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Minnertsga (Netherlands)

Het Bildt municipality, Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 24 Feb 2004
adopted 2003; design: R. J. Broersma

Minnertsga village (Minnertsgea)
Minnertsga Coat of Arms

See also:

Minnertsga village (Minnertsgea)

Minnertsga (Frisian: Minnertsgea) is a village in the municipality of Het Bildt, Fryslân province. It used to belong to the old territory of Fryslân before the enclosure of the Middelsé; till 1984 Minnertsga belonged to the former municipality of Barradeel, with c. 2.000 inhabitants. The village prides itself because of its monumental saddle-roofed church, which in the 16th century had a high spire on top of the churchtower; unfortunately that was lost c. 1550; in 1947 the church was destroyed by fire, but it was restored in its former glory in 1951.
It is said: "Dy fan Minnertsgea sealje ier en ride let" (Those of Minnertsga saddle early and ride late - it takes them a while
to do something). Nicknames: "keallebouten" (calf-bones), "rapekoppen" (turnip-heads)

Coat of Arms: divided: I. in blue a golden corn-sheaf; II. in blue a silver sea-horn placed per pale, pointing downwards, containing three golden corn-ears; in chief a double black eagle with red beak and tongue; in blue a golden triangle charged with a green clover.

Flag: five horizontal striped of blue, yellow, green, white and blue, poportioned 1:1:2:1:1; a red hoidt-triangle with the point at
flag-center; the triangle charged with a yellow corn-sheaf.

The base of the Coat of Arms is the arms of the Hermana family. In chief is the double-headed eagle from that family-Coat of Arms, and in this case the tongue and beak are red, contrary to the family-Coat of Arms.. That color was chosen for esthetic reasons (Minnertsgeas: "skientme"), and because it is the color of the lions in the Hermana-Coat of Arms (not visible on the village-Coat of Arms)
In the right side the time is represented when the village belonged to Barradeel with the corn-sheaf and the color of the former municipal arms. The left part shows the present situation: part of Het Bildt, represented by a horn and the color of the municipal arms..
In the golden triangle a green clover is taken to represent agriculture.

The design of the flag is connected with other flags of villages in Het Bildt. Sint Jabik, Sint Anne, Froubuorren and Âldsyl all have horizontal stripes and a hoist-triangle. Those forms are also present in the flags of (old) Barradeel and Het Bildt. The colors blue, yellow and green are from the Barradeel flag; green, white and blue from Het Bildt. While the hoist-trangle of the above named villages is blue, red has been chosen for Minnertsgea. That is for "skientme" (see above), but also because the village is relatively new to this municipality. In the red triangle the golden corn-sheaf from the village has been taken as a reminder of Barradeel and agriculture.
Design: R. J. Broersma
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2003
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958
Groot Schimpnamenboek van Nederland, by Dirk van der Heide, 1998
Jarig Bakker, 24 Feb 2004

Minnertsga Coat of Arms

by Jarig Bakker, 24 Feb 2004