Flag of unity
The flag of unity, flag of unity or unit flag is a national memorial for reunification in the form of the German federal flag that has existed since 1990 . It is on the Platz der Republik in Berlin in front of the west entrance of the Reichstag building (seat of the German Bundestag ), a few meters from the southern end of the lower staircase.
history
On October 2, 1990, 11:58 pm, the flag was started to be raised; it was completed on October 3, 1990, 12:00 a.m. Then the national anthem of the Federal Republic of Germany was played. Since then, the flag has been illuminated at night by four spotlights embedded in the base, each with an output of 250 watts . The flag is changed at regular intervals.
The flag was produced by the family business BEST Berliner Stoffdruckerei , which in the 1940s had produced Jewish stars and Polish badges , among other things .
features
At six by ten meters, the flag is the largest official flag of the Federal Republic of Germany. The mast of the flag is 28.5 m high. The circular bronze inscription GERMAN UNITY 3 OCTOBER 1990 is located on its base .
At a short distance, at the northern end of the lower staircase, there are three more flagpoles of lower height. The northern one carries the European flag and the middle one the federal flag. The flag of his country is hoisted on the southern mast when a foreign parliamentary president visits, on days without a special occasion the southern mast remains empty. These flags are also illuminated from below at night.
The flag of unity at half mast
The categorization of the flag of unity as a monument has the consequence, among other things, that it is exempt from flagging the buildings of the German Bundestag. Due to its importance as a monument flag, it is therefore usually not set at half-mast. Since the ceremonial act of hoisting on the day of reunification on October 3, 1990, the mourning flag of the German Bundestag was also ordered for the flag of unity on the following dates :
- September 11, 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA
- April 26, 2002, day of the rampage in Gutenberg-Gymnasium (Erfurt)
- November 14, 2015, after the terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015 in Paris
- March 23, 2016, after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, on March 22, 2016
gallery
First hoisting for the reunification, on the night of October 2nd to 3rd, 1990
The Reichstag building with the flag of unity
Base of the flagpole with the inscription " GERMAN UNITY 3 OCTOBER 1990"
See also
Web links
- Article about the flagging of the Reichstag building with a link to the flagging regulations of the German Bundestag
- Current FAQ of the flag office of the German Bundestag
Individual evidence
- ↑ Oliver Heilwagen: BEST flags the world . In: THE WORLD . November 3, 2001 ( welt.de [accessed June 26, 2020]).
- ↑ Michael Sontheimer: Nazi urban planning and the Holocaust: From the fashion house to the murder laboratory . In: The daily newspaper: taz . September 4, 2013, ISSN 0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed June 26, 2020]).
- ↑ [1] , domestic protocol of the federal government
Coordinates: 52 ° 31 ′ 6.3 " N , 13 ° 22 ′ 29.3" E