Germany Flag Meaning and History

German Flag Description:
The flag of Germany consists of three equal horizontal stripes - the top stripe is black; the middle is red; and the bottom stripe is gold.

German Flag Meaning:
The colors black, red and gold have been associated with Germany since the middle ages, but the current German flag colors are traced back to early 19th century volunteers, who fought for the country in the Napoleonic wars. The colors are based on the soldiers' uniforms which were black coats with red braid and gold buttons.

German Flag History:
The current German flag was adopted on May 9, 1949. The German flag has actually been used at least three times in German history. It was adopted in 1848 and was abolished in 1852. It was then readopted as the flag of the Weimar Republic on August 11, 1919, and again abolished on March 12 1933, when it was replaced by the flag of the Third Reich. The German flag was also used by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) until 1959, but a coat of arms to it from 1959 to 1989. Germany separated into two countries after the Second World War and reunited on October 3, 1990, and this flag was chosen.

Interesting German Flag Facts:
The colors of the German flag now represent the unification of Germany.

From 1935 to 1945, the German flag featured a red background with a black Swastika in the middle of it on a white circle.

The former East German flag (1959 to 1989) featured Communist emblems on it.