Hanseatic flags are the

banners A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

Hanseatic cities The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

that were flown by cogs and other ships of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

from 13th to 17th centuries.

History

Originally, Hanseatic ships displayed red

gonfalone The gonfalon, gonfanon, gonfalone (from the early Italian language, Italian ''confalone'') is a type of heraldic flag or banner, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar in an identical manner to t ...

s on their masts, which had a cross at its peak to denote the protection of the sovereign. Red was also the colour used by Danish and English shipping, the English later adopting the

St George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with ...

. From the second half of the 13th century, the individual Hanseatic cities created various banners to distinguish themselves from other member cities. The red gonfalone remained in use in addition to these flags. The oldest Hanseatic flag is the plain red banner used by

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. Hanseatic flags were mostly red-white and some featured symbols, such as crosses. Many cities that were members of the Hanseatic league continue to use red and white as their city colours today.

Hanseatic pennant

In addition to these banners, ships also flew a Hanseatic pennant (''Hanseatenwimpel'') where the upper half is white (silver) and the lower half is red.

Banners

13th century

File:Hanse_Hamburg.svg,

File:Hanse_Riga.svg,

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

File:Hanse_Lübeck.svg,

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

14th century

File:Hanse_Bremen.svg,

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

File:Hanse_Danzig.svg, Danzig (

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

) File:Hanse_Elbing.svg, Elbing (

Elbląg Elbląg (; ; ) is a city in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, located in the eastern edge of the Żuławy region with 127,390 inhabitants, as of December 2021. It is the capital of Elbląg County. Elbląg is one of the ol ...

) File:Hanse_Rostock.svg,

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

File:Hanse_Stralsund.svg,

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...

15th century

File:Hanse_Königsberg.svg, Königsberg (

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...

) File:Hanse_Wismar.svg,

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

File:Hanse_Stettin.svg, Stettin (

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

)

Other seals and coins

File:Siegel Elbing 1350.jpg, 1350 seal of Elbląg (Elbing), depicting the ship flying city banner File:Siegel Stralsund 1329.preview.png, Seal of Stralsund (1329)

Flags of Hanseatic cities today

VlagArnhem.svg, Arnheim (Arnhem) Flagge Arnsberg.svg,

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Flagge Beckum.svg, Beckum Flag of Berlin.svg,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Hissflagge Bielefeld.svg,

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region () of Detmold (region), Detmold and the L ...

Flagge Bocholt.svg, Bocholt DEU Bochum Flag.svg,

Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...

Banner Borgentreich.svg, Borgentreich DEU Braunschweig Flag.svg,

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Flagge Breckerfeld.svg, Breckerfeld Flag of Bremen.svg,

Flagge Köln.svg, Köln (Cologne) Deventer vlag.svg,

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Flagge Dinslaken.svg,

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Flag of Doesburg.svg,

Doesburg Doesburg () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. Doesburg received city rights in 1237 and had a population of in . The city is situated on the right bank of the River IJssel at its confluence w ...

Flag of Dortmund.svg,

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Flagge der Stadt Duisburg mit Wappen.svg,

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POL Elbląg flag.svg, Elbing Flagge Emmerich.svg,

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Flagge der kreisfreien Stadt Erfurt laut Hauptsatzung.svg,

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Hissflagge der Stadt Frankfurt an der Oder.svg,

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POL Gdańsk flag.svg,

Flagge Geldern.svg,

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Flagge Geseke.svg,

Geseke Geseke () is a town in the administrative district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Geseke is situated approximately 12 km south-east of Lippstadt and 20 km south-west of Paderborn. The city is located at the H ...

Flagge Goslar.svg,

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Flagge Goettingen.svg,

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

Hissflagge der Stadt Greifswald.svg,

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Flag of Groningen City.svg,

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Flagge der Stadt Hagen.svg,

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Flag of Halle (Saale).svg,

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Flag of Hamburg.svg,

Flagge der Stadt Hamm.svg, Hamm Flagge Hannover.svg, Hannover (Hanover) Banner Haseluenne.svg,

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Hattem vlag.svg,

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Flagge Hattingen.svg,

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Flagge Herford.svg,

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Flagge Hildesheim.svg,

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Flagge Kamen.svg,

Kamen Kamen () is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the district Unna. Geography Kamen is situated at the east end of the Ruhr area, approximately 10 km south-west of Hamm and 25 km north-east of Dortmund. Neighbouring citie ...

Flag of Kampen.svg, Kampen Flagge der kreisfreien Stadt Kiel.svg,

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

Klaipeda City Flag.svg, Memel (Klaipėda) POL Kołobrzeg flag.svg, Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) Flag of Kaliningrad.svg, Königsberg (Kaliningrad) POL Koszalin flag.svg, Köslin (Koszalin) Flag of Kraków.svg,

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Flagge der Hansestadt Lübeck.svg,

Flagge Magdeburg.svg,

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Flagge Minden.svg,

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

Flagge der kreisfreien Stadt Münster (Westfalen).svg,

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

Flagge Neuss.svg,

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

Flag of Nijmegen.svg,

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Flag of Oldenzaal.svg,

Oldenzaal Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border. It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the ...

Flag of Ommen.svg,

Ommen Ommen () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in the Vechte, Vecht valley of the Salland region in Overijssel. Historical records first name Ommen in ...

Hissflagge der Stadt Osnabrück.svg,

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

Flagge der Stadt Paderborn.svg,

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...

Flag of et-Parnu.svg, Pernau (Pärnu) Flagge Ratingen.svg,

Ratingen Ratingen (; ) is a town in the district of Mettmann in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the northwestern part of Berg about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. Administration With a communal reform of 1975 the independent municipalit ...

Flag of Riga.svg,

Roermond vlag.svg,

Roermond Roermond (; or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received City rights i ...

Flagge Rostock.svg,

POL Słupsk flag 1.svg, Stolp (Słupsk) Flagge der Stadt Soest.svg, Soest Flagge Solingen.svg,

Solingen Solingen (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr. After Wuppertal, it is the second-largest city in the Bergisches Land, and a member of ...

Flag of Stockholm.svg,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Flag of Stralsund.svg,

POL Szczecin flag.svg, Stettin (Szczecin) Flag of Tallinn.svg, Reval (Tallinn) Tartu flag.svg, Dorpat (Tartu) Flag of Toruń (colors).svg,

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

Flagge Unna.svg,

Unna Unna () is a city of around 59,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the seat of the Unna (district), Unna district. The newly refurbished Unna station has trains to all major cities in North Rhine Westphalia including Dortmund, Köln H ...

Flag of et-Viljandi.svg, Fellin (Viljandi) Vreden vlag.svg,

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DEU Warburg Banner.svg,

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Flagge Warendorf.svg,

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Flagge Werne.svg,

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Flagge Wesel.svg,

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Flagge Winterberg.svg,

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Flagge Wipperfuerth.svg, Wipperfürth Flag of Wismar.svg,

DEU Wolgast flag.png,

Wolgast Wolgast () is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast that can be accessed ...

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Flag of Zwolle.svg,

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External links

International Civic Heraldry
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Flags A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have ...

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