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Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (Germany)

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Last modified: 2023-07-03 by
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[State Flag (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany)] 3:5 | stripes 4+3+1+3+4
by Marcus Schmöger



See also:


Other sites:


Introduction

Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is a German [Federal] State, formed in 1945 by unification of the [Federal] State of Mecklenburg and that part of the Prussian province of Pomerania (Provinz Pommern) which remained German. In 1952 split into counties, re-established in 1990.

Carsten Linke, 2 May 1996

The English name is officially Mecklenburg West Pomerania, according to an e-mail from the Staatskanzlei (office of the prime minister).

Marcus Schmöger, 17 September 2001

I sent some unsolved questions to the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania government which sent me a prompt and detailed reply. What I got is a coloured specification sheet for the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania flags, containing:

  1. Clear images of the flags
  2. Colour specifications
  3. Construction sheets
However, as I learned from the accompanying letter, this specification sheet is not part of a legal text, "It only serves for the standardization of the outward appearance of the Land administration". My images of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania flags are made after these specifications. The blue (ultramarinblau) is specified as CMYK 100/70/0/0 (i.e. RGB 0-77-255), the yellow as CMYK 0/0/100/0 (i.e. RGB 255-255-0), the red (zinnoberrot) as CMYK 0/100/100/0 (i.e. RGB 255-0-0).

The proportion of the width of the stripes is defined as 4:3:1:3:4. Hißflaggen (hoisted, horizontal flags) shall have an overall proportion of 3:5. Vertical flags shall come in two different variants: the Hängeflagge (hanging flag) and the Banner.

Marcus Schmöger, 26 September 2001


Civil Flag

Landesflagge

[Civil Flag (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany)] 3:5 | stripes 4+3+1+3+4
by Marcus Schmöger

The Land (civil) flag is blue-white-yellow-white-red (4:3:1:3:4).

From contributions by David Lewellen, 1995; Pascal Vagnat, 19 December 1995 and Carsten Linke, 2 May 1996

The Landesflagge (civil flag) is striped horizontally blue-white-yellow-white-red. The drawing attached to the law shows the proportion to be 3:5, the relation of the width of the stripes to be approximately 4:3:1:3:4. However, this relation is not prescribed in the text of the law, and the drawing is in my humble opinion not exact enough. Relying on the drawing the relation would be 57:45:12:45:57, which seems a bit odd, so that some flag manufacturers produce them in weird ratios (see this webpage where the ratio is 5:6:1:6:5). The exact colours are also unspecified in the law, which only says ultramarinblau (ultramarine blue) and zinnoberrot (vermillion).

Sources:

Marcus Schmöger, 17 September 2001

According to the specification sheet I received from the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania government, the blue (ultramarinblau) is specified as CMYK 100/70/0/0 (i.e. RGB 0-77-255), the yellow as CMYK 0/0/100/0 (i.e. RGB 255-255-0), the red (zinnoberrot) as CMYK 0/100/100/0 (i.e. RGB 255-0-0). The proportion of the width of the stripes is indeed defined as 4:3:1:3:4. Hißflaggen (hoisted, horizontal flags) shall have an overall proportion of 3:5.

Marcus Schmöger, 26 September 2001


State Flag, also used as jack by state vessels

Dienstflagge

[State Flag, also used as jack by state vessels (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany)] 3:5 | stripes 4+3+1+3+4
by Marcus Schmöger

The state flag is blue-white-yellow-white-red (4:3:1:3:4), with a bull's head and a griffin on the white stripe, the yellow strip being interrupted. I find that the choice of a flag with a yellow stripe on a white one was not a good one. Proportions 3:5. (...) The colours combine the blue-yellow-red flag of Mecklenburg and the light blue-white flag of Pomerania.

From contributions by David Lewellen, 1995; Pascal Vagnat, 19 December 1995 and Carsten Linke, 2 May 1996

The Dienstflagge (state flag) is the same as the civil flag but adds the symbols from the coat-of-arms in the centre: a black ox head for Mecklenburg, a red griffin for Pomerania. The thin yellow stripe is interrupted to provide space for the two symbols. The ox head is on the hoist side, the griffon on the fly side. Sources: as above for the civil flag.

Marcus Schmöger, 17 September 2001

The state vessels (e.g. police boats) use the state flag as a jack. Source: Kroker 2000.

Marcus Schmöger, 19 September 2001

Editor's note: see also the State Flag Construction Sheets.


Flag Act 1991

The law, called Verordnung über die Führung der Landeswappen, der Landessiegel, der Amtsschilder und der Standarten ("Rules on the Use of the State's Arms, Seal, Office Shields and Standards") is dated 15th August 1991 (official Land paper of 30th August 1991).

Pascal Vagnat, 19 December 1995


Coat-of-Arms

[Coat of Arms (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany]
by Carsten Linke

Quarterly: 1st and 4th (Mecklenburg): Or, an ox head Sable, horned Argent, langued Gules, crowned Or; 2nd (Pomerania): Argent, a griffin Gules, armed Or; 3rd (Brandenburg): Argent, an eagle Gules, armed Or. It was adopted in 1991.

[The are two ox heads because] for centuries Mecklenburg was divided into two duchies: Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Both used the same flag and coat of arms. [The Brandenburg coat-of-arms appears because] after abolishing the States in 1952, the German Democratic Republic established counties with slightly different borders, and the 1990 rebirth of the States was based on these new borders. Therefore some former Brandenburgian territories now belong to Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

Carsten Linke, 2 May 1996


Unsolved Questions

Some unsolved questions regarding the current flags of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania:

  1. Is the border around the car flag a simple border or is it a fringe?
  2. Does the right to use the old flags of Mecklenburg and Pomerania include the right to use the respective arms on the flags too? Does the Landtag use the simple bicolour/tricolour, or does it use them with arms?

Marcus Schmöger, 18 September 2001

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