mobile View, to the German Version tap the flag
popular unofficial flag,
ratio = 3:5
On certain occasions, for example at major sporting events, you often see black, red and gold flags with the national coat of arms of the FRG in the centre. This is not the official flag of the FRG, which is not authorised for private use, but an unofficial flag. Unofficial means here: This flag has no sovereign character and cannot be awarded this character. It is not a state symbol of the FRG. Nevertheless, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) states on its homepage: "Only official agencies of the Federal Government may use its national emblems. In addition to the federal coat of arms and the federal eagle, this also includes the federal seal and the federal service flag". Violations fall under §124 I of the Administrative Offences Act (OWiG) and "may" be punished with a fine. At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior announces for "citizens and companies" that "in times of a major event" the use of the federal flag with the federal coat of arms "can be tolerated as socially appropriate as an expression of national solidarity". This is not illegal and will not be penalised. The official flag of the FRG can be distinguished from the unofficial flag shown above by the following features:
• The official flag shows not the coat of arms of the state, but the so-called federal shield. The representation of the eagle in the federal shield differs from the representation of the eagle in the national coat of arms of the FRG, and the shield has a different shape too
• The federal shield is not placed in the middle of the flag, but is a little bit shifted towards the flag pole
Official flag,
ratio = 3:5,
Source: www.wa.de
