Oostdongeradeel (The Netherlands)

Eastdongeradiel (former municipality in Fryslân)

Last modified: 2003-04-26 by jarig bakker
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Oostdongeradeel municipality flag (Eastdongeradiel)

• Oostdongeradeel: introduction
• Oostdongeradeel CoA
• Aalsum (Ealsum)
• Aalsum CoA
• Anjum (Aenjum)
• Anjum CoA
• Ee (Ie)
• Ee CoA
• Engwierum (Ingwjirrum)
• Ingwierrum CoA
• Jouswier
• Jouswier CoA
• Lioessens (Ljussens)
• Lioessens CoA
• Metslawier (Mitselwier)
• Metslawier CoA
• Morra (Moarre)
• Morra CoA
• Niawier (Nijewier)
• Nijewier CoA
• Nijkerk [Oosternijkerk] (Nytsjerk [Easternytsjerk])
• Nijkerk CoA
• Eastrum (Oostrum)
• Oostrum CoA
• Paezens-Moddergat (Paesens-Moddergat)
• Paesens Moddergat CoA

• Friesland
• Friesland - Historical quarters
• Friesland province - the municipalities
• The Netherlands
• Provinces and municipalities of the Netherlands
• The Netherlands - Index of all pages

Oostdongeradeel: introduction

Oostdongeradeel:
Flag: "Blue a trice waved white fly-wise bar with in the top hoist a yellow lily, and in the lower fly three bundled corn eaves whereof one standing and two bent." Established 17-12-1963; modified 7-7-1964. The shield is: Blue a bend sinister silver.
Under Oostdongeradeel is says the capital is Metselawier and that the flag is: Wavy white bend sinister divided into two fields; the left upper field charged with a yellow lily, the right field charged with three yellow bundled corn ears, whereof one standing and two bent.
Under Municipal flag the flag is depicted as the upper of the two flag descriptions, where "fly-wise bar" is interpreted as a fly-wise bend. I don't know whether the editors disliked Oostdongeradeel, or had some other reason for creating those weird descriptions but I expect the correct interpretation is the one of the drawing. After all, "fly-wise bar" doesn't make sense, since a bar would be a stripe running from the hoist to the fly.
Franc van Diest, 10 October 2000]

Oostdongeradeel CoA

Aalsum village (Ealsum)

The village of Aalsum in Dongeradeel, Friesland, the Netherlands. Aalsum/Ealsum is now virtually a part of the city of Dokkum, formerly in Oostdongeradeel.
Description of the flag: Diagonally divided from the fly in blue and white; in the center a wheel with six spokes countercharged of three quarters of flag-height.
This is St. Catherine's wheel, who was, according to an inscription on the church bell, the patron saint of Aalsum. Furthermore the wheel points at the estates which are lying radially around the church.
Curious- in "In Vogelvlucht, geschiedenis van de gemeente Oostdongeradeel", by Mr. A. J. Andreae, reprint 1971 the inscription on the church bell reads: "Jhesus Maria Sancta Hanna, Van Buytendijck me fecit anno domini MCCCCLII". Patron saint of the church: Saint Anne. The re-editor of the booklet, Ds. J. ter Steege, should know: he was the vicar of Aalsum.
Jarig Bakker, 18 January 2001

Aalsum CoA

Anjum village (Aenjum)

Anjum (Frisian: Aenjum, is in the northeast of Dongeradiel, traditionally the largest village of East Dongeradeel. To indicate that this village belonged to that former municipality the flag has a diagonal running from the bottom of the hoist to the fly-top. The bound stalks are bullrush, or as we used to call them: 'bollepiesten'. In the description they have been derived from some CoA, but it is well known that Anjum was separated from the rest of the municipality by marshy lands, de Kolken, which only recently were transformed in luscious meadows. I should mention, that at present there is an important asylum for birds, the Fûgelpits.
Jarig Bakker, 26 October 2000

Anjum CoA

Ee village (Ie)

Ee (Frisian: Ie) is a village with c. 1000 inhabitants, 8 km east of Dokkum. The diagonal on the flag is typical of the former Oostdongeradeel villages; however the wavy bar represents the small stream 'Súder Ie' which flows from the north through the village into the 'Dokkumer Djip' (not to be confused with the 'Dokkumer Ee', which flows from Leeuwarden to Dokkum.) The unicorn is from the CoA of the Humalda-family. Blue and white have been derived from the old municipality CoA (and flag)
Jarig Bakker, 27 October 2000

Ee CoA

Engwierum village (Ingwjirrum)

Engwierum (Frisian: Ingwierrum) is a village with Ca. 500 inhabitants, 11 km east of Dokkum. It was close to the former Lauwerszee and the neighbourhoods of Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen had locks, which have played a major role in the drainage of the Frisian hinterland. The duck on the flag refers to the two duck-cages nearby. The blue bar has white locks, for the 'Dokkumer Djip', with the locks. Here is no connection with the former municipal CoA of Oostdongeradeel. In olden times it was known as 'it eilân' - the island, enclosed by two branches of the 'Dokkumer Djip', which flowed into the Lauwerszee. Yellow was chosen for esthetical reasons, but also because in spring a lot of Cole-seed was grown with yellow nice-smelling flowers. The village CoA has a flattened hill as well, representing part of the name - 'wier'= 'terp' = mound, where people fled when the waters rose. To get the villagers really mad one has to call them "Pylkumers". Nobody knows what that means, but it may refer to duck-chicks  "pyl" or "pylk").
Jarig Bakker, 27 October 2000

