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Edegem (Municipality, Province of Antwerp, Belgium)

Last modified: 2003-12-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: edegem | lion (black) |
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[Flag of Edegem]by Filip van Laenen

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Description of the flag

Edegem is located in the arrondissement of Antwerp.

The flag is white with a black lion with a red tongue and claws. It is a banner of the municipal arms, which are blazoned as:

Argent a lion sable armed and langued gules

These are the arms of the Fiennes family. This family and its descendants ruled nearby Mortsel and Edegem, jointly named Cantincroy, from 1652 to1781. Edegem, separated since 1781, has been an unimportant village for most of its existence.

The royal decree confirming the arms is dated 1 September 1932, confirming the municipal decision from 26 February 1930. The decree was published in the official gazette on 24-25 October 1932.

Source: Municipal website

The flag was adopted by Municipal decree on 29 April 1982 and confirmed by Ministerial decision 6 June 1989, as published in the Belgisch Staatsblad - Moniteur belge (official gazette) on 8 November 1989.

Source: Van evers en heiligen. Wapens en vlaggen van de gemeenten in de provincie Antwerpen [pbd98]

On the image shown above, the lion has been standardized, following the official pattern of the Flemish flag. However, this 'standard' version is not used in Edegem. where a 'local' version of the lion is prefered.

Jarig Bakker & Jan Mertens, 30 June 2003

Municipal logo

On 7 Jan 2000, a new house style was introduced. In daily practice, the new logo is somewhat displacing the traditional coat of arms, but it has the merit of retaining the lion. Paraphrasing the official text describing the logo, we have:

  • The lion illustrates the historic urge towards well-being, a strong sense of conservatism and respect for old symbols. The horizontal lines represent the dynamic aspect;
  • The shield symbolizes the security and unity the municipality offers. Lion and shield together symbolize strength and an urge to rapid progress, with a conservative reflex thrown in;
  • The sun is a reference to the nickname 'the Sunquenchers': thinking a house was on fire, people wanted to put out the flames only to find that the sun was reflected in a window. One part of the sun 'puts out' the other.

The logo appears on flags, stickers, forms, signs, etc.. Moreover, each municipal service has got its own colour.

Jan Mertens, 30 June 2003