Thüringen — Coat of Arms and Flag

Federal State	Thüringen (Thuringia)
Capital	Erfurt
Coat of Arms adopted	12 November 1990 (readopted)
Flag adopted	25 October 1993 (constitution)
Colors	White and red
Region	Central Germany

Blazon

Azure, a lion rampant barry of eight argent and gules, armed and langued gules, between eight mullets of six points argent arranged in orle. Ensigned with a people's crown (Volkskrone) of gold.

Elements and Symbolism

• Lion rampant barry of eight argent and gules — a lion rampant whose body is composed of eight alternating silver and red horizontal stripes, red-clawed and red-tongued, on a blue (azure) field. The striped lion derives from the heraldry of the Ludowingians, Landgraves of Thuringia from c. 1130 to 1247, who used a striped lion as their dynastic charge. When the Ludowingian line died out with Heinrich Raspe IV in 1247, rival claimants divided the territory, but the lion arms were retained as the symbol of the Thuringian region.
• Eight silver stars (mullets) — eight six-pointed stars arranged in a ring around the lion, each representing one of the historic counties and lordships that constituted Thuringia after 1247: the former Landgraviate of Thuringia and the counties of Henneberg, Schwarzburg, Beichlingen, Orlamünde, Käfernburg, Gleichen, and Weimar. The stars were formalized when the modern Free State of Thuringia was created in 1920 by merging seven small duchies and principalities of the former German Empire.
• Azure field — the blue background derives from the Ludowingian arms. Blue is not common in central German heraldry, giving the Thuringian arms a distinctive appearance among the German Bundesländer.
• People's crown (Volkskrone) — a civic gold crown ensigning the shield in the modern democratic state version.

Historical Development

The Ludowingian Landgraves used a striped lion from at least the late 12th century. After the dynasty's extinction in 1247, the Thuringian territories were divided among the Wettin Margraves of Meissen, the Counts of Henneberg, and other lords. The lion arms survived as a collective symbol of the Thuringian region. When the Free State of Thuringia was created on 1 May 1920 under the Weimar Republic by merging seven successor states of the abolished duchies and principalities, the historical lion arms with eight stars were formally adopted. Suppressed under the GDR, they were readopted on 12 November 1990 and confirmed by the state constitution of 25 October 1993.

Colors and Design

The flag of Thüringen is a horizontal bicolor of white over red. The state service flag (Dienstflagge) adds the coat of arms centered across both stripes. White (silver) and red are the heraldic colors of the Ludowingian Landgraves, derived from the silver and red of their striped lion. These colors have been associated with Thuringia since the 13th century and are also the inverse of the flag of Hesse — a state that historically separated from the Ludowingian inheritance.

Historical Origin

The white-red bicolor was adopted when the Free State of Thuringia was founded in 1920, drawing on the medieval Ludowingian color tradition. Suppressed under the GDR, it was restored when the state was reconstituted in 1990 and confirmed by constitution in 1993. The white-over-red arrangement distinguishes the Thuringian flag from the red-over-white of Poland and from the flags of other German states.

Modern Usage

The white-red flag flies on all Thuringian state buildings and the Landtag in Erfurt. It is widely displayed at cultural events celebrating Thuringia's rich heritage — the state is home to Weimar (associated with Goethe, Schiller, and the Bauhaus), the Wartburg (where Martin Luther translated the New Testament), and the Bach birthplace of Eisenach.

What does the coat of arms of Thüringen represent?

The striped lion barry of eight argent and gules on blue derives from the arms of the Ludowingian Landgraves of Thuringia (12th–13th centuries). The eight silver stars represent the eight historic counties and lordships that constituted the Thuringian territory after the Ludowingian dynasty ended in 1247.

What are the eight stars on the Thüringen coat of arms?

The eight silver six-pointed stars represent the historic counties and territories of Thuringia: the former Landgraviate and the counties of Henneberg, Schwarzburg, Beichlingen, Orlamünde, Käfernburg, Gleichen, and Weimar, recalling the fragmentation of Thuringia after the end of the Ludowingian dynasty in 1247.

When was the Thüringen coat of arms readopted?

The coat of arms was readopted by the reconstituted Free State of Thuringia on 12 November 1990, following German reunification on 3 October 1990, and confirmed by the state constitution of 25 October 1993.

What do the colors white and red on the Thüringen flag mean?

White (silver) and red are the heraldic colors of the Ludowingian Landgraves of Thuringia, derived from the silver and red stripes of their lion arms. They have been associated with Thuringia since the 13th century.

What is the blazon of the Thüringen coat of arms?

Azure, a lion rampant barry of eight argent and gules, armed and langued gules, between eight mullets of six points argent arranged in orle. Ensigned with a people's crown of gold.

• Thüringisches Hauptstaatsarchiv Weimar — historical records of the Ludowingian Landgraves and the Thuringian principalities
• Thüringer Staatskanzlei — official description of state symbols
• Gert Oswald, Lexikon der Heraldik, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984
• Ernst Schubert, Geschichte Thüringens, Böhlau Verlag, Köln 2004

Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on June 29, 2026.