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# Rowing Clubs in Germany

## Rudervereine in Deutschland

Last modified: 2026-05-23 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: drv | drsv | deutscher ruderverband | deutscher rudersportverband | german rowing association | pennant | eagle(black) |
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image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Apr 2006
pennant of the Deutscher Ruderverband (DRV, German Rowing Association)

- German Rowing: Introduction
- Historical Topics
- Flag Use
- Date of Foundation
- Zirkel
- Paniere
- DRV-Pennant
- DRV-Pennant reported 1901
- DRV-Flag reported
- DRV-Jack reported 1936
- DRSV-Flags reported 1963 and 1964
- Table-Pennants
- Anniversary-Pennants
- DRV-Blade
- DRSV-Blade
- DDRV-Pennant

See also:

- List of German Rowing Clubs (ordered by location)
- List of German Rowing Clubs (ordered by name of club)
- Berlin Rowing Clubs Main Page
- Regional Rowing Associations and Federations Main Page
- Rowing Regatta Clubs
- Traditional German Rowing Clubs
- Former German Rowing Clubs Abroad
- Rowing Squads and Clubs in the Academic Gymnastics Federation (Ruder Riegen und Vereine im Akademischen Turnbund)
- German Pupil Rowing Associations (Deutsche Schüler Ruder Verbände)
- German Rowing Clubs in Denmark (Nordschleswigscher Ruderverband)
- Germany

## German Rowing: Introduction

Sources:
There is an annual of the DRV called Rudersportalmanach of which I have meanwhile got two years, Rudersportalmanach 1977 (on this page referred to as RA77) and Rudersportalmanach 2004 (on this page referred to as RA04).
If information about a flag is available neither in RA77 nor RA04, one could visit the websites of the clubs.
Very few images are based upon own paintings or photos.
Meanwhile, probably since 2010 there exists a flag chart of nearly all German rowing clubs. The images are tiny, but clicking upon the flag sometimes a reasonable augmentation will be blown up. Furthermore it seems that some of the images displayed there have been taken from our pages.

Method:
1) RA77 contains all flags of existing clubs in 1976.
Problems: The information is fairly old. The flags are depicted in Petra Sancta Code which comes from heraldry encoding the tinctures. Vertikal stripes f.e. mean "red", horizontal ones mean "blue", dots mean "yellow". The flags are very small (1cm x 1.5 cm).
Sometimes you can´t see the details properly. In cantons (and in most flags) the letters of the inscriptions are always black on a white background. It may be that they have a different colour. In white flags with saltires usually the letters are displayed black.
There are two types: rectangular flags and triangular pennants (German:"Wimpel").

image located by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Apr 2006

You can see, what colour it is, it is red and blue but you can´t see what shade of blue it. The ratio is 2:3, as you see above. But that is caused by the very small pictures and is wrong. I have measured a few helmsman´s flags in Hamburg by myself. I found out that the "proper" ratio is 3: 5 as usual in Germany.

2) Some websites of rowing clubs display their proper flags.
Problems: The flags are displayed as flying colours with a flag staff and a cord. But you can see the colours.

Primary source is always RA77 or RA04 unless a club does not appear in those annuals. The relations of objects on the flags are always estimated according to RA77. Some clubs may meanwhile be dissolved or have merged with others. Some of the clubs mentioned in RA77 do not appear in an actual namelist of DRV (=German Rowing Federation).

The flag information shall be very brief, just the following topics: name of club, location of club, establishing-date, specials(only a few), description of flag, website of club.

