Last modified: 2011-05-27 by german editorial team
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![[Mistakenly reported flag, non-existent (Hamburg, Germany)]](../images/d/de!hh12.gif)
image by Jorge Candeias
Hamburg is my home town. The flag shown does not exist. The Landesfarben section of Hamburg's constitution just states that the official colours used in Hamburg are white and red. This does not imply a flag showing white over red as indicated. This is very similar to Bremen, where the colours are also white and red but they never use them as a flag.
Niels Rump, 18 Apr 2001
See my explanation of the Landesfarben. There is simply no Hamburg striped flag of white and red, and as far as I know, there has never been one. This is difficult to prove, though, as it is always difficult to prove the non-existence of anything.
There are books that show the Landesfarben, as if these were horizontal bicolours, e.g. Neubecker 1929. However, neither are there photos known to me that show these flags nor are there legal texts prescribing this flag nor is there any need for this flag, as there is already a well-known and accepted civil flag and civil ensign, the white castle on red.
Marcus Schmöger, 24 Sep 2001
There is a reference about these Landesfarben having been adopted in 1834.
Santiago Dotor, 4 Oct 2001
The Flag Resolution of 1834 says, "die Hamb. Flaggen auf diese Weise gestaltet seyen und namenthlich die Grundfarbe roth, das Wappen weiß seyn müsse.", that is, "the Hamburg flags are to be designed in this way and particularly the field colour shall be red, the arms white." So you see, that this text mainly stresses, that the field should be red and the arms white. (There had been other, erroneous, colours for the basic flag design: white with red castle or blue with white castle,
see also Gaedechens 1855.) There is no mention of Landesfarben.
Marcus Schmöger, 4 Oct 2001
![[Unidentified 19th Century Ensign (Hamburg, Germany)]](../images/d/de-hhufe1.gif)
image by Jaume Ollé, 8 Jun 1996
Used in the 19th century, purpose unknown.
Jaume Ollé, 8 Jun 1996
It's probably just a variant of the city flag with red catle upon white sheet, that had survived
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 May 2011
Source:
The images are taken from a lithography by Peter Suhr, showing the closing of the old Hamburg Stock Exchange on 4 December 1841. Two of the flags can be seen on the left side, separated from the national flags. The white flag's position is just in between the national flags.
I have got no further information about those flags.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Jan 2009
![[Hamburg UFE 1841 (Germany)]](../images/d/de!hhse1841.gif)
image by , 1 Jan 2009
Description of flag:
It is a white flag with a red castle in its centre. Above the castle is a black embowed Gothic inscription in Latin: "Floreat Commercium" (= "trade may flourish").
Within source the flag is hanging among other German and non-German national flags. The purpose is doubtful, but due to the inscription it should have to do something with commerce and trade. So it might be the flag of the stock exchange or of a kind of chamber of commerce.
Klaus-Michael Schneider; 1 Jan 2009
![[red Hamburg UFE 1841 (Germany)]](../images/d/de-hhufe2a.gif)
image by , 1 Jan 2000
Description of red flag:
It is a Hamburg flag model 1751 with the castle centred, but red with a black castle and a black bordure on three sides without the hoist.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Jan 2009
![[Black Hamburg UFE 1841 (Germany)]](../images/d/de-hhufe2b.gif)
image by , 1 Jan 2000
Description of black flag:
It is a Hamburg flag model 1751 with the castle centred, but black with a red castle.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Jan 2009
back to Hamburg main page click here.