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

Etten-Leur (The Netherlands)

Noord-Brabant province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
Adopted 11 Mar 1968

Etten-Leur municipality
Etten-Leur old flag (c.1935)
Etten-Leur Coat of Arms
Leur village

See also:

Etten-Leur municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 39.363; area: 55,90 km². Settlements: Etten-Leur (seat).
This flag was approved by the municipal council on 11 March 1968.
Description: a rectangular red flag, proportioned 2:3, with a white hoist-triangle with its point on the fly; on white a round opened castle with four pinnacles.
The colors red and white are from the municipal Coat of Arms.
Source: the Etten-Leur municipal website.

Etten-Leur old flag (c.1935)

by Jarig Bakker, 26 Jun 2005
used in 1935

According to "Wie, Wat, Waar? 1940", an annual published by the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad in Nov. 1939, the flag of Etten-Leur was: square checquy of red and white; in top hoist a blue square charged with three yellow castles, placed 2,1, below a yellow crown.
This is a parading flag, used when 's-Hertogenbosch, the Brabant capital, celebrated its 750th birthday in 1935. The red and white blocks are from the Noord-Brabant flag; in the canton is a representation of the old arms; the small crown of 5 leaves is beyond me...
Jarig Bakker, 26 Jun 2005

Etten-Leur Coat of Arms

by Jarig Bakker, 26 Jun 2005
Granted 17 Jan 1968

Arms: argent three opened catles gules; the shield surmounted by a crown or of fifteen pearls.
In the 13th century the Estate of Etten belonged to the Lord of Breda. In the 15th-17th century the Van Etten family were appointed vassals of the the Lords of Breda in Etten. The arms of the Van Etten family was silver with three blue castles. The arms of the Estate of Etten were derived from the arms of the family, but the colours were changed to distinguish the arms.
When the local council applied for the arms to be granted the colours were not mentioned. The arms were thus granted in the National colours. In 1968 the original colours were restored.
International Civic Arms : http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Etten-Leur ,1997
Translated by Franc van Diest, 16 Aug 2001

Leur village

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 1989; design: W. van Stokhem, a Leurenaar.

In the "Brabants Nieuwsblad (a Roosendaal newspaper) of 16 Sep 1989 was an article entitled "De Leurse vlag wappert" - the flag of Leur is flying. Mr. Jan van Harssel, a Leur-citizen), gave an explanation:
The white man represents skipper Adriaan van Bergen from Leur, who hid in 1590 in his famous peat-boat below a load of peat soldiers of the Prince or Orange, who were smuggled into the fortified city of Breda, so that Prince Maurits was able to deliver the city from the Spaniards. However in 1625 the Spaniards, led by Spínola, regained Breda; in 1637 it became definitely Dutch. Spínola's effort has been immortalized by a painting by Velázquez, entitled "La rendición de Breda", better known as "Las lanzas".
Yellow is the old Leur color, probably because of the old countryside wiuth its gold-yellow cornfields. Green was chosen for the meadows in the environment. Blue is the color of the harbour at the Leurse Turfvaart. The Leurse harbour ain't what it used to be, but Leur owes its name to the "lörre", peat of inferior quality. Peat like that was transported via the harbour of Leur.
This year it is 400 years ago that Breda was delivered by Adriaan van Bergen's Trofan Horse-trick, which was deeemed a good occasion to found the Adriaan van Bergen-Stichting, and the presentation of the "Leurse vlag". 250 Flags have already been sold.
Source: Vlaggen, Magazine of Anton Jansen, #65 (1990)