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Diepenbeek (Municipality, Province of Limburg, Belgium)

Municipal flag of Diepenbeek - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 19 August 2005

Presentation of Diepenbeek
Municipal flag of Diepenbeek

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Presentation of Diepenbeek

The municipality of Diepenbeek is located on the river Demer, partly in Haspengouw (in French, Hesbaye) and partly in Kempen (in French, Campine), close to the the cities of Hasselt, Genk and Bilzen.
Diepenbeek was disputed for a long period between the Prince-Bishop of Liège and the Duke of Brabant, because of its strategical location on the way to Maastricht.

Diepenbeek is located close to the industrial park of Genk, which explains its recent developpment. Moreover, the Limburg University Center of Diepenbeek, recently renamed Hasselt University (Universiteit Hasselt), was founded in 1973 and most of its 5,000 students live in the city.

The Stroese, one of the strongest genevers in Flanders (up to 40 degrees) is produced in Diepenbeek. It is sold in nice square bottles, with a label showing three people, a rural policeman, an innkeeper and a pastor, who all drunk Stroese in excess.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache & Jan Mertens, 19 August 2005

Municipal flag of Diepenbeek

The municipal flag of Diepenbeek is vertically divided red and yellow with the municipal shield of arms in the middle.
According to Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel, it was adopted by the Municipal Council on 31 August 1981, confirmed by the Executive of Flanders on 3 December 1984 and published in the Belgian official gazette on 8 July 1986, with the following official description:

Twee even lange banen van rood en geel met op het midden het wapenschild van de gemeente.

The colours of the flag are not explained, they might recall that Diepenbeek once belonged to Liège.

The municipal arms of Diepenbeek are the arms of the Teutonic Order, the last feudal lord of Diepenbeek; they were granted by Royal Decree on 29 March 1961. The description of the complete arms was modified by the Municipal Council on 15 May 1995, as follows:

In zilver een gelijnd breedarmig kruis van sabel; het schild geplaatst voor een Sint-Servaas, houdend in de rechterhand een sleutel en in de linkerhand een bisschopsstaf, het geheel van goud.

The shield of arms is presented by the patron saint of Diepenbeek, St. Servaas (in French, Servais), holding in right hand a key and in left hand a bishop's crozier, all in gold.

Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 19 August 2005