The flag of East Germany, once contained the German tricolor with the country's coat of arms at the center. It was the official national flag of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during its existence from 1949 to 1990.
The flag's design and symbolism are derived from the flag of the Weimar Republic and communist symbolism. The flag was outlawed as an unconstitutional and criminal symbol in West Germany and West Berlin, where it was referred to as the Spalterflagge (secessionist flag) until the late 1960s.