Ingwierrum CoA

Jouswier village

Jouswier (Frisian: Jouswier, AKA 'in tsjerke, trije h?zen en in bargehok' - a church, three houses and a pigsty) had (1-1-1999) 52 inhabitants; it is c. 6 km NE of Dokkum. The diagonal division of the village flag refers to the old Oostdongeradeel CoA, while the green symbolizes the 'wier' = mound, on which the village was built as a protection against floods. The key is a
symbol of the patron saint of Jouswier, St. Peter, in the colors of the old Utrecht bishopric. Red and white are also the colors of the old division of 'Oostergo'. <as an aside: the village CoA contains also the head of a (very) wild boar - it should have been a pig's head>
Jarig Bakker, 30 October 2000

Jouswier CoA

Lioessens village (Ljussens)

Lioessens (Frisian: Ljussens - say Ljussus) had (1-1-1999) 382 inhabitants. It is 8 km NE of Dokkum. The blue diagonal flagbar symbolizes the former railway, and now road from Dokkum to Anjum and Lauwersoog, and of course the old Oostdongeradeel municipal CoA. The cloverleaf is from the old Gerroltsma family CoA. It is an agricultural village, and there used to be a dairy factory here, which might explain the use of the white color.
Jarig Bakker, 30 October 2000

Lioessens CoA

Metslawier village (Mitselwier)

Metslawier (Frisian: Mitselwier) had 1-1-1999 850 inhabitants; it used to be the administrative center of Oostdongeradeel. That explains the diagonal division (see former messages) and the star to the flag hoist is the 'Leadstar' as municipal seat.
Jarig Bakker 31 October 2000

Metslawier CoA

Morra village (Moarre)

Morra (Frisian: Moarre) had (1-1-1999) 247 inhabitants; it forms in fact one village with Lioessens. In the Middle Ages there was the nun's Norbertine monastery of Weerd, founded before 1326, burnt down by the 'Watergeuzen' on 20-8-1569, closed in 1580. The diagonal division of the flag refers to the former Oostdongeradeel CoA and to the road from Dokkum to Anjum and Lauwersoog. The eagle's head is from the Van Heemstra family CoA, but it also refers to the patron saint of the village - St John the Evangelist.
Jarig Bakker, 31 October 2000

Morra CoA

Niawier village (Nijewier)

Niawier (Frisian: Nijewier) had 1-1-1999 409 inhabitants. The name means 'new mound', a strange name for a village, which was probably there in 1224 A.D. The monastery Sion was founded there c. 1195 and was left in 1580. At present it is an agricultural community.
The flag of Niawier has the Oostdongeradeel diagonal division; the green color symbolizes the 'wier' or terp, while yellow is for the golden corn-ears. Finally the Jerusalem cross refers to the old Sion monastery with one of the old Utrecht bishopric colors.
Jarig Bakker, 1 November 2000

Nijewier CoA

Oosternijkerk village (Nijtsjerk, Easternijtsjerk)

Oosternijkerk (Frisian: Easternijtsjerk, or Nijtsjerk) had 1-1-1999 866 inhabitants. It is 8 km Northeast of Dokkum and dating from the 15th century, that is after the first dykes around Friesland were constructed and villages didn't have to be built on mounds. Foeke Sjoerds, a historian of local fame, lived here in the 18th century.
Flagdescription: Per bend sinister (?) gules and azure; in the center an argent greyhound courant of 3/4 flagheight.
Explanation: white and blue are the colors of Oostdongeradeel; red and white of Oostergo. The greyhound is derived from the CoA of the Sjoorda family.
Jarig Bakker, 2 November 2000

Oosternijkerk CoA

Oostrum village (Eastrum)

Oostrum (Frisian: Eastrum) is a village with (1-1-1999) 189 inhabitants at 3 km east of Dokkum. It used to be important because of the brick-factory ('it Stienfek') and the ZPC-building for storing potatoes (mainly).
Flag description:  Or, vert garuly bend sinister; in the hoist top a gules brick lodged.
Explanation: the garuly stripe is derived from the stump on the Mellema family CoA. The diagonal division refers to Oostdongeradeel's CoA, and the brick to the old brick-factory.
Jarig Bakker, 2 November 2000

Oostrum CoA

Paesens-Moddergat village (Peazens-Moddergat)

Paesens-Moddergat (Frisian: Peazens-Moddergat) were two separate villages, Paesens in Oost- and Moddergat in West-dongeradeel. Paesens had 1-1-1999 268 inhabitants and Moddergat 241. Until 1883 the main industry was fishing. On the night from 5-6 March 1883 17 out of 22 ships did not return and more than 100 fishers drowned.
Flagdescription: Two equally wide horizontal bars in green and red, central towards the fly a lodged Anthonius-anchor-cross with the T-bar at one third of the hoist; in hoist-top and -bottom a yellow clover-leaf.
Explanation: St. Anthonius was de patron saint of Paesens; the anchor reminds of the connection to the sea and the disaster of 1883. The clover leafs symbolizes the agricultural nature of the village.
Jarig Bakker, 3 November 2000

Paesens Moddergat CoA