The Belgian flag looks quite similar to that of its German counterpart, doesn’t it?
This has been a question that has been on the lips of people waiting to burst out at any given time.
The two flags looked so similar that you would be forgiven if you mistake one for the other.
The two flags are made of three colors: black, red, and yellow/gold (Belgian for yellow and Germany for gold).
The Belgian flag makes use of vertical stripes, while the German flag has horizontal stripes.
Very little has been proven why the flags of the two European heavyweights are similar to each other.
From research into the history, there have been no mentions of any story concerning why the flags look so similar to each other.
The Belgian flag was drawn from the inspiring coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, which is a symbol that dates back as far as the medieval period, although the flag of France may have inspired the vertical stripe inspiration.
The flag was officially stamped into the Belgian constitution on the 23rd of January, 1831, by the National Congress.
On the other hand, the German flag was first sighted in 1813 when the volunteer fighters known as the Königlich Preußisches Freikorps von Lützow fought hard to defend Germany and free them from French domination during the Napoleon wars.
The colors used mostly on their uniforms were black, red, and gold facings. The inspiration drawn from that spectacle was not about how beautiful the colors were but the determination of the German volunteer fighters to unify the Germans between 1815-1871 in the uprising against Napoleon, who led the French.
They were seen as selfless defenders of the German nation who were loyal to no one but the people, and this made their colors the symbol of the post-Napoleonic era in Central Europe.
However, this does not prove that it was the factor that linked both the Belgian and the German flags. The only fact that can be proved was that the domination of tricolor flags in Europe was the effect of the French Napoleonic control.
The Europeans saw that as a perfect symbol of sovereign nationality. The German adopted the red, black and gold tricolor in 1848 and viewed as a symbol of their national unity under a new constitution.
Even though the constitution failed the test of time, the tricolor flag represented the German republican spirit.
Contents
What is the difference between the German and the Belgian Flags?
The German and Belgian flags may look similar from a distance, but they’re actually distinguishable when you observe that the Belgian yellow is represented with a German red.
The other thing is that the German stripes are horizontal while the Belgian stripes are vertical. The other difference is that the outlook of the French flag inspired the vertical stripes that Belgium chose.
On the other hand, the German flag is borne out of German resistance to French control.
It may seem hard to notice, but the red color comes last in the Belgian tricolor stripes, while Germany has the red color in the middle in between black and gold.
Variants of flags from both nations maintained that design throughout their design years till this moment.
Why Does Germany have two Flags?
Germany has been known to use two different variants of its national flag. Although it’s been proven that the original design of the German tricolor was of black, red, and gold, there still exists another pattern that is not common to everyone.
- The Federal Flag
The first flag variant is known as the Civil flag. The Civil flag is the first flag that was introduced in the then-West Germany constitution of 1949.
The design of different flag designs for both government and military purposes later made the plain color flag known as the German Civil flag.
It’s a flag used by those not in Federal authorities to identify with the German government.
The flag is not flown alone inside Germany but besides the official state flag. Outside the German nation, it is viewed as the German flag globally.
- The Federal/Government Flag
This flag was introduced in 1950 as the second variant of the German flag. Its design is exactly like those of the Civil flag, but it’s defaced with the “Bundesschild,” also known as the Federal shield.
The flag was made to be used only by the government, with stringent measures taken against any citizen that misuses the flag in any way.
The Bundesschild is a variant of the emblem on the German coat of arms. It’s used in place of the coat of arms on the flag for government/federal purposes.
German citizens can use the federal flag in public when the coat of arms is used on the flag instead of the eagle. This is used in an official capacity for sports by German citizens.
what does the belgian flag look like
The Belgian flag is made up of three equal vertical bands which displays the rich national colours of the Kingdom of Belgium and they are as follows : black, yellow, and red.
This interesting colors where inspired by the coat of arms of the
Duchy of Brabant and flag of France although different colors
What do the colors of the Belgian flag represent?
Just like we have stated above, the Belgian flag is made up of three colors and they are black, yellow, and red.
The red represents red lion of Hainaut, Limburg and Luxembourg.
yellow represents the yellow lion of Brabant.
And the black stripe represents the black lion of Namur and Flanders
What is the difference between German and Belgium flag?
Let’s not forget that Belgium and Germany and Holland where once one United country, this is the very reason their look exactly the same.
The Belgium had to change their flag by moving one color around and also turning it vertically to make it stand out and recognizable.
The difference between the German Flag and the Belgium flag is the horizontal strip as seen in the German Flag as opposed to the vertical strip as seen in Belgium flag
Conclusion
The German and Belgian flags may not have been linked together under a story, but they may be part of a system of nationalism that most of Europe recognize.
Whichever is the case, the two flags represent sovereign nations with different identities.