Hesse (Germany)

Hessen, Hesse State, Land Hessen

Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: hesse | hessen | lion(barry) | coronet |
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• Introduction
• Civil Flag and Ensign (Landesflagge)
• State Flag (Landesdienstflagge)
• State Banner reported 1948
• Jack for State Vessels (Gösch für staatliche Wasserfahrzeuge)

• Car Flags (Standarte und Dienstflaggen für Kraftfahrzeuge)
• County and Municipal Flags (Landkreis- und Gemeindeflaggen)
• Historical Flags
• Germany

Introduction

Sources:

• Laitenberger and Bassier 2000
• Schurdel 1995
• Verfassung des Landes Hessen vom 1. Dezember 1946. Gesetz-und Verordnungsblatt für Hessen 1946, S. 229-240 (Constitution of the State of Hesse of 1st December 1946. Law and Official Gazette 1946, pp. 229-240)
• Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Hessen vom 4. August 1948. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für Hessen 1948, S. 111 (Law on the state symbols of the State of Hesse of 4th August 1948. Law and Official Gazette 1948, p. 111)
• Gesetz zur Änderungs des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Hessen vom 22. November 1949. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für Hessen 1949, S. 171 (Law ammending the law on state symbols of the State of Hesse of 22nd November 1949. Law and Official Gazette 1949, p. 171)
• Verordnung über die Landesdienstflagge vom 26. November 1949. Gesetz-und Verordnungsblatt für Hessen 1949, S. 171-172 (Regulation on the state flag of 26th November 1949. Law and Official Gazette 1949, pp. 171-172)
• Bekanntmachung über die Standarte für den Dienstkraftwagen des Hessischen Ministerpräsidenten vom 2. Dezember 1955. Staatsanzeiger für das Land Hessen 1955, S. 1257 (Proclamation of the standard for the official car of the prime minister of Hesse of 2nd December 1955. Government Gazette 1955, p. 1257)

Civil Flag and Ensign
Landesflagge

The Land flag is red on white. Proportions 3:5.
Pascal Vagnat, 19 Dec 1995

The civil flag (also civil ensign) is a bicolour red over white, proportions 3:5. It was first introduced with the Constitution of 1946 (Art. 66), and defined more thoroughly in the Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen of 1948.
M. Schmöger, 2 Oct 2001

State Flag
Landesdienstflagge

The state flag is red on white with the arms in the middle. The flag for official cars has bigger arms in the middle. Proportions 3:5.
Pascal Vagnat, 19 Dec 1995

Like Landesflagge, but with the crowned arms (with leaf crown) approved 31 December 1949. Illustrated in Smith 1975 p. 227.
Norman Martin, Apr 1998

The state flag is the civil flag with the coat-of-arms in the center. It was first defined in the Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen of 1948; the coat-of-arms was slightly changed in 1949 with the Gesetz zur Änderungs des Gesetzes über die Hoheitszeichen. The size of the coat-of-arms is defined by the drawings attached to the Verordnung über die Landesdienstflagge of 1949, where it is shown as 5/9 of the flag height. In car flags and jacks of state vessels it can be larger. I lack a good picture of the 1948-1949 coat-of-arms to make an appropriate image of the state flag in the pattern 1948-1949.
M. Schmöger, 2 Oct 2001

It seems that the coat of arms of the federal Land of Thuringia and the federal Land of Hesse both use the red and white lion. I thought that the red and white lion was associated with the house of Nassau and therefore with Hesse. Is it also a symbol of Thuringia?
Harold, 10 Jun 2006

There are little differences between the arms: the lion of Thuringia is red and white and the lion of Hesse is white and red. The first count of Hesse, Henry I, took over the lion of Thuringia in the 13th century. The lion of Thuringia is the older.
Jörg Majewski, 10 Jun 2006

And in answer to the question regarding Nassau, I should mention that the lion of Nassau was (and is) gold, not barry silver and red (or red and silver). There is no connection. In fact, lions are an extremely common charge in Germany, as they are also in Britain, but they are to be found most of all in the Low Countries.
Mike Oettle, 11 Jun 2006

State Banner reported 1948

The banner (reverse shown) is a red - white vertical bicolour with arms in the centre of the banner. It is quite probable (but definitely not clearly visible) that the arms is the earlier (1948-49) version, slightly different in details.
Sources: Kuhn 1991, p. 90 and Hormann and Plaschke 2006, p.194
Klaus-Michael Schneider and M.Schmöger, 22/23 Apr 2014

Jack for State Vessels
Gösch für staatliche Wasserfahrzeuge

3:5 Image by M. Schmöger, 2 Oct 2001
Flag and coat-of-arms approved 22 Nov 1949

The state vessels (e.g. police boats) use the German federal flag as ensign. As a jack they use the Hesse state flag with, however, a rather large coat-of-arms of 5/6 of the flag height. Source: Kroker 2000 and Verordnung über die Landesdienstflagge of 1949.
M. Schmöger, 2 Oct 2001

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