Flag of Prussia

What the flag looks like

A white field with a narrow black stripe along the top and bottom edges and, in the center, the crowned black Prussian eagle holding a sceptre and an orb.

What it means

Black and white, the Prussian colors, are traditionally traced to the black cross on white of the Teutonic Knights, whose state in Prussia came before the duchy and kingdom.

How to remember it

Prussia is a single black eagle on white between two thin black edge stripes; the Holy Roman Empire's eagle has two heads and sits on gold.

Fun facts

• Prussia's black and white supplied the black and white of the German Empire's black-white-red flag, with the red taken from the Hanseatic cities.
• The Allied Control Council formally abolished the state of Prussia in 1947.

Prussia at a glance

Existed

1701–1918

Flag used

1892–1918

Today

Mainly Germany and Poland

Capital

Berlin

Region

1701–1918

Languages

German

Flag adopted

1892

Flags often confused with Prussia

• Holy Roman Empire: The Holy Roman Empire and Prussia both show a black eagle. The Holy Roman Empire's eagle has two haloed heads on gold; Prussia's has one crowned head on white, between thin black stripes at the top and bottom.