DE-3958448 Colours of the German flag

The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold. The flag was first adopted as the national flag of modern Germany in 1919, during the Weimar Republic.

Black, red and gold colours have played an important role in German history and can be traced back to the medieval banner of the Holy Roman Emperor - a black eagle with red claws and beak on a gold field. The Holy Roman Empire was a German-majority, multi-ethnic empire in central Europe from its beginning in 962 until it was defeated by Napoleon on August 6, 1806 at the Battle of Austerlitz.

German-states that were part of the Holy Roman Empire came under French rule and several German organizations began agitations to free Germany from foreign rule and create a unified country. Prominent among them were two organizations - Lützow Free Corps and Jena Student's League - whose members wore uniforms of black with gold and red accessories and used flags of those colours.

This interesting postcard came from Rainer (11 March 2015) Postcrossing.