East Berlin, 1956-1990 First documented in the 13th century, Berlin became the capital Prussia
East Berlin, 1956-1990 First documented in the 13th century, Berlin became the capital Prussia (1701) and the German Empire (1871). After WWII Berlin was divided into 4 sectors. The American, British and French sectors merged to West Berlin, while the Soviet sector became East Berlin and de facto capital of communist East Germany. While West Berlin stayed with the flag introduced in 1911, East Berlin used a new flag with the coat of arms that was introduced in 1934. The bear as heraldic beast is derived from the Name Berlin. It’s a so called “canting arm” that simply represents the bearer’s name. After several weeks of civil unrest in 1989, the East German government announced that all citizens could visit West Germany. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Berlin (and Germany) were reunited the following year. -- source link
#history#vexillology#berlin#germany#east germany