The Flag of Germany

The colors of the German flag trace back to the early 19th century, during the period of the Napoleonic Wars. The black, red, and gold were adopted from the uniforms of the German soldiers who fought for freedom from Napoleonic rule. These colors were first used in 1813 during the War of Liberation. The flag, as we know it today, was officially adopted in 1919, following World War I, by the Weimar Republic. It was banned during the Nazi regime in 1933 but was reinstated after World War II, in 1949, by both East and West Germany, and continued to be the flag of the reunified Germany after 1990.