Last modified: 2006-10-14 by jarig bakker
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![[Ebersberg County (Oberbayern District, Bavaria, Germany)]](../images/d/de-by-eb.gif)
5:2 image by Stefan Schwoon, 20 Sep 2001
Here is some interesting stuff on the county flag which I found out
while researching flags in Ebersberg county. In 1986, after the adoption
of the flag, the county contacted the municipalities in the county, to
see if they would join in buying county flags. About half of them bought
county flags, but in several different sizes:
- hanging flags (Banner) of 500 × 150 cm, 400 × 150 cm and 300
× 150 cm
- flapping flags (Knatterfahne) of 500 × 150 cm
- 'normal' hoisted flags of 150 × 250 cm and 200 × 335 cm.
They did so obviously because the different municipalities use differently
sized other flags (Germany, Bavaria) and bought flags that matched those.
However, since 1986 the one or two county flags in most of those municipalities
have virtually disappeared. No one knows where they are and no one knows,
that they had ever been in existence.
Marcus Schmöger, 20 Sep 2001
From Ralf Hartemink's International
Civic Arms website: The arms were granted on 31 Oct 1955 and confirmed
on 10 Nov 1972. The arms are partly canting, a boar (Eber) on a
mountain (Berg), and are taken from the arms of the city of Ebersberg,
as well as the counts of Ebersberg. The pine tree has been added as a symbol
of the large forests in the northern part of the county. The number of
branches was identical to the number of municipalities in the county in
1955.
Literature: Stadler 1964-1972.
Santiago Dotor, 1 Dec 2003
![[Markt Schwaben CoA]](../images/d/de-by)ms.gif)
image from the homepage of Markt
Schwaben sent by J. Patrick Fischer, 21 Aug 2004
I found a little article in the newspaper "Ebersberger Zeitung" of 19 Aug 2004 about the flag of my home community Markt Schwaben/county Ebersberg, which is 20 km east of Munich in Bavaria.
"Markt Schwaben - 50 years community flag.
The market community got its official heraldic colours white-red and
a banner (German word "Banner" is used) in this colours, exactly
50 years ago. The community council applied the hand over (?) of the community
colours with flag ("Fahne") already at the beginning of 1954 at
the Bavarian ministery of the interior. State minister Wilhelm Hoegner
granted it in May. Mayor Albert Jell organized a celebration for the hand
over.
The colours were taken out of the main colours of the CoA of the market
community: A white falcon on a black mountain at a red field. By the way,
Markt Schwaben has the oldest CoA-privilege, which was granted by a Bavarian
duke for a community. Duke Stephan gave on 22 Feb 1409 "our dear loyal
ones the market and the common citizens everyone the right, mercy and liberty"
("unserer lieben getreuen dem Markht und dem gemainlichen Burgern alle
die Recht, Gnadt und Freyhait") the CoA of the former county/earl of
Falkenstein for use. In the document is written, that the CoA should be
used by the citizens as seal and banner ("Insiegel und Bannier")."
J. Patrick Fischer, 21 Aug 2004
The municipal colours were granted 4 May 1954. The text describes the flag as follows (my translation): "The flag shows two stripes of the colours White (Silver) Red. In the upper part (head) of the flag the arms of the market town may be placed, if so chosen." This of course describes a typical vertical flag as usual in Bavaria; at this time it was more common to put the arms on a white square field at the top of the flag, instead of putting it directly unto the stripes, as usually done nowadays.
"Falkenstein" is probably a misreading. The original document reads "Valkenberg", but the mistake was copied over and over, for instance in the authoritative book by Stadler [sta68]. In my files I have a copy of an undated article from a local newspaper, questioning if the bird shown is actually a falcon. The article cites a citizen, calling the drawn bird a "Suppenhendl" (soup hen), and invites better drawings. It would be interesting to have a look at the oldest seal existing (from 1444), how the bird looked like there.
It would be very interesting to get some knowledge about early uses
of Markt Schwaben banners (from the description obviously an armorial banner).
The expert opinion from the Hauptstaatsarchiv (Main State Archives)
(23 Dec 1953) refers to the document of 1409, and concludes that the granting
of the right for a
municipal flag (in 1953) would be just an affirmation of the right
already granted in 1409. Of course it mentions that Markt Schwaben wanted
"municipal colours", i.e. a flag striped in the main colours of the arms,
which is different from the original banner-of-arms. It also mentions that
striped flags (in this context, of course) are of relatively recent origin
(around 1800).
Marcus E.V. Schmöger, 28 Aug 2004