Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany)

Rheinland-Pfalz

Last modified: 2001-11-16 by santiago dotor
Keywords: germany | rhineland-palatinate | rheinland-pfalz | prime minister | ministerpräsident | coat of arms | bordure (yellow) |
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2:3
by Mark Sensen, coat of arms by Mario Fabretto

• Description
• Prime Minister (Ministerpräsident)
• Car Flag for Government Officials
• County and Municipal Flags (Landkreis- und Gemeindeflaggen)
• Historical Flags:
  • Historical Flags of Rhineland States
  • Palatinate 14th-18th Centuries (Pfalz)
  • Cisrhenian Republic 1797
  • Rhineland (Prussian Province) 1882-1935 (Provinz Rheinland)

See also:

• Germany

Other sites:

• Rhineland-Palatinate Flag (a better image) at the World Flag Database

The civil flag (Landesflagge) and the state flag [Landesdienstflagge] are black-red-gold with the coat-of-arms on the top hoist. Proportions 2:3.

Pascal Vagnat, 19 December 1995

Landesflagge: the national flag, in the upper hoist, slightly overlapping the red stripe, the state coat-of-arms. Illustrated in Smith 1975 p. 227.

Norman Martin, April 1998

The flag of Rhineland-Palatinate was designed in 1947 after the foundation of this Bundesland [by] the French High Commisssioner to Germany. It symbolizes the dedication of Rhineland-Palatinate to Germany (therefore the black-red-gold tricolour) as well as the democratic traditions of Germany. These colours were seen first in this combination during the so called Hambacher Fest (a demonstration at the ruins of the Hambacher Schloß castle [Palatinate]) in 1832. So the Palatinate is very much connected to these colours.

Moreover these three colours are predominant in the coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate. This coat of arms shows the signs of the predominant powers in the region before the French Revolution:

• the red cross on silver represents the Archbishop and Prince Elector of Trier;
• the silver wheel on red represents the Archbishop and Prince Elector of Mainz, and
• the golden lion on black represents the Prince Elector of the Palatinate.

Milko Hensel, 20 July 1998

Ministerpräsident

by Jaume Ollé, coat of arms by Mario Fabretto

Crampton mentioned a flag for the Minister-Präsident but I cannot find it.

Pascal Vagnat, 19 December 1995

Square flag with the arms in the center of the tricolor and with a gold border.

Norman Martin, April 1998

German square flag with Land arms. 30 × 30 [cm] for the minister president (with golden border). 30 × 30 [cm] for the Parliament president (with argent [i.e. silver] border) and 24 [sic - "25"?] × 25 [cm] for the State minister, with border red. Source: Roger Harmignies, article in Vexilla Belgica, issue 11, 1987.

Jaume Ollé, 29 July 1999

Land arms in the middle, covering the three stripes (mainly the central one). In fact, the president of the regional parliament uses the same flag as the minister-president, that is with a golden border. The flag for the state minister is 25 × 25, and it is also used by the vice-president of the local parliament. (...) Also in fact, the red border doesn't appear for technical reasons on these flags which have a red border. Source: personal and legal archives, with legislation and official documents from the German Länder, as well as the informations of Jürgen Rimann, the best German specialist for all the car flags in the world and a very reliable source.

Pascal Vagnat, 1 August 1999

by Jaume Ollé

Service flag for use by the government president, state secretary, and higher dignitaries, when is used in car (shield in center instead of canton).

Jaume Ollé, 4 October 1998

Rectangular (German flag with Land arms) for the chancellier and State secretary, 18 × 25 [cm] with red border. Triangular is for the district presidents, 20 × 25 [cm], red border). Source: Roger Harmignies, article in Vexilla Belgica, issue 11, 1987.

Jaume Ollé, 29 July 1999

Land arms in the middle, covering the three stripes (mainly the central one). (...) The "chancellier" is actually the director of the chancellery. Also in fact, the red border doesn't appear for technical reasons on these flags which have a red border. Source: personal and legal archives, with legislation and official documents from the German Länder, as well as the informations of Jürgen Rimann, the best German specialist for all the car flags in the world and a very reliable source.

Pascal Vagnat, 1 August 1999