The German eagle is one of the world's oldest surviving national symbols

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Tracing its roots to Roman standards and Charlemagne, the German federal eagle has evolved through centuries of imperial, republican, and turbulent political shifts. Today, this black eagle on a golden field remains a central emblem of the reunified German state, carrying a legacy that spans over a millennium of history.

The German coat of arms, or Bundeswappen, features a black eagle with red beak, tongue, and feet on a gold-yellow field. Its origins are deeply ancient, linked to proto-heraldic emblems attributed to Charlemagne, the first Frankish ruler crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800. This imagery ultimately derives from the Roman army's eagle standard, the Aquila. By the 13th century, the single-headed black eagle on gold was the recognized imperial symbol, though emperors later adopted a double-headed version, a practice formalized by Sigismund of Luxemburg in 1433.

The modern iteration of the eagle is a direct descendant of the Weimar Republic's design. Following the 1848 revolution, the Paulskirche movement sought to unify German states, proposing a single-headed eagle that would later influence the republican emblem. After the German Empire's collapse in 1918, the Weimar Republic removed monarchical symbols like the crown and breast shield to create a democratic version. This design, modernized by Karl-Tobias Schwab in 1928, was officially readopted by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1950.

The symbol has seen various interpretations, including the Nazi-era Parteiadler and Reichsadler, which incorporated swastikas and oak wreaths to signify the unity of party and state. Following the 1990 reunification, the federal eagle became the singular symbol for the entire country. While official patterns are held by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, artistic variations remain common, appearing on everything from coins and stamps to the chamber of the Bundestag, where a particularly plump version is colloquially known as the Fat Hen.

Today, the legal basis for the coat of arms rests on a 1950 announcement by President Theodor Heuss and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Although the Federal Press Office introduced a simplified version in 1997 for corporate use, it lacks official status. The eagle remains a versatile emblem, reflecting Germany's complex journey from medieval imperial authority through the democratic aspirations of the 19th century to its contemporary federal identity.

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