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# Grand Duchy of Oldenburg 1815-1918 (Lower Saxony, Germany)

## Großherzogtum Oldenburg

Last modified: 2026-08-15 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: oldenburg(grand duchy) |
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3:5 image by M. Schmöger
Civil Flag 1774-1871, 1921-1935 and since 1952

This page:

- Civil Flags and Ensigns 19th Century-1935:

- 19th Century Flag (reported 1820, 1848 and 1862)
- Civil Flag 1774-1871 (Landesflagge, reported 1848)
- Civil Ensign until 1871 and Civil Flag 1871-1918
- Proposals of Carl Wilhelm Theremin 1848
- Optional Civil Flag (Landesfarben)

- State Flags and Ensigns:

- State Flag until 1918 (Staatsflagge)
- Unidentified and Reported Variants
- State Ensign 1893-1921 (Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings)

See also:

- Grand Ducal Standards until 1918 (Standarten des Grossherzoglichen Hauses)
- Historical Flags (Oldenburg, Germany)
- Carl Wilhelm Theremin´s 1848 Proposals
- Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen, Germany)
- Germany

## Civil Flags and Ensigns 19th Century-1935

If I understand correctly, the situation with civil flags and ensigns was:

- until 1871:

- civil flag: blue with red St. George cross;
- civil ensign: blue with red Scandinavian cross.

- 1871-1918:

- civil flag: blue with red Scandinavian cross;
- civil ensign: blue with red Scandinavian cross.

- 1921-1935 and 1952-nowadays:

- civil flag: blue with red St. George cross;
- civil ensign: none.

Santiago Dotor, 22 Sep 2000

I think so, but am uncertain about civil ensign during 1921-35 and even 1871-1918, since increasingly after 1871, German ships used the German national Handelsflagge [civil ensign] rather than any state civil ensign.
Norman Martin, 22 Sep 2000

## 19th Century Flag

Reported 1820, 1848 and 1862: A red St. George cross on a blue field. At the intersection the crowned arms of the County of Oldenburg.
Norman Martin, Mar 1998

## Civil Flag 1774-1871
Landesflagge 1774-1871

3:5 Image by M. Schmöger

Reported 1848: A red centred cross on a blue field. Landesflagge 1921-1935. In use for local and regional authorities since 1952.
Norman Martin, Mar 1998

In use 1774-1935 according to Znamierowski 1999.
Santiago Dotor, 22 Sep 2000

The St George cross and the Scandinavian cross are only different from their historic use. The first was in the beginning mainly used on land (military banner) and it was/is the symbol of a Saint, the second was mainly used at sea and was /is the symbol of Jesus Christ. Crosses in flags at sea were often set to the hoist (and not only crosses). One example: the flag of Oldenburg was blue with a red St George cross on land. At sea the flag was in the beginning blue with a red Scandinavian cross. This fact was so usual that the difference between both flags was never described.
Ralf Stelter, 13 Feb 2001

## Civil Ensign until 1871 and Civil Flag 1871-1918

3:5 ( 1871-1918) Image by Željko Heimer

A red off-centred cross on a blue field. After 1871, Landesflagge until 1918.
Norman Martin, Mar 1998

## Optional Civil Flag
Landesfarben

2:3 Image by Jorge Candeias

Red-blue bicolour.
Norman Martin, Mar 1998

Red over blue. Norman Martin and other sources report dark blue.
Jaume Ollé, 1 Jul 1998

The Landesfarben was an optional civil flag, but when the Landesflagge was popular (as was often the case in traditionally maritime states), the use of the Landesfarben was limited.
Norman Martin, 22 Sep 2000

## Proposals of Carl Wilhelm Theremin 1848

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 July 2026 | image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 July 2026 |  |

Proposal no.1 (see left image above) was a vertical black-red-golden tricolour. On canton on the black stripe was a blue rectangle parted by a centred red cross.
Proposal no.2 (see right image above) was a blue flag parted by a centred red cross with golden canton parted by a black centred cross fimbriated red on the blue upper hoist quarter.
Sources: B.Arch, DB51 405 Bl.6 row 2 column 2; B.Arch, DB51 405 Bl.7 row 3 column 1
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 6 July 2026

## State Flag until 1918
Staatsflagge

2:3 Image by Jaume Ollé

A red St. George cross on a blue field. At the center a white square with the greater arms of the Grand Duchy: Central shield:

1. County of Oldenburg (family arms);
2. County of Delmenhorst (family arms);
3. Prince-Bishopric of Lubeck (principality of Eutin);
4. Principality of Birkenfield;
5. Lordship of Jever.

External shield:

1. Kingdom of Norway;
2. Duchy of Schleswig;
3. Duchy of Holstein;
4. Territory of Stormarn;
5. Territory of Dithmarschen;
6. Lordship of Kniphausen.

Norman Martin, Mar 1998

The Oldenburg Maritime Museum at Brake shows a GD Oldenburg flag on its site (fifth photo from top). It is a variant of the one at FOTW-ws, i.e. "State Flag until 1918" - on the Brake museum flag the small state arms are shown, listed 1-5 by Norman Martin. The blue field, however, is dark rather than very light.
Jan Mertens, 13 Aug 2005

As far as I can say, Oldenburg flags always had dark blue, the image (by Jaume) is certainly wrong in this.
M. Schmöger, 14 Aug 2005

## Unidentified and Reported Variants

Image by Jaume Ollé

I am not sure what the status of this flag may be. It looks like a variant of the Staatsflagge, or possibly an early version of the Grand Duke's flag.
Norman Martin, 21 Sep2000

Also reported is a red Scandinavian cross on blue, with (on the prime minister's standard) a white square at the crossing and arms on it. Source: States of 1897 in Arndt 1979.
Jan Kuhlmann, 5 Dec 1995

## State Ensign 1893-1921

2:3 Image by Jaume Ollé

Service Flag for State Vessels and State Maritime Buildings: Like the Prussian State Ensign for Sea Services 1895-1918, except the canton contains the crowned small arms of Oldenburg. Adopted 1893 and abandoned by 1921. Illustrated in Crampton 1990 p. 42, Meyers Konversations-Lexikon 1912 vol. 4, National Geographic 1917 p. 367, nos. 999 and 1005.
Norman Martin, Mar 1998

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