Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany)

Rheinland-Pfalz

Last modified: 2020-07-26 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: rhineland-palatinate | rheinland-pfalz | cross(red) | wheel | lion(golden) | coronet | tierced per pall | prime minister |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors

• Introduction
• Description
• Vertical Flags (Hängefahne and Banner)
• Prime Minister (Ministerpräsident)
• Car Flag for Government Officials
• State Banner reported 1948
• Possible Use of Bavarian Flag (1945 - 1947)
• County and Municipal Flags (Landkreis- und Gemeindeflaggen)

• Historical Flags of Rhineland States
• Palatinate 14th-18th Centuries (Pfalz)

Sources:

• Laitenberger and Bassier 2000
• Schurdel 1995
• Kuhn 1991
• Harmignies 1987
• Verfassung für Rheinland-Pfalz vom 18. Mai 1947. Verordnungsblatt der Landesregierung Rheinland-Pfalz 1947, S. 209 ff. (Constitution for Rhineland-Palatinate of 18 May 1947. Official Gazette of the State Government of Rhineland-Palatinate 1947, pp. 209 ff.)
• Landesgesetz zur Ausführung des Artikels 74 der Verfassung vom 10. Mai 1948. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt der Landesregierung Rheinland-Pfalz Teil 1, 1948, S. 229 (State Law for the implementation of Article 74 of the Constitution of 10 May 1948. Law and Official Gazette of the State Government of Rhineland-Palatinate part 1, 1948, p. 229)
• Landesgesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz (Wappen- und Flaggengesetz) in der Fassung vom 7. August 1972. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für das Land Rheinland-Pfalz 1972, S. 293. (State Law on the State Symbols of the State Rhineland-Palatinate (Law on Arms and Flags) in the version of 7 August 1972. Law and Official Gazette for the State Rhineland-Palatinate 1972, p. 293)

M. Schmöger, 22 October 2001

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

The well-known black-red-gold triband with the coat-of-arms in the canton is both the Landesflagge (civil flag) and the Landesdienstflagge (state flag), as also happens with Lower Saxony and Saarland. My image above of this Hißfahne (hoisted flag) is made according to the appendix to the 1972 Law. The proportions must be 2:3.

M. Schmöger, 22 October 2001

Hängefahne and Banner

both by M. Schmöger

The vertical variants are different from the respective variants of other Länder, as the coat-of-arms is not in the center, but in the canton. This was first prescribed in the Law of 1972, but probably used de facto much earlier. In the appendix to this law there are drawings of a Hängefahne and a Banner. The caption to these drawings says:

Hängefahne and Banner are usually longer than these patterns show. These are only relevant for the placing of the Land coat-of-arms on the flag.

M. Schmöger, 22 October 2001

What are the relative dimensions of the arms, distance to the top and hoist etc.? If the hanging flag (shown here as 2:1) and the banner (shown as 3:1) can have other proportions than those shown, what is the difference between them?

Santiago Dotor, 23 October 2001

There are no indications neither in the text nor in the drawing in the appendix regarding these dimensions. Regarding what differences the Hängefahne and the Banner, basically nothing (at least not the proportions)! The same thing happens with the construction sheet of the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania vertical flags. Probably somebody in one of the German Länder drew the hanging flag and banner like that somewhere in the past, and everybody issuing a new law or regulation just copies it. The only difference between Hängefahne and Banner is the way they are hoisted (horizontal flagpole or crossbar). The proportions do not differ in a straightforward way.

M. Schmöger, 23 October 2001

Ministerpräsident

Square flag with the arms in the center of the tricolour 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: Harmignies 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

Car flags (Autoflaggen) in Rhineland-Palatinate are a difficult subject. I will discuss them in detail later on, when I have more conclusive information. The car flag of the Ministerpräsident as shown above is basically correct.

M. Schmöger, 22 October 2001

According to the information from the Landesarchiv Koblenz there are no car flags in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Klaus Günther, 23 October 2001

However, Jürgen Rimann has photos of the car flags. At least they have been in existence for some time.

M. Schmöger, 26 October 2001

N.B. the above image is wrong, the coat-of-arms should extend to the upper and lower stripes
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: Harmignies 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

Car flags (Autoflaggen) in Rhineland-Palatinate are a difficult subject. (...) However, all car flags show the arms in the center extending to the upper and lower stripe, so the image shown above [de-rp_vf.gif] is definitely wrong. Especially for this rectangular flag (18 × 25 cm) I have no detailed information, though.

M. Schmöger, 22 October 2001

The banner (reverse shown) is black - red - yellow vertical tricolour with arms in the centre of the banner. Nowadays (officialized in 1972) also the vertical flag versions show the arms in the canton, not in the centre.
Sources: Kuhn 1991, p. 90 and Hormann and Plaschke 2006, p.194
Klaus-Michael Schneider and M.Schmöger, 22/23 Apr 2014

Since the Rhine Palatinate was part of Bavaria before the nazi regime rendered the Länder ineffective, and was not incorporated into the new Land of Rheinland-Pfalz until 1947, it seems likely that residents there would have been as likely to fly the Bavarian bicolour as in the rest of the pre-1918 kingdom (today's Land Bayern). Does anyone have information on this?
Mike Oettle, 22 Oct 2007

I have no information, but I have a feeling it was not the same all over Bavaria. Even if the Bavarians are regional patriots, in some parts they are even more of local patriots. In some parts of Bavaria,the people do not see themselves primarily as German or Bavarian but from *that particular part (whatever it might be) of Bavaria*. So at least I have heard from other Germans.
Elias Granqvist, 22 Oct 2007

Of course the "real" Bavarian parts (i.e. the so-called Old Bavaria /Altbayern/, consisting of Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate) are supposed to be more Bavarian-patriotic and therefore more frequently flying the Bavarian flag. However, this would apply (perhaps, without further data) to the situation in peace. One has to take into account, that the Palatinate was liberated about a month earlier than Southern Bavaria, so the situation was a little bit different. Most people in Palatinate would not have dared to take out their Bavarian flag (if they had one). In Southern Bavaria the liberation took place in the last days of WW2, so some people would dare a little bit more, although even then the SS took their toll from people being to quick with a white flag (or a Bavarian one).
M. Schmöger, 22 Oct 2007

back to index of German states page click here