.svg) | |
| Rautenflagge[1] (lozenge flag) | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,civil ensign   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | not specified, often follows 3:5 ratio of German flag |
| Adopted | Historical (13th/14th century) |
| Design | An array of 21 or more lozenges of blue and white, with or without arms. |
| Streifenflagge[1] (striped flag) | |
.svg) | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,civil ensign |
| Proportion | Not specified, often follows 3:5 ratio of German flag |
| Adopted | 1806 |
| Design | A bicolor of white over blue. |
There are two officialflags of Bavaria: the striped type and thelozenge type, both of which are blue and white. Both flags are historically associated with the royal BavarianWittelsbach family, which ruledBavaria from 1180 to 1918.[2]
Both horizontal and vertical flags with stripes or white and blue lozenges without arms can be considered official flags of the state, in Bavaria called theStaatsflagge. They may be used by civilians and by government, including use on state motor vehicles. The striped and lozenge styles have equal status, and offices or users are free to choose between them.[1]
The variantsdefaced with the arms are unofficial, and the use of the symbols by civilians is strictly speaking illegal, but is tolerated. A lozenge-style flag with the arms is common.
The lozenges are not set in number, except there must be at least 21, and the top right (incomplete) lozenge must be white.[3]
The exact origin of the lozenges is disputed. They are believed to be representative of the lakes and rivers of Bavaria or perhaps the sky, as in theBavarian anthem, which says "die Farben Seines Himmels, Weiß und Blau" – "the colors of His sky/heaven, white and blue".
Invexillology, flags are described and displayed from the front (obverse). In Bavaria, however, the description of the flag is based onheraldic rules. That is, the description is made from the point of view of ashield-bearer who is behind the coat of arms, and in this case, behind the flag. Thus, the right upper corner, reserved for a truncated white lozenge, is on the top left (adjacent to the flagpole) for the viewer.
TheConstitution of the Free State of Bavaria defines the "colors of the state" as simply "white and blue", with no further specifications.[4] On 2 June 1999, thefederal cabinet introduced acorporate design for the German government which defined "blue" as RGB 0,119,182 or PANTONE® 307, but it is unclear if these guidelines apply to the states, and in any case, in practice the specific shades can vary wildly, especially in unofficial uses.[5][6]
| Colour scheme | Blue | |
|---|---|---|
| CMYK | 100.0.100.20 | |
| 85.0.100.0[a] | ||
| Pantone (approximation) | 307 | |
| DecimalRGB | 0,119,182 | |
| Flag | Years of use | Government | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1353–1392 | Bavaria-Landshut | Bavaria-Landshut was a duchy in theHoly Roman Empire from 1353 to 1503. |
 | 1392–1505 | Bavaria-Munich | Bavaria-Munich was a duchy that was a constituent state of theHoly Roman Empire from 1392 to 1505. |
.svg) | 1505–1623 | Duchy of Bavaria | The Duchy of Bavaria was a frontier region in the southeastern part of theMerovingian kingdom from the sixth through the eighth century. It was settled byBavarian tribes and ruled bydukes underFrankish overlordship. |
.svg) | 1623–1806 | Electorate of Bavaria | The Electorate of Bavaria was an independent hereditaryelectorate of theHoly Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806 when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria. |
| 1806–1918 | Kingdom of Bavaria | The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. |
| 1918–1919 | People's State of Bavaria | The People's State of Bavaria was a short-livedsocialist state in Bavaria from 1918 to 1919. |
 | 1919 | Bavarian Soviet Republic | The Bavarian or Munich Soviet Republic was a short-lived unrecognised socialist state in Bavaria during theGerman Revolution of 1918–19. |
| 1919–1933 | Free State of Bavaria | Bavarian state in theWeimar Republic. |
.svg) | 1933–1935 | Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria | The Gau Munich–Upper Bavaria was anadministrative division ofNazi Germany inUpper Bavaria from 1933 to 1945. |
.svg) | 1935–1945 | ||
.svg) | 1945–1949 | American occupation zone | The American zone inSouthern Germany consisted of Bavaria (without theRhine Palatinate Region and theLindau District, both part of the French zone) andHesse (withoutRhenish Hesse andMontabaur Region, both part of the French zone) with a new capital inWiesbaden, and of northern parts ofWürttemberg andBaden. |
| 1949–present | Bavaria | Modern state of Bavaria under theFederal Republic of Germany. Both flags (lozenge and striped) are equally official. |
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