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Olterterp (The Netherlands)

Opsterland municipality, Fryslân province

by Jarig Bakker, 16 Sep 2003
adopted 1995; Design: J.C. Terluin.

Olterterp village
Olterterp CoA

See also:

Olterterp village

Olterterp is a village in Opsterland municipality, Fryslân province, with (1958) 163; (1974) 130; (2000) 94 inhabitants. Smallest village of the municipality. The village belonged to the "Algemene Friese Levensverzekeringsmaatschappij", a life-insurance company; it was a private domain of the van Boelens family, which opened it to the public in the 18th century. Here is the headquarters of the "Fryske Gea", an environment protection agency, and a very small church.
Olterterp CoA: Per fess 1. in red two oakbranches of goldalongside each other, with two leaves and an acorn; 2. in gold a blue chalice-formed flax-flower, with visible three (of five) leaves and a green stem.
Flag: diagonally divided of red and blue, divided by a narrow yellow stripe from hoist-bottom to fly-top; on red a yellow oakbranch.
Olterterp has always been a forest-village, dominated by impressive oaks. The oakbranches represent that. The red color symbolizes the heatherfield (like the Boppefjild) around Olterterp. Gold/yellow is for the sandy soil, and old agricultural lands, on which rye was cultivated. The flax-flower symbolizes the Van Boelens family, which owned this village for two centuries. This family had extensive flax-fields.
The yellow diagonal stripe in the flag refers to the road D