Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1826-1918 (Germany)

Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha

Last modified: 2013-07-07 by pete loeser
Keywords: saxe-coburg-gotha | herzogtum sachsen-coburg und gotha | canton | crancelin | bicolour | stripes(4) | stripes(5) | ballenstedt |
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Coburg Bicolour c1830-1920/1921

2:3 Image by Santiago Dotor, 31 Aug 1998

• Introduction
• Coburg Bicolour - c1830-1920/1921
• Coburg Regional Bicolour - until 1920
• Coburg 5-Striped Flag - c1850-1888
• Coburg 4-Striped Flag #1
• Coburg 4-Striped Flag #2
• Coburg Ducal Flag (1887-1896) - Herzogsflagge

• Ducal Standards until 1918 - Herzogsstandarten
• Clickable map of Saxon Duchies - 1871-1918
• Historical Flags - Thuringia, Germany
• Coburg County/Landkreis Coburg - Bavaria/Bayern
• Thuringia - Thuringen
• Index of all German Pages

• Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Coat-of-Arms at Ralf Hartemink's International Civic Arms website

Introduction

When most Thuringian territories were united in 1920, the area around Coburg joined Bavaria after a popular vote.
Stefan Schwoon, 9 February 2001

Coburg Bicolour Flag 1830-1920/1921

Usually the civil flag was a green over white horizontal bicolour, introduced in 1832, which had been also hoisted on castles and public buildings. This flag was kept by the Freestate of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, after the duchy had been dissolved. On 12 April 1919 the Freestate was split up into the freestates of Coburg and Gotha. In Coburg the flag was replaced by a Bavarian bicolour on 1 May 1920. In Gotha it was abolished on 7 April 1921 and replaced by the new Thuringian bicolour.
Sources: ThStA Gotha Staatsministerium Dep. I Loc. 1b No. 34 Vol. sheets. 2/3/1 and Ges.Slg.Thür. 1922 No.15 p.146
Jens Hild, translated and trimmed by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

Coburg Regional Bicolour (until 1920)

Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

On castles in the Coburg Region horizontal bicolours, displaying the Franconian colours red over white had been hoisted. It was also replaced by a Bavarian bicolour on 1 May 1920.
Source: ThStA Gotha Ministry of State , Dep. I Loc. 1b No. 34 Vol. I; sheet 2
Jens Hild, translated and trimmed by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

Coburg 5-Striped Flag c1850-1888

Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

Since the end 1850s 5-stipes-flags with horizontal stripes, displaying green-white-green-white -green, had been hoisted on top of the castles in Coburg (Ehrenburg, until 1888) and Reinhardtsbrunn. This flag was replaced by a 4-stripes variant.
Sources: ThStA Gotha Ministry of State, Dep. I Loc. 1b No. 34 Vol. I; sheet 8a and photo of Reinhardsbrunn castle, provided by Jens Hild.
Jens Hild, translated and trimmed by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

Coburg 4-Striped Flag #1

Image by Santiago Dotor, 31 Aug 1998

Since the 1880s, probably even earlier, a "doubled bicolour", as described in 1998 by Mario Fabretti was in use, displaying green-white-green-white.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

Colburg 4-Striped Flag #2

Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

At the same time there also existed 4-stripes flags with vertical stripes. The 4-stripes-flags were hoisted on special occasions like festivals exclusively on public buildings. We could denote them as service flags, although they had never been approved officially as such and their had been no special regulations. In 1909 the Ministry of State declared expressis verbis, that the 4-stripes flag had to be hoisted on public buildings, while elsewhere the bicolour had to be used.
Sources: 1) Maximilian Gritzner: "Wie sollen wir flaggen? Eine Skizze zur Klarstellung von Art, Recht und Wesen der Flaggen"; Leipzig 1894; p.30. 2) ThStA Gotha Ministry of State Dep. I Loc. 1b No.. 34 Vol. I sheet 15. and 3) ThStA Gotha Ministry of State Dep. I Loc. 1a No. 30 Vol. I sheets 240v/241
Especially it is not true that the 4-stripes flag had been introduced in 1911, as Mattern and Neubecker claimed in 1979 without giving any primary source.
Source: Günther Mattern and Ottfried Neubecker: "Beitrag zur Geschichte der Fahnen und Flaggen deutscher Länder; II. Teil: Binnenländer", publ. in: "Neue Heraldische Mitteilungen" Double Volume 14/15, p. 81
Jens Hild, translated and trimmed by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

Coburg Ducal Flag 1887-1896

11:17 Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

In 1887 a special ducal flag was introduced, based upon the horizontal 4-stripes flag. The flag had a canton, displaying the Ballenstedt pattern, i.e. 10 alternating horizontal stipes black and yellow and superimposed by a green crancelin. According to source the ratio is approximately 11:17.
Sources: ThStA Gotha Ministry of State, Dep. I Loc. 1b No. 34 Vol. I; sheets 3/13; image based upon "Flaggenbuch 1905"
Jens Hild, translated and trimmed by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Jun 2013

[editorial note: ThStA is the Thuringian State Archive]