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Tzum (The Netherlands)

Franekeradeel municipality, Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 19 Sep 2005
Adopted 2005; design: Fryske Rie foar Heraldyk

Tzum village (Tsjom)
Tzum village CoA

See also:

Tzum village

Mr. Hans van Heijningen spotted on this website (--> Historie --> Het Wapen en Vlag van Tsjom (CoA and flag of Tsjom).
Tzum (Frisian: Tsjom) is a village in Franekeradeel, Fryslân province.
Flag and arms were designed by the "Fryske Rie foar Heraldyk", c. 2005.

Arms: Franekeradeel was formerly divided in four "fjarndels" (quarters), - each "fjarndel" took a turn to appoint someone to rule the "grietenij" (old name of a municipality) and to admister law. The village of Tzum's territory was in itself a "fjarndel" and on its turn was divided in "fjarndels". There were 56 farms with voting rights, and there were 25 "terpen" (mounds). This situation is reflected in de arms: quartered of gold and green. Several noble families lived in Tzum. The Starkenborgh's, Burmania's, Herema's and Hermana's all had arms with a red lion on gold.

The spire of the villagechurch is 72 meters high and is the highest churchspire in the Frisian countryside. Once upon a time two church-elders of the village of Oldeboorn (Âldeboarn) paid a visit to Tzum. They wanted to measure the spire's height. The teacher's wife overheard them and cut part of the measuring tape, so that Tzum's spire remained the highest. That is why the Oldeboornsters are known till this day as "tuorkemjitters" (spire-measurers), and Tsjommers as "lyntsjesnijers" (tape-cutters).
The knife in the form of a dagger symbolizes that tale. However a dagger symbolizes also the fighting which took place in the 16th century, wherefore it is red and placed oblique.

Cattlebreeding was the main source of income since the Roam days. In the church of Tolsum a waxing table was found dating from the 1st or 2nd century AD, on which a contract was written in which Stelus, son of Riparius, sold a cow to Gargilius Secundus for 115 sestertii. Witnesses were two centurions of the 5th Roman Legion.
In the first quarter of the arms is a silver cow's head. In the fourth quarter is a silver cloverleaf, symbol of grassland. The green colors represent the meadows around Tsjom.

The flag is a simplification of the village arms.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Sep 2005

Tzum village CoA

by Jarig Bakker, 20 Sep 2005