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Westhoek (Netherlands)
Het Bildt municipality, Fryslân province
Last modified: 2003-09-20 by jarig bakker
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by Jarig Bakker, 19 Aug 2003
adopted c. 2000; design: R.J. Broersma
See also:
Westhoek village
Westhoek is a village in the municipality of Het Bildt, Fryslân province.
It is in the western corner (the meaning of "Westhoek") of the municipality
and got quite recently village-status (it is not on my old maps)
Westhoek CoA: divided: a. divided again of silver and green, in chief
right two red sheep, walking on the dividing line after each other, the
second sheep in the center of the shield. b. per fess gold and blue in
the form of a wave rolling to the left.
The nursery rime on which this is based:
"'n Golf en 'n dyk met skapen
is 't Westhoekster wapen."
(a wave and a dike with sheep is the arms of Westhoek)
Flag: three stripes white - blue - yellow proportioned 9:4:3, the dividing
line two times wavy below, a big wave on top, and in the canton a red ram's
head.
For some time the villagers of Westhoek wanted their own CoA, like
other villages in Het Bildt. The ideas of the villagers were transformed
into a design for a CoA by Mr. Gesing from Westhoek. At the same
time the nursery rime was quoted, because it was thought, that that was
needed for the grant of the CoA. This had been the same with the other
villages from Het Bildt. The Fryske Rie foar Heraldyk was quite charmed
with the rime, and acepted it. It is to be remembered that the rime was
based on an old CoA and not the other way around, as it had been with the
other villages. The colors are derived from the municipal flag of Het Bildt.
The dike with sheep is characteristic for the environment of the village.
The color red was chosen in order not to sin against the heraldic rule:
never a metal on a metal or a color on a color - white sheep were out of
the question! Brown is no heraldic color, and red came closest to it. Moreover
all colors of the Bildtse flag could thus be used. The sheep have been
placed in the (heraldic) right corner, to point at the "west" of Westhoek.
A Frisian heraldic characteritic is to read a coat of arms as a geographical
map, north on top, west (heraldic) right.
The wave has a double meaning: first the sea behind the dike, and second
the reminder of the "Golf van Onrust" (wave of unrest), a monument
that reminds of the labor movement at the end of the 19th century.
The wave has been put over the gold (yellow), to prevent a heraldic
clash. Gold is also for the "Gouden Hoep" (golden hoop), as the
dike around Fryslân is called, and as it was used in CoAs of old
polderboards (e.g. the Bildtpollen). The whole CoA represents thus
the local situation: sea, the dike with grass and sheep.
The flag has been derived from the CoA, but now in the "Westhoek" a
ram's head. Here as a replacement for the sheep and a reference to the
labor movement. The whole picture forms a playful and fresh image, a flag
which is well liked in the environment of the village.
Design CoA: R.J.Broersma, after an idea of J. Gesing.
Design flag: R.J.Broersma.
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2001.
Jarig Bakker, 19 Aug 2003
Westhoek CoA
by Jarig Bakker, 18 Aug 2003