East Berlin ~ Grunge Flag (1956 - 1990)

East Berlin (German: Ost-Berlin) comprised the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945 after the defeat of Nazi Germany. Its counterpart West Berlin was made up of the American, British and French sectors. East Berlin became the de facto capital of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1949 and was usually referred to as simply ‘Berlin’ or ‘Berlin, Capital of the GDR’ (German: Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR). From 1961, East and West Berlin were divided by the infamous Berlin Wall which finally fell on 9 November 1989, a pivotal event leading to the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990.

The flag of East Berlin initially remained the same as the one used before the German defeat of 1945, but was changed in 1956. The new design displayed a white field with two vertical red stripes parallel to the edges and the East German version of Berlin’s coat of arms in the centre.

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