My contribution starts with a very brief history of rowing in Germany, the rules for using flags, images of the pennants and flag of the federation.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Apr 2006

## Historical topics

In 1836 the first rowing club in Germany ("Der Hamburger Ruder-Club") was established in Hamburg. In 1844 the first regatta club ("Allgemeiner Alster-Club") was established also in Hamburg. A regatta club is organising races between rowing-clubs (also yacht-clubs). In 1853 the "Germania Ruder-Club" was established also in Hamburg. Both clubs merged later to "Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder-Club". On 18 March 1883 the German Rowing Federation (=Deutscher Ruderverband, abbr.:DRV) was founded in Köln. In 1951 the DRV became member of the International Rowing Association (Federation Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron, abbr.: FISA, est. on 25 June 1892 in Torino(Italy)).
In 1956 the "Deutscher Ruder-Sport-Verband in der DDR" (DRSV) became also member of the FISA.
In 1990 or a little bit later after German reunion the DRSV merged with the DRV. The DRV is naming itself "the most successful rowing-federation in the world". But to be honest, in times of DRSV the East German federation operated more successfully.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Apr 2006

## Flag Use

There are two types in general: rectangular flags and triangular pennants, whose ratio due to German habits probably is 3:5 or similar.
Every club has two sizes of flags:
1) the helmsman´s flag, which is stuck upon the stern of the rowing boat.
2) the flag, which is hoisted above the boat-house of the club. Sometimes the flag of the club is hoisted together with the DRV-pennant. The flag of the club is always topping the DRV-pennant (see f.e. www.maruba.de). The same rules are valid for helmsman´s flags. As hoisted flags are obviously a speed-killer while training hard or running races, helmman´s flags are used very seldom. The boats are identified by their name (on the prow) and the name of the club (on the stern). Sometimes a small image of the DRV-pennant is added on the stern. Helmsman´s flags are only used for ceremonial purposes (i.e. opening and closing the season, baptizing new boats, visits of VIPs) and when cruising on lakes, canals and rivers out of area. The club can be easier identified by the blades of the oars respectively sculls (=shorter oars). Some blades have the same pattern as the flag, some have a simplified pattern, some are just showing the colours. Nearly every club has its special blade-pattern. The flag above the boat house is usually only hoisted for ceremonial purposes. Some clubs in Hamburg however, located in a very touristic area as f.e. Alster-Lake, are hoisting their flags every day.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Apr 2006

## Date of foundation

The 1 January should always be considered as doubtful. It is probably the default, if the day is not exactly known. Some clubs without mentioning the day in 1977 turned out as being established on 1 January in the 2004 version of Rudersportalmanch.
Another remarkable thing is, that even when a younger club is overtaking an older one, always the date of foundation of the older club is taken as date of foundation for the new club. Old date pretends old age and a longer tradition and a better reputation.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Apr 2011

## Zirkel

A "Zirkel" (lit.: compasses) is the logo or a kind of cypher of a fraternity. Fraternities are connections of academicians, students and pupils of high-level schools (in Germany: Gymnasium). They are usually for males only. Two types are of interest.
1) Rowing Departments of academic gymnastics federation and
2) academic rowing-fraternities. Most of them were members of ARB (Akademischer Ruderbund), which today exists just de jure and has only a few active members. The "Zirkel" is a flourished connected ensemble of the initials of the fraternity topped by a wavy line and always accompanied by an exclamation mark. It is often displayed in the canton of the flag of an ARB-club and an essential element of the coat of arms of a fraternity. There is no exclamation mark, if the fraternity is not active, which means normally that the fraternity was located in the parts of the country ceded to Poland and Russia after WW2 and that there are no members having "active" status, "active" members are usually the juniors. "Alania" in Hamburg is the only inactive fraternity I know.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 May 2006

## Paniere

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Jan 2021
Panier and Zirkel of ARV "Westfalen"

