Last modified: 2025-10-18 by klaus-michael schneider
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Denmark has a new administrative-territorial structure and Regioner
replaced Amter, and also the number of municipalities was reduced. The
page at http://www.rm.dk/om+regionen/aktuelt/designguide/ting+med+logo/flag shows
a flag of a region (Midtjylland) and records that it is legal to put
the logo on a white field, with a list of acceptable variants
(vertical, hortizonal, logo centered or on the fly). There seem to
exist different logos for vertical versus
horizontal usage.
Valentin Poposki and Dirk Schönberger, 28 May 2008
None of the Danish regions adopted coats of arms, as far as I
understand because they were not allowed to adopt arms by the law
regulating the creation of the regions. The municipal structure has
also been reformed, reducing the number of municipalities to 98, and
the law on municipalities is explicit on the point that municipalities
do have the right to adopt arms. Not that this is very much help in
terms of heraldically "correct" banners, though. Only one municipality
is known to have adopted a banner of arms:
Frederikssund. See: http://www.dagbladetonline.dk.
Most other municipalities let their flags be design by graphic
designers in public relations agencies. As a result shields, or parts
of shields, are put on fields along with text. The municipality of
Haderslev may serve as one example of standard rectangular flag with
the shield put on a sheet along with text: http://designmanual.haderslev.dk/Menu/Skiltning+og+flag/Flag
while the flags of Halsnæs municipality are examples
of long format flags with shiled, text, etc: http://www.halsnaes.dk/Global/Nyheder/Flaget%20hejst%20over%20Halsnaes.aspx.
Some of the flags designed in publicity agencies seem to negate the
idea of a flag, for instance one of the versions for a flag of
Jammerbugt municipality, in white and light grey according to the
design manual. The design manual also contains coloured
versions of flags, but the grey and white flag seems to be based on the
idea of a "camouflage flag".
Jan Oskar Engene, 28 May 2008
Regions have quite limited responsibilities and functions, mainly
providing hospital and health services. The lack of legal authorization
to adopt arms was explicitly interpreted in the press by
a representative of a Ministry saying it was out of the
question for the regions to have arms. This came as a response to
proposals from the public that all regions adopt arms.
Jan Oskar Engene, 29 May 2008
From my own observations the Danes have their "sacred flag", the Dannebrog,
which is often the only one hoisted in subdivisions. Many communes have been merged during the last years, no matter whether their had been historical connections.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 May 2018
In 2007 the 30 Subcounties (Danish: Amter) were combined to form Regions (Danish: Regioner). There are just five of them left and their names are not self-explanatory.
E.g. Sjælland consists of only the major western half of the namesake island , the northeastern part belongs tot he capital region,
but all the islands south of SjSjællandlland and east of Funen belong to that region. Historical relationships are not relevant but same sizes matter.
In the same year the number of Municipalities (Danish: Kommuner) was reduced from 275 down to 98.
It appears that the people in charge used compasses and painted a circle around the proposed seat by minimising possible overlaps. Of course also here historical connections played no role.
Perhaps some municipalities not involved by the changes kept their old symbols.
But all the newly created entities got only logos, sometimes shaped like shields of coat of arms, many of them in pale green (approximately RGB 0/0/165) and pale blue (approximately RGB 64/128/191)
with white applications. Those do not look very fancy and often the flags are logo flags, which means, there is an additional inscription of the name on the sheet.
Many of them have a white background. As in 2008 Jan Oskar Engene got to the point: "Some of the flags designed in publicity agencies seem to negate the idea of a flag.".
In best case there is a monocolour logo with white charges, which simplifies the existing arms and you have faint imagination about the appearance oft he corresponding coat of arms.
Those old coats of arms are still in use, but only on special ceremonial occasions.
Last but not least: Some platforms - like e.g. Alamy or Shutterstock - present "official municipal flags".
But seemingly all images display a template of a the same plain white flag with a coloured coat of arms mounted on that flag. So, at least for me, it is not for sure that those ones are really existing.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Oct 2025
First of all I have to admit that I saw just one municipal flag in Denmrk. That happened in the summer of 2007 in Kolding.
Probably they had just introduced their new flag with the simplified coat of arms in logo style.
It maybe every municipality has a proper flag, but I am afraid that those flags nearly never are hoisted.
The town halls usually have a flagpole or even more. But in best case the rectangular Dannebrog (stutflag) alone s hoisted, probably on one of the numerous Danish flag flying days.
There is however evidence that some municipalities have a proper flag and even use it, perhaps on the day of approval or - not very likely - during sessions of the municipal council.
Unfortunately even the staff has not the slightest idea about the own municipal flag. Recently I had been in Haderslev. They have three flagpoles in front of the town hall.
I asked the doorwoman, and she swore that there was no proper flag, despite of the fact that Tomislav Šipek already had proven its existence, what I didn´t know then.
Among all those town halls, where I didn´t find any flag, I want to mention Jammerbugt.
Its town hall is in Aabybro, and I found evidence at least in the web that they sometimes hoist the municipal flag of Jammerbugt, see this photo.
Conclusion:
Probably there are more municipal flags than expected, but as a matter of fact it is really hard to spot them.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Oct 2025
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