Black-Red-Gold are the colors of the German national flag. Why? The choice may date back to the Middle Ages. The coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation contained a black eagle with red claws and beak set against a golden background. King Friedrich I walked on a black, red and golden carpet at his coronation in 1152. And Friedrich II wore a black, red and yellow cape when he was crowned King of the Germans in 1212.
Black-Red-Gold, the National Flag of the Federal Republic of Germany
Black-Red-Gold during Napoleon
Although these seem logical explanations for choosing Black-Red-Gold as the colors of the German flag, the choice most likely has its true origin in the 1813 liberation wars against Napoleon. German soldiers–the Luetzow Free Corps–wore black uniforms with golden buttons and red emblems on their shoulders. http://www.fahnen-flaggen-wappen.de/nationalflagge-deutschland_fid41.html/
The colors signified the progression from servitude (black) through bloody battles (red) to the light of freedom (gold).
Black-Red-Gold under pressure
In 1850 the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, abolished Black-Red-Gold and introduced black, white and red as the national colors. Following WWI In 1919, Black-Red-Gold was reintroduced, but in 1933, the Nazis abolished it once more and introduced a black and white flag with the red swastika.
Black-Red-Gold in modern times
On 23 May 1949, Black-Red-Gold was adopted as Germany’s official flag by the Federal Republic of Germany and a few days later by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
Ten years later, however, East Germany added their National Emblem to the flag. It consisted of a hammer (workers) and a compass (academia), surrounded by ears of corn (farmers). With this modification East Germany was able to differentiate itself from the Federal Republic of Germany and avoid having to swear on the flag of the West.
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
Tags: Black-Red-Gold, Luetzow Free Corps
