^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Wiuwert (The Netherlands)

Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân province

image by Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2003
adopted 1999; Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.

Wiuwert village
Wiuwert coat of arms

See also:

Wiuwert village

Wiuwert (Dutch: Wieuwerd), village in Littensteradiel municipality, it used to be in the former municipality of Baarderadeel with (1958): 218; (1974): 183 inhabitants. It is rather famous for the tomb with four mummies, buried c.1665. In the Middel Ages it was a fishing-village along the Middelzee with 180 houses. The Swaenwertermar (a small lake south of the village) was so rich in fish that the fishes jumped into the fishing boats... The Thetinga-state (fortified house) dominated the village in ancient times; it was the center of the labadists. This was a pietist separatist movement, founded by Jean de Labadie (1610-1674); after his death the members went to Fryslân, where the "state" of Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijk (Waltahuis or Thetinga state) became a convent, lead by Pierre Yvon, ably assisted by Anna Maria van Schurman. She was a professor's daughter, studied in Utrecht and Franeker universities, and was a gifted artist. The movement was quite influential on the Frisian church, and the Quaker movement. In 1732 the Labadist movement was dissolved; in 1733, and Thetinga-state was pulled down.
In 1866 a treasure of Frankish golden ornaments was found in Wiuwert (now to be admired in Leiden).
Village nickname: labadisten.
Wiuwert coat of arms: wavy divided a. blue; 2. in gold three black bats, placed 2 and 1; a silver heart shield charged with a tree on a meadow, all green; the heart shield in blue with left and right a silver lozenge.
Flag: three horizontal stripes of blue, yellow, and black; the top two embattled, the first embattlement starts at the hoist; and the two bottom stripes wavy; the blue and the black stripe charged towards the hoist with a white lozenge.
Wiuwert is a "terp"-village on the boards of the old Middelzee. That is represented in the wavy division of the arms. The silver lozenges are from the coat of arms of the Walta-family, who lived on Thetinga-state. The black bats symbolize death, referring to the tomb. One of the most renowned Labadists was Anna Maria van Schurman: her coat of arms is on the heart shield.
The colors blue, black and gold are from the old municipal arms of Baarderadeel.
The flag's embattlements refer to Thetinga-state, and the wave to the old Middelzee. The two lozenges to the Van Walta-family and the municipal arms, one in black, referring to the tomb.
Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.
Source: Genealogysk Fierboekje 2001.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Baerderadiel: in Geakunde, 1977.
Jarig Bakker, 7 Sep 2003

Jean de Labadie (1610-1674) was a French emigrant, who had anticipated the revocation of the tolerance edict (Edit de Nantes) in 1685. He planned to restore the original, pure Christianity.
Anna Maria van Schurman (van Schuurman) (1606-1678) was a reputed entomologist and drawer.
Ivan Sache, 11 Sep 2003

Wiuwert coat of arms

from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.