Display of flags in the federal Länder

type: Article , Topic: Flag Displays

Because the Länder have their own responsibilities regarding national symbols, including flags, there may be differences between Länder and the Federation and between different Länder with regard to regularly recurring general flag display days.

Duration of flag displays

Most of the Länder follow the Federal Government Decree, Section V paragraph 5 regarding the time of display: “from sunrise – but not, however, before 7:00 – until sunset”. In Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, flags may be hoisted starting at 7:00, while in Rhineland-Palatinate they may not be hoisted until 8:00.

Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Brandenburg and Hesse refer to “nightfall” as the time to lower flags. In Saxony, flags must be lowered by 19:00;

in Schleswig-Holstein, flags may be displayed only "during the day".

Specific rules