Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia

The flag of North-Rhine Westphalia is the flag of the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia.

After the establishment of North-Rhine Westphalia in 1946, this flag had been in use since 1948 although it was not formally established until 1953. The plain tricolour is the state's civil flag. Government authorities use the state flag (Landesdienstflagge), where the flag is defaced by the state coat of arms.

The flag is a combination of the two former provinces of Prussia that comprise most of the state: the Rhine Province and Westphalia, which unfortunately can easily be confused with the much older Flag of Hungary and with the plain version (not currently used) of the flag of Iran.

Flags from preceding Prussian provinces:
Rhine Province
(1822–1946)
Westphalia
(1815–1946)

Famous quotes containing the words flag of, flag and/or north:

    Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
    Eagle with crest of red and gold,
    These men were born to drill and die.
    Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
    Make plain to them the excellence of killing
    And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
    Stephen Crane (1871–1900)

    “Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Æschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess. And the d’Urberville knights and dames slept on in their tombs unknowing. The two speechless gazers bent themselves down to the earth, as if in prayer, and remained thus a long time, absolutely motionless: the flag continued to wave silently. As soon as they had strength they arose, joined hands again, and went on.
    The End
    Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)

    The discovery of the North Pole is one of those realities which could not be avoided. It is the wages which human perseverance pays itself when it thinks that something is taking too long. The world needed a discoverer of the North Pole, and in all areas of social activity, merit was less important here than opportunity.
    Karl Kraus (1874–1936)