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Saxony-Anhalt

• Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)
• 1949–1952 country of the GDR
• 1952–1990 dissolved
• since 1990 federal country of the FRG

Contents

• Flag

• historical Flags

• Meaning/Origin of the Flag

• Coat of Arms

• Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

• Important historical coats of arms

• Map

• Numbers and Facts

• History

Flag

since 2017,
Flag of the country,
ratio = 3:5,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D)

historical Flags

Colours and 1990–2017 flag of the country,
ratio = 3:5





1990–2017,
Official flag,
ratio = 3:5





1947–1952,
Flag of the country "Province of Saxony-Anhalt" in the GDR,
ratio = 3:5

Meaning/Origin of the Flag

The country "Province of Saxony-Anhalt" passed in 1947 a constitution. In it was designated the flag of the country as a black-golden bicolor. Therewith was maintained the flag of the Prussian Province of Saxony. As in 1990 the country was revived under the name "Saxony-Anhalt" was introduced a golden-black bicolor. The colors have their origin in the medieval Saxon blazon.

On 5th of April in 2017, the Landtag parliament passed a new law about the state symbols. With it has everyone – not only officials and authorities – the possibility to use the black-yellow flag with the coat of arms in the middle.

Source: Volker Preuß, presse.sachsen-anhalt.de, Dank an T. Krüger

Coat of Arms

Coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D)



Saxony-Anhalt-Sign (Symbol, Logo),
Source: Staatskanzlei LSA / Public domain

Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms

The country "Province of Saxony-Anhalt" obviously did not use the blazon of the Prussian Province of Saxony but the blazon of the neighbouring Country of Saxony (completed by depictions of agriculture and mining). Probably one would link therewith to the heraldic traditions of the Duchy of Anhalt, because its coat of arms showed in a clefted shield – to the left the Brandenburg eagle and on the right the Saxon blazon. The coats of arms of the Country of Saxony and the Prussian Province of Saxony are since 1864 different in that, which color appears above first in the ten times divided blazon – black or gold. As in 1990 the country was revived under the name "Saxony-Anhalt" was introduced not only a new flag, but even a new coat of arms. Interesting is, that the color-sequence of the flag is heraldical correct now, in contrast to the Prussian province of Saxony, and in the new coat of arms appears the blazon of the Prussian Province of Saxony, completed by a Prussian eagle in the upper corner, and in the lower half of the coat of arms completed by the heraldic symbol of Anhalt-Bernburg which was already in use in the official flag of the country Anhalt from 1919 until 1945. The eagle stands probably for the region of Havelberg, which originally belonged to Prussia respectively until 1952 to the Country Brandenburg. For this means, that the eagle was red between 1990 and 1993. → red eagle on white ground → Brandenburg. The use of the coat of arms is reserved for offices and authorities of the country. The Saxony-Anhalt Sign is available for private use. It can be used by everyone, but its not allowed to change it.

Source: Volker Preuß, mi.sachsen-anhalt.de

Important historical coats of arms

1817–1864,
Coat of arms of Province of Saxony,
Source, by: Deutsche Wappen Rolle



1864–1920(?),
Coat of arms of Province of Saxony,
Source, by: Deutsche Wappen Rolle



1920(?)–1933,
Coat of arms of Province of Saxony,
Source, by: Jürgen Kaltschmitt



to 1918,
Blazon of the Duchy of Anhalt,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D)



1947–1952,
Coat of arms of the country "Province Saxony-Anhalt" in the GDR,
Source, by: Die Welt der Flaggen

Map

FRG and its countries, clickable map:

Source: Freeware, University of Texas Libraries, modyfied by: Volker Preuß


Source: Volker Preuß

Numbers and Facts

Area: 7 897 square miles

Inhabitants: 2.208.300 (2018)

Density of Population: 280 inh./sq.mi.

Capital: Magdeburg, 238.700 inh. (2018)

Source: Wikipedia (D)

History

May 1945 · 80% of the today's country get occupied by US-American troops, the rest by soviet troops

July 1945 · Province of Saxony, Anhalt and parts of Brunswick come to the soviet occupation zone, new name of the country: "Province of Saxony"

1946 · renamed in "Province of Saxony - Anhalt"

1947 · constitution , "Province of Saxony - Anhalt" officially becomes a country

1949 · "Province of Saxony - Anhalt" becomes a country of the GDR

1952 · the countries in the GDR (and in this way the "Province of Saxony - Anhalt") get dissolved

1990 · recreation of the country as "Saxony-Anhalt", "Sachsen-Anhalt" becomes a federal country of the FRG

Source: Atlas zur Geschichte, Wikipedia (DE)