Fahne der Einheit

The Flag of Unity (Fahne der Einheit) is a national monument to German reunification, located on Platz der Republik in front of the west entrance of the Reichstag building in Berlin. An oversized German flag measuring 6 by 10 meters and flying from a 28.5-meter-tall mast, it is the largest official flag in the Federal Republic. It was first raised on October 2, 1990, to mark the historic moment of reunification. At its base, the metal mast bears the bronze inscription "DEUTSCHE EINHEIT 3. OKTOBER 1990" ("German Unity, October 3, 1990"), and at night it is lit by four spotlights. As a flag monument, it is exempt from the Bundestag's regular flag-flying conventions and is therefore lowered to half-mast only on rare, special occasions of mourning.