The third chapter of Invisible Fatherland reconstructs and analyzes the symbolic decisions of the Weimar National Assembly, including the adoption of the name Reich, the compromise over the national flag and colors, and fundamentally the revision of the state’s honorary practices. The chapter shows that the flag compromise emerged from both heated debates about the imperial past and impassioned protest against the Treaty of Versailles. The revised honorary practices, on the other hand, aimed to promote equality and inclusion by removing official traditions that had excluded workers and other marginalized groups from state recognition. The chapter argues that the assembly’s symbolic choices represented works of compromise that balanced national heritage and modern state design. These constitutional decisions set the stage for the creation of a cohesive and modern republican style under the Federal Art Custodian.

The fourth chapter of Invisible Fatherland examines the work of the Federal Art Custodian (Reichskunstwart). Led by art historian and Werkbund member Edwin Redslob, this government office played a pivotal role in shaping the Weimar Republic’s modern and functional representational style. Redslob’s responsibilities included designing federal service flags, seals, coins, and postage stamps, orchestrating nationwide festivities, and reimagining the architecture of railway stations, canals, post offices, and customhouses. His ambitious redesign of the republic’s official symbolism challenges the notion that Weimar democracy was deliberately anti-ritualist. Instead, his work demonstrates that Weimar republicans clearly recognized the importance of symbolically legitimating the nascent democratic state. While Redslob embraced modern design principles, he also wrestled with how to preserve elements of the Kaiserreich’s heritage. This tension in the republic’s official symbolism continues to resonate with contemporary debates about cultural heritage and the politics of memory.