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The flag of Berlin consists of three horizontal stripes: red, white, and red, with the central white stripe twice as wide as the red ones. In the center of the white stripe stands the Berlin bear — the black walking bear from the coat of arms (without crown on the civil flag, with crown on the state flag). The red-and-white colors derive from the historical colors of the city. The flag was officialized on 13 May 1954.
The coat of arms of Berlin features a black bear walking with its right paw raised on a silver (white) field. The shield is ensigned with a golden mural crown with five leaves. The Berlin bear (Berliner Bär) has been the symbol of the city since at least 1280, when it first appears on a city seal. The bear may be a punning device on the name 'Berlin' (popularly linked to the German word 'Bär', bear), or it may derive from the heraldry of the Margraves of Brandenburg. The current arms were officialized on 13 May 1954.