Bremen
The flag of Bremen features the state's greater coat of arms on a red and white checkered field. The shield shows a silver key on red, representing the Key of Saint Peter, patron saint of Bremen's cathedral. The key symbolizes the city's ecclesiastical origins and its role as an archbishopric. The red and white checkerboard border pattern (known as the 'Speckflagge') is distinctive to Bremen and gives the flag a lively, ornate appearance. Bremen is Germany's smallest state by area and, like Berlin and Hamburg, is a city-state (Stadtstaat), consisting of the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven.
The Bremen Town Musicians — a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale — have a famous bronze statue in the city center, though the animals never actually reach Bremen in the story.
Adopted: 1947
