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Veendam (The Netherlands)

Groningen province

Last modified: 2003-11-15 by jarig bakker
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Veendam municipality Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.shipmate.nl/flags.htm

Other Veendam pages: See also:

Municipal flag

Municipal data of Veendam: Inhabitants: 28.301; Area: 78,81 km2.
Settlements: Bareveld (part), Borgercompagnie (part), Kibbelgaarn, Korte Akkers, Numero Dertien, Ommelanderwijk, Tripscompagnie (part), Veendam (seat), Wildervank, Wildervanksterdallen, Zuidwending.
Veendam is c. 30 km southeast of Groningen city. It is the second largest town of the province, the main town of the 'Veenkoloniën" (Peat-region). It has national fame because of its football (soccer) stadium, called 'De lange Leegte' (The Long Emptiness), symbolizing the sight after all peat had been dug out... It is now a busy industrial municipality.
The flag was adopted 14 May 1955 with the municipal CoA on the white stripe. Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck (1605-62) founded Veendam and Wildervank in 1647. A monument in front of the old municipal building in Wildervank reminds of him. His original name was Adriaan Geerts Paap, but he was also known as A. G. Wildvang. His wife, Margaretha Hardenberg, was once sleeping in the heather, when she was attacked by a viper. She promised to build on that spot a church, whereupon the viper fell on the ground and disappeared. There the church of Wildervank was built. This story is painted on the CoA of Veendam, while the Wildervank arms just have a big heap of "turven", blocks of peat, the main product of the marshes, known as "Veenkoloniën". Although they were separate settlements, nearly all settlements were built in one very long stretch along the channels, the main being the Stadskanaal (Stad = city, in this case Groningen, the main town of the Northern Netherlands. No wonder that at present Veendam and Wildervank form one long community.
The oldest reported flag of Veendam was plain white (flagbook of Steenbergen, c. 1870). The Society for the Benefit of the Marine (Maatschappij to Nut der Zeevaart (1817) had a white flag with a twice cut through canton of red, white and blue. Finally there was a white flag with two intertwined V's (merchant flag).
Jarig Bakker, 15 November 1999