Fraternities, or if you prefer corporations, had a special coat of arms (German: Panier). Corporations by the way usually had been for males only in the 19th and 20th century. Most fraternities had been duelling student corporations and colour wearing student corporations. Duelling corporations exercised a special kind of ritual fencing. The colours were worn 1) on a sash as part of a formal robe and 2) on the coat of arms, furthermore on flags and on blades, if it had been rowing corporations. As an example look above at the "Panier" of ARV "Westfalen", based in Münster.
Here the typical elements of any coat of arms are described:
1) a shield usually in bend
2) a helmet, crested with a coronet, plumes and scarves, both in colours of the corporation
3) one quarter displaying the colours in bend superimposed by the cypher (Zirkel)
4) one quarter with crossed oars, sometimes with an additional wreath and a date in order to stress the character of a rowing corporation
5) one quarter with crossed rapiers, sometimes with an additional wreath and a date in order to stress the character of a duelling corporation
6) sometimes either the flag pattern or a small image of the flag within a greater ensemble
Source: "Das akademische Deutschland", vol.4 "Die Wappen der deutschen Korporationen des In- und Auslandes", Berlin 1931, plate 48, row 2 ,column 5
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 27 Jan 2021

## DRV-Pennant

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Apr 2006
DRV-pennant

It is a blue pennant with a white shield in the centre. On the shield is a black eagle armed and tongued red.
Source: own photo, a sufficient image can also be found e.g. at RA04, p.230
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Apr 2006

## DRV-Pennant reported 1901

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Oct 2007

DRV-pennant (version 1901)
It was a vertical black - white - red tricolour pennant.
Source: "25 Jahre Geschichte des Berliner Ruder Vereins von 1876"; Berlin, 1 September 1901, flag chart.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 Oct 2007

## DRV-Flag reported

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

It is a blue flag with a white shield shifted to hoist. On the shield is a black eagle armed and tongued red.
This flag was introduced on 28 January 1929 in Potsdam and Hamburg and was on sale in different sizes since than but obviously the pennant, though being more expensive, was preferred and is nearly exclusively in use.
Sources: Wassersport 1929, No.5, p.79 and "Das Bootshaus ist der Mittelpunkt - Festschrift zum 100jährigen Vereinsjubiläum" (Eschweger RV), p.0
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 18 May 2026

## DRV-Jack reported 1936

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 12 Mar 2011

In a documentation concerning Berlin Rowing clubs, I found a DRV flag. The pattern of the pennant was simply displayed onto a white flag. The flag was hoisted on the prow of a gig boat side by side with the NS-water-sports-flag on the stern. The image is subtitled as DRV-flag.
Description of flag: "exercise tour 1936".
According to source the flag of the club or the federation had to be replaced by the NS-water-sports-flag by order of NS government in 1936. The flag of the federation could be used as a jack (German: Stander) instead, which had to be stuck upon the prow.
Source: Festschrift: "Von der Rudergesellschaft "All Right" zur Treptower Rudergemeinschaft e.V. - 125 Jahre Rudern auf dem Treptower See"; Berlin 2004; p.8
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Apr 2011

## DRSV-Flags reported 1963 and 1964

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, | image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, |  |  |

In 1963 drafts for a logo and a flag were made. The draft of the flag (see left image above) was white with centred logo between two blue horizontal wavy lines.
Source: "Der deutsche Rudersport 1963/12"
The flag (see right image above) however had been white with logo but without the wavy lines and was used on the assembly of the association in 1964
Source: "Der deutsche Rudersport 1964/4"
The logo had a dark blue inscription "DRSV" between two horizontal dark blue oars. The blade of the upper oar was pointing to hoist, that one of the lower oar to fly. The logo was changed in June 1975, when a white inscription "DDR" was placed onto the blade of the lower oar. Probably there had been also a new flag, but there is still no evidence. The pattern may have been similar to that one of the table pennant (see right image below). Source: "Der deutsche Rudersport 1975/6"

## Table-Pennants

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Mar 2011 | image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 Mar 2011 |  |  |

### DRV Table-Pennant (above left)

The pattern is like that one DRV pennant with the shield shifted to the top.
Source:a photo can be found here
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Mar 2011

