Lower Saxony
The flag of Lower Saxony displays the state coat of arms on a red field: a white (silver) horse galloping freely on a red shield. This is the famous Saxon Steed (Sachsenross or Welfenross), one of the most recognized heraldic symbols in northern Germany. The rearing white horse has been associated with the Saxon and later Hanoverian dynasties for centuries. It also appears on the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, brought there by the House of Hanover when George I ascended the British throne in 1714. The horse faces left (sinister) in the traditional rendering, symbolizing freedom and strength.
The Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, sit in a city that was purpose-built in 1938 to house workers for the car factory — making it one of Germany's few planned cities.
Adopted: 1951
