![[State Flag, as shown in the legal text (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_s2.gif)
1:2 
by Marcus Schmöger
Flag adopted 11th April 1991
Last modified: 2005-10-01 by santiago dotor
Keywords: germany | thuringia | thüringen | thueringen | free state of thuringia | freistaat thüringen | law | coat of arms (lion: barry) | coat of arms (stars: white) | coat of arms (stars: 8) |
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1:2
by Marcus Schmöger
Flag adopted 11th April 1991
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Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001
| As it is probably used | As shown in the legal text |
![[Civil Flag, as it is probably used (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_c1.gif) 3:5   |
![[Civil Flag, as shown in the legal text (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_c2.gif) 1:2
|
The Landesflagge is white on red. The state flag is the same with the arms in the middle. Proportions 1:2 — different from the other German flags. (...) The colours of the Land were adopted on the 30th January 1991, and the flags (Landesflagge and Landesdienstflagge) on the 11th April 1991.
Pascal Vagnat, 9 December 1995 and 22 April 1998
The civil flag is a bicolour of white over red. Already used after the First World War, this flag was widely used by the people during the demonstrations in the German Democratic Republic in 1989/90. So it was immediately accepted as Landesflagge after the reunification and the re-establishment of Thuringia as a Land on 3 October 1990. The first legal regulation was the Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen of 30 January 1991, that introduced the Landesfarben as white-red; however, this law came into force retroactively as of 3 October 1990.
Further on it was regulated in Art. 44 of the constitution of 25 October 1993. The most detailed prescription, however, is in the Verordnung zur Ausführung des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen of 11 April 1991. From this Verordnung stems the common misconception, that the proportions of the flag are defined as 1:2, which is very unusual for German flags. The Verordnung says in § 3 (1):
Breite und Länge der Flagge müssen mindestens ein Verhältnis von 1 zu 2 besitzeni.e.
Width and length of the flag must have a proportion of at least 1 to 2.My interpretation is, that they may have a proportion of 1.2:2 (=3:5) or 1.333:2 (2:3) as well, but not of 1:3 for example. So probably the flags (normal hoisted flags) in Thuringia have a proportion of 3:5, as most German flagmakers produce them like that. Also the books usually show the flags of Thuringia in 3:5 proportion, at least Laitenberger and Bassier 2000 and Schurdel 1995. On the other hand, the Verordnung shows sketches of the flags in 1:2 in the appendix.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001
![[Civil Flag, Vertical Variant (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_cv.gif) |
2:1 by Marcus Schmöger |
This is the vertical variant of the civil flag as shown in the appendix of the Verordnung (2:1). Vertical variants are usually longer than that in Germany.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001
| As it is probably used | As shown in the legal text |
![[State Flag, as it is probably used (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_s1.gif) 3:5 |
1:2
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Horizontal bicolor white-red, proportions 1:2, in the center the new arms of Thuringia: the old arms of the Landgravate of Thuringia (a red-white striped lion rampant on a blue field, but facing left) and with 8 white 6-pointed stars on the blue. Illustrated in Dorling-Kindersley 1997, p. 122.
Norman Martin, March 1998
The state flag is the civil flag with the coat-of-arms in the center. It is also regulated in the Art. 44 of the constitution of 25 October 1993, and in the Verordnung zur Ausführung des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen of 11 April 1991. However, as with the civil flag, the actual use of the flag differs from the sketches in the appendix of the Verordnung. The proportions are usually not 1:2, and the coat-of-arms is usually bigger (see Laitenberger and Bassier 2000 and Schurdel 1995). The state flag, as it is probably used, has proportions 3:5 and a bigger coat-of-arms (50% of the flag height). As shown in the appendix of the Verordnung, it has proportions 1:2 and a coat-of-arms of only 40% of the flag height.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001
| As it is actually used | As shown in the legal text | ||
![[State Flag, Vertical Variant as it is actually used (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_s3.gif) |
7:2
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![[State Flag, Vertical Variant as shown in the legal text (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th_s4.gif) |
2:1 both by Marcus Schmöger |
The vertical variant in actual use has a proportion 7:2 and a bigger coat-of-arms: an example of the use can be seen on the Thuringia website. The vertical variant as shown in the appendix of the Verordnung has proportion 2:1 and a smaller coat-of-arms.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001
The first law Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Thüringen was adopted on the 30th January 1991, published on the 31st January in the then Gesetzblatt für das Land Thüringen. It is said in the §2: "Regelungen über die Gestaltung und Führung des Landeswappens, der Landesflagge, des Landessiegels und des Amtschildes trifft die Landesregierung durch Rechtsverordnung" ("The regulations concerning the form/description and the displaying of the coat of arms of the Land, the flag of the Land, the seal of the Land, and the administrative shields are made by the government of the Land with a legal ordinance."). That ordinance was adopted on the 11th April 1991, published in the Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für das Land Thüringen of the 26th April 1991.
The Constitution of Thuringia, containing in its article 44.2 the colours and the coat-of-arms of this state, was adopted by the parliament on the 25th Obtober 1993, published on the 29th October 1993, adopted by referendum on the 16th October 1994 by the population, and the result was announced by a Bekanntmachung (notice) of the 26th October 1994, published on the 3rd November 1994. That Constitution entered with this referendum into force.
Pascal Vagnat, 1st May 1998
![[Coat-of-Arms (Thuringia, Germany)]](../images/d/de-th).gif)
by Marcus Schmöger
The shield is blue, with a crowned lion (rampant). The lion is divided into eight horizontal stripes, alternating red and white. The crown and claws are gold. Surrounding the lion are eight white six-pointed stars. This is very similar to the arms of Hesse.
David Lewellen
The modern coat-of-arms shows eight stars. There were seven stars on the Arms of 1921-1933, no stars on the one of 1933-1945 and eight stars on the one of 1945-1952. These stand for:
Pascal Vagnat, 22nd April 1998
The state coat-of-arms is blasoned: Azure, a lion rampant barry of eight Gules and Argent, crowned and armed Or, surrounded by eight mullets Argent. The first legal regulation was the Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen of 30 January 1991 (coming into force retroactively as of 3 October 1990). Further on it was regulated in Art. 44 of the constitution of 25 October 1993. The Verordnung zur Ausführung des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen of 11 April 1991 only prescribes the actual use of the coat-of-arms. The history of the different coats-of-arms of Thüringen is thoroughly described in the Thuringian official website.
Marcus Schmöger, 7 October 2001