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Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (Germany)

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Last modified: 2015-03-14 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: mecklenburg-vorpommern | oxhead (black) | griffin (red) |
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[State Flag (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany)] 3:5  Image by M. Schmöger
flag adopted 15 Aug 1991

On this page: Other Mecklenburg-Vorpommern pages: See also:

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).
M. Schmöger, 17 Sep 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:

  • Clear images of the flags
  • Colour specifications
  • 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.
M. Schmöger, 26 Sep 2001

Downloads

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany) had published guidelines and regulations, as detailed by me here. Long time ago I made scans and put it on my website.
Marcus E.V. Schmöger, 14 Jan 2008

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern coat of arms downloadable here.
With graphic manual for flags available here.
Jan Oskar Engene, 15 Jan 2007

Civil Flag
Landesflagge

[Civil Flag (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany)] 3:5  image by M. Schmöger
flag adopted 15 Aug 1991

     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: Schurdel 1995, Laitenberger and Bassier 2000, Gesetz über die Hoheitszeichen des Landes vom 29. Januar 1991. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1991, S. 14-15 (Law on the Symbols of the Federal State of 29th January 1991. Law and Official Gazette of Mecklenburg West Pomerania 1991, pp. 14-15): and Verordnung über die Führung der Landeswappen, der Landessiegel, der Amtsschilder und der Standarten vom 15. August 1991. Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1991, S. 342-345 (Regulation about the use of the Federal State's coats-of-arms, seals, office plates and standards of 15th August 1991. Law and Official Gazette of Mecklenburg West Pomerania 1991, pp. 342-345).
M. Schmöger, 17 Sep 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.
M. Schmöger, 26 Sep 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  Image by M. Schmöger
flag adopted 15 Aug 1991

     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.
M. Schmöger, 17 Sep 2001

The state vessels (e.g. police boats) use the state flag as a jack. Source: Kroker 2000.
M. Schmöger, 19 Sep 2001

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

Coat-of-Arms

[Coat of Arms (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany] Image 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.

There 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:
- Is the border around the car flag a simple border or is it a fringe?
- 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?
M. Schmöger, 18 Sep 2001

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