Germany Symbols

Germany is represented by many national and cultural symbols. The major national symbols of the country include the coat of arms, the flag, the bird, the tree, and the national anthem. Brandenburg Gate is an important cultural symbol.

Coat of Arms: One of the oldest state symbols in Europe, the coat of arms of Germany seems to have originated in the late eleventh century. The coat of arms portrays a black eagle on a yellow shield. The eagle stands as the symbol of the bird of the god named Odin, as per a Germanic tribe. The eagle also appears on the German one Euro and two Euro coins.

The eagle designs were first made by artists from the Weimar period and the position of the wings and the shape has differed since then and has gone through several changes. The present coat of arms is a re-introduction of the Weimar Republic that was in use till 1935. The current design was adopted on May 23, 1949.


Flag of Germany: The German flag is a tricolor consisting of horizontal stripes of three colors- black, red, and gold. The flag was first designed in 1832. The black, red and gold color combination is a rendition of the uniform that the soldiers wore during the Napoleonic Wars.

National Tree: Oak is the national tree of Germany. The oak tree is generally found in the northern hemisphere. The tree as the national symbol stands for strength and endurance.

National Anthem: The "Das Lied der Deutschen" or "The Song of the Germans" is the national anthem of Germany. Written by the German linguist and poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841, the song was adopted as the anthem of Germany in 1922. However, the music had been composed early in 1797 by Joseph Haydn as an anthem for the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1990, when Germany was reunified, the government decided to adopt only the third stanza as the national anthem.

Brandenburg Gate: One of the important cultural symbol of Germany, Brandenburg Gate is an important German landmark. It is located in Berlin. A former city gate, it was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791. The monument suffered great damage in the Second World War, but was restored from 2000 to 2002 by the Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation.