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Eastermar (The Netherlands)

Tytsjerksteradiel municipality, Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 5 May 2004
adopted 22 Nov 1984; design: P. Bultsma

Eastermar village (Oostermeer)
Eastermar Coat of Arms

See also:

Eastermar village (Oostermeer)

Flagdescription: Twa like hege banen fan blau en giel, in griene hysgear oant krús mei in giele ikel deryn.
That is: Two equally wide horizontal stripes of blue and yellow; a green hoist-triangle at the cross in which a yellow acorn.
Explanation: The villagers themselves were mainly responsible for the design of flag and Coat of Arms. Since centuries people have been sailing on the Bergumermeer (lake of Bergum). Quite a few "skûtsjes" (old Frian flat-beames sailing ships) were based in Eastermar. Two wharfs built every year one "tsjalk" (another flatbeamed ship) and had a lot of repair-work. As a reminder of that a fishing boat has been placed on the village arms. It also refers to the old municipal (or grietey-) arms, which consisted of a ship with sprit-rigging. The horse in de arms symbolizes the horse-markets held here in the past, which were famous far beyond the Frisian lands. The three peat-blocks remind of the peat-digging in the "Wytfean", and the "Swartfean" (white and black peat-lands) since the 16th century. The village consisted then of two parts: the old farming village and the peat-digging colony around the little harbour of the Lits river, where until 1750 peat-trade and shipping brought prosperity.
The acorn in the flag reminds of tree-fences (mostly oaks) surrounding the village, which had some economic significance.
Eastermar (Dutch: Oostermeer) is a village with over 1000 inhabitants south of the Bergumermeer (lake). In c. 1975 the whole village was awakened by the arrival of a sailing boat: 'Finally we have become a watersport-resort!' Alas, so far not really...
Source: Doarpswapens en doarpsflaggen fan de doarpen yn de gemeente Tytsjerksterdiel, 1996.
Jarig Bakker, 6 November 2000

Eastermar Coat of Arms

by Jarig Bakker, 5 May 2004
adopted 22 Nov 1984; design: P. Bultsma

Description: per fess: I. in blue a sailing Frisian scow with sprit-rigging of silver; II. per pale: a. in gold a black rearing horse; 2. in green three peat-blocks of gold.
Source: Doarpswapens en doarpsflaggen fan de doarpen yn de gemeente Tytsjerksterdiel, 1996.
Jarig Bakker, 6 November 2000