### DRSV-Pennant (above right)

It is a white pennant pointing to the bottom, edged on two sides by a thin cord having the German colours black - red - yellow. Below the centre is the coat of arms of former German Democratic Republic. At the top is a dark blue, centred inscription: "Deutscher" (1st line) "Ruder-Sport-Verband" (2nd line). Below are two oars of the same colour ordered horizontally. Between both oars is an inscription of the same colour "DRSV". The blades are pointing to different directions: upper blade left, lower blade right(visible). On the lower blade is a white inscription "DDR".
Source: based on a photo sent by Dr.Hans Eckstein , former head coach of SC Einheit Dresden and DRSV-coach of the males.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Mar 2011

"Horizontal" and "vertical" means visible when blade is in action, i.e. "horizontal" is parallel to the shaft and orthogonal to the baseboard, "vertical" is parallel to baseboard and orthogonal to the shaft. It is analogous with "bendy" and "sinister bendy". Only a few blades are displayed additionally within this contribution given in classic pattern with natural colour (of wood) here is displayed as brown.

## Anniversary-Pennants

images by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 10 Jun 2011

The anniversary pennants are mentioned as "association flag with gold and silver" in Rudersportalmanach 2004.
They are granted to rowing clubs celebrating their 75 years anniversary (silver) (see image above left) or 100 years anniversary (gold) (see image above right). The pennants´ width relative to height is bigger than on standard pennants. The shield has a thin bordure, which is yellow (for gold) on 100-years-pennant and probably very light grey (for silver) on 75-years-pennant.
Source: "Rudersportalmanach 2004", p.222; an image of a 100-years pennant can be found among the photo galleries of Potsdamer RC Germania. The information was reconfirmed by Corinna Blanckmeister, a member of the board of that club.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Dec 2008

## DRV-Blade

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Dec 2008

The blade is horizontally divided into black over red over yellow, the colours of the German national flag.
Source: own photo 2006
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Dec 2008

## DRSV-Blade

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Dec 2008

It was a white blade divided per bend by a black over red over yellow ribbon, the colours of the DDR (and German) national flag with the coat of arms of the DDR in its centre.
Historical note:
DRSV was the rowing association of former DDR and between 1972 and 1990 usually a bit more successful than DRV.
Source: information provided by Jens Pattke
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Dec 2008

## DDRV-Pennant

speculative image by Tomislav Šipek, 2 Mar 2026

German rowing clubs and its umbrella organisation DRV refused the establishment of womens´ rowing for a very long time. Mainly in Berlin nevertheless numerous rowing clubs for females were established since 1894. Their number increased continuously to more than 30 clubs at the end of WW1.
In 1919 members of the existing rowing clubs for females met in Berlin and seven of those clubs established "Deutscher Damen-Ruder-Verband" (DDRV) on 19 February 1920 in Berlin. Women were clever and chose Hermann Altrock, a member of the RB Froh Volk (a womens´ rowing club !), as the DRV kept on to inhibit the admission of rowing clubs for females. Until 1930 the number of clubs of the DDRV increased to 50, which applied for a membership in DRV in 1919 in vain. In the beginning style rowing and touring had been the main purposes of the DDRV. The situation remained curious for many years. Besides the members of DDRV there also existed female departments of DRV rowing clubs. Their members were neither allowed to take part on races in DRV nor in DDRV, which organised races but only for its members.
On 26 March 1927 the DDRV gained a membership in DRV, but was reduced to the status of a mere regatta club. Full membership was gained in 1933. But the rowing clubs of DDRV were not allowed to gain a full membership in DRV until 1930. The club dissolved itself on 30 September 1933.
The pennant was parted by a white lozenge emerging from fly with black (or red) inscription "DDRV". At hoist above and below a red field was parted six black stripes. (the red colour is speculative, as there only exist tiny black and white images, but is very likely, as black-white-red had been the German Colours and those of the first DRV pennant.)
Source: Anne Hutmacher: "Die Entwicklung des Frauenruderns in Deutschland", Köln 2010, pp. 161-176
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 2 Mar 2026

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