The flag of Saarland is based on the flag of Germany and is a black, red, and gold horizontal tricolor. In the center of the flag is the coat of arms of Saarland. The flag of Saarland is both the civil flag (), as well as the state service flag ().

History

Territory of the Saar Basin

The Saar region was formed by the Treaty of Versailles, which ended

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It was decided that the area belonged to Germany, but would be administered by France on behalf of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

. On 28 July 1920, it was decided that the area would use a blue, white, and black horizontal tricolour flag. These are both the colors of the two former states of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(black-white) and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

(white-blue), from parts of whose territories the Saar region was formed, as well as the basic colors of the individual heraldic fields of the coat of arms of the Saar region. This was used until 1 March 1935, when the area again came under German administration. In 1935, when Germany once again assumed control of the Saarland, it is assumed no new flag was created since the Saarland was absorbed into the area known as Westmark.

Saar Protectorate

At the conclusion of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the French assumed control of the

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...

as a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

. The flag used at this time was a design with a Scandinavian cross. Left of the vertical bar of the cross was blue, and to the right was red. The colors are derived from the colors of the

French flag The national flag of France () is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Revolution, whose revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped r ...

Saarland

When the

Saar Protectorate The Saar Protectorate ( ; ), officially Saarland (), was a short-lived French protectorate and a disputed territory separated from Germany. On joining the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG/West Germany) in 1957, it became the smallest "federal ...

rejoined the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

in 1957, it adopted its current flag. This is based on the flag of Germany, defaced by the coat of arms of Saarland. The four quarters of the shield of the state coat of arms represent the historic areas of Nassau-Saarbrücken, Archbishopric and Electorate of Trier,

Duchy of Lorraine The Duchy of Lorraine was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire which existed from the 10th century until 1766 when it was annexed by the kingdom of France. It gave its name to the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France ...

, and Palatinate-Zweibrücken.Law on State Symbols of 2001 (Saar, Germany)
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References

{{GermanFlags

Saarland Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...

Culture of Saarland

History

Territory of the Saar Basin

Saar Protectorate

Saarland

See also

References