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Rien (The Netherlands)

Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2003
adopted 1999; Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.

Rien village
Rien CoA

See also:

Rien village

Rien, village in Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân province. It used to be in the former municipality of Hennaarderadeel, first as a hamlet under Itens-Lutkewierum, since 1954 as a separate village. It was noted for its horse-market. Population (1958): 175; (1974): 134. It was also known for its "IJsherberg", Ice-tavern - in olden days stores in cities needed ice to keep their perishable foods fresh; this had to be transported from the Frisian Lakes, for a city like Franeker or Leeuwarden a rather long haul, so at regular intervals the ice-transporters had a short rest at such an "ijsherberg". Geert Mak has written a book about the Amsterdam cultural center known as "De IJsbreker", which had a similar function for the long haul from Weesp to Amsterdam city.
Rien CoA: in green a golden chevron, on top with an erased swan-neck and an erased horse-head, facing each other, both silver, in base with a golden corn-sheaf.
Flag: five equally wide horizontal stripes of green and white; a yellow hoist-trangle withg the point at 11/15 flaglength and towards the hoist lengthened with 1/3 flaglength; the yellow charged with a green hoist-traingle with the point at 6/15 flaglength, this triangle charged with a yellow cornsheaf of 1/2 flagheight.
The village is on the green dike on the so-called island of Easterein.
Near that village is the lock known as the "Rienstersyl", represented by the green chevron in the CoA. The swan-neck points at the "zwanejacht", connected to the lock (see: Mantgum). The horse-head symbolizes the horse-market, which was held here annually. The corn-sheaf is from the arms of the Rheen-family, which gave its name to the village.
In the flag the corn-sheaf and the lock are central. The silver elements on the arms are here represented by two white stripes.
Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma, members of the Fryske Rie foar Heraldyk.
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2001.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2003

Ce village n'existe pas!... (This village doesn't exist - Rien = Nothing in French)
Jorge Candeias, 7 Sep 2003

Hem, ceci n'est pas une pipe. (Eh - this is not a pipe)
I won' be surprised if the mayor of Rien were my Dutch colleague Rients Niks, who was nicknamed by his French teacher "Deux fois rien" (that is Twice nothing, "trois fois rien", three times nothing being used in French to qualify a very little quantity of anything - as if three times nothing were not nothing :-)
Ivan Sache, 7 Sep 2003

Rien CoA

from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.