editor's note: see also Attributed Flags for East and Central German Territories 1950s-1960s.

by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Like Brandenburg 1882-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with a red Brandenburg eagle with, in escutcheon the shield of the Reichserbkämmerers, at the center.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

Editor's note: see also nowadays' Brandenburg.

Possible administrative flag. Like East Prussia 1882-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with a black Prussian eagle, at the center.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Yellow-white bicolor with Hanover arms (white horse on red field).

Norman Martin, 1998

by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Like Lower Silesia 1920-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with a black Silesian eagle (with cross and crescent pattern on breast), at the center.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Like Pomerania 1882-1935, but with Pomeranian arms (red griffin in silver field) in center.

Norman Martin, 3 March 1998

N.B.: the field of the flag should have three rows and two columns, not the other way round
by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Like Posen-West Prussia 1920-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a silver field with a black Prussian eagle, emerging from the neck is a silver arm with armor grasping a silver sword. In the center a escutcheon of the same field as the flag.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

There wasn't any service flag for this province. After the [Second World] War, the association in West Germany of people coming from the former province, used the former banner of the Grenzmark Posen-Westpreussen with the coat of arms of this province in the center of the first quartering of the flag (that is one-third from the top). They used also a variant of the flag of the Grenzmark where it was (here) divided in half vertically and in thirds horizontally [as on the above image]. These two last flags are exceptions and were privately used. Sources: Günther 1998 and Ottfried Neubecker, Die neuen Wappen der preussischen Provinzen, in Der Deutsche Herold. Zeitschrift für Wappen-, Siegel- und Familienkunde, 60. Jahrgang, Selbstverlag des Vereins "Herold", Berlin, 1929, pp. 5-6.

Pascal Vagnat, 26 November 1999

by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Like Upper Silesia 1920-1935, but with coat of arms, consisting of a blue field with a yellow eagle above a scythe and crossed hammers, at the center.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

Variant

by Jaume Ollé

Possible administrative flag. Like Lower Silesia 1920-1935, but with coat of arms, like above, at the center. If real, presumably a transitional form around 1920.

Norman Martin, 20 January 1998

by Adam Kromer

by António Martins and Adam Kromer

There was a variant flag of West Prussia with [the historical Royal (Polish) Prussia] coat of arms. I do not know when this variant was created. It was definitely in use in the 20th century, to 1920, maybe 1939-1945 too. I have made a GIF and here is also a scan.

Adam Kromer, 20 July 2000