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Wieringer arms and flag Het coat of arms The coat of arms of Wieringen was registered by the High Council of Peers on June 26th 1816. The accompanying heraldic description says: "Horizantally divided through the middle. Upper half in "lazuur" (blue) with a W held on both sides by a climbing lion, all in gold, the lower half also in "lazuur" with two swimming brent-geese in gold." The origin of the arms is unknown. The letter W quite clearly is for Wieringen, which makes this one of only a few Dutch municipalities with their initial in the coat of Arms. About the brent-geese the mayor who presented the request wrote that these geese were very common on the island and therefore were seen as its symbol. The coat of arms was already in use when the application for the registration was made. It is first seen on a seal from 1807. Before that time the geese had been used for a long time as a symbol for the island, as can be seen on this gravestone from 1643 for a bailiff of Wieringen. The flag The flag from 1981 The flag until 1981 The present flag was officially installed on May 22nd 1981. Before this date a flag was used that was very similar in design to that of the neighbouring municipality Anna Paulowna (see below), with as only difference the arms of Wieringen in de upper left corner. In the early 1980s the need arose for a flag with a more distinct character. In cooperation with the "Stichting voor Banistiek en Heraldiek" (Foundation for Banistry and Heraldry) in Muiderberg the flag that is shown here on the left was designed. The ideas behind the design were: according to the traditions the colours of the coat of arms become the basic colours for the flag. Gold on Lazure thus becomes yellow and blue. The characteristic elements of the arms are the geese and the initial W. The geese can be found in the middle of the flag, and by putting them in a triangular order, a W is suggested. The colour red was added to correspond with the flag of another former Zuiderzee island, Marken. See below. The design with the Scandinavian-like cross has become characteristic for Zuiderzee municipalities. Especially the flags for the Wieringermeer (designed after the Wieringer flag) and that for the Noord Oost Polder show the family characteristics. Anna Paulowna Marken Wieringermeer Noord Oost Polder Almere Lelystad Flagpictures kindly provided by Shipmate flag site. start / Dutch | history | legends | old photos | villages | anthem | links | search