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Midden-Delfland (The Netherlands)

Zuid-Holland province

Last modified: 2005-04-23 by jarig bakker
Keywords: midden-delfland |
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[Midden-Delfland flag] Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.shipmate.nl/flags.htm
adopted 29 Mar 2005; design: High Council of Nobility Other Midden-Delfland pages: See also:

Midden-Delfland municipality

Midden-Delfland is a new municipality in Zuid-Holland province, formed 1 Jan 2005 by the merger of the former municipalities of Maasland and Schipluiden. It is between the cities of Delft and Vlaardingen.
Stefan Lambrechts received the flagproposal, to be adopted 29 Mar 2005; his image shows a banner of arms.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Mar 2005

The flag was indeed adopted 29 Mar 2005, see the municipal website click: Over Midden-Delfland - Wapen, vlag en logo
The design was made by the High Council of Nobility and is directly derived from the municipal arms.
The three wavy stripes are in the colors blue, white and green. Blue for sky, white for water and green for grass, symbol of the open green space of Midden-Delfland. The ship on the flag, a sturdy threemaster, represents history and dynamics. The initial "M" symbolizes equally history and stood for the Maas river, meandering through the green meadows.
The ship (derived from the arms of the former municipality of Schipluiden) is turned, because it has more space (sea) available in front of it. The ship is at 1/3 of flaglength.

Official description:
"Three wavy stripes, blue, white and green, proportioned 2:1:2. with on blue a turned threemaster and on green a twice dented white stripe".

The "M" is derived from arms and flag of Maasland. That arms have been used since the 15th century. The M was probably a wavy pale. On a 14th century seal of Maasland a pale like that occurred. On later similar seals were seen. On an 18th c. seal the CoA is surmounted by a crown of 13 pearls. In the manuscript Beelaerts van Blokland the field is noir, the pale vert and the M argent. It is unknown whether those were the usual colors, or if Beelaerts van Blokland misrepresented the arms.Sierksma explained the M as the Maas-river meandering through green meadows. So it may be the Maas after all.

There is still a lot a green land and plenty water in Midden-Delfland, but nowhere the municipality touches the Maas or the Northsea. The threemaster is in fact misrepresenting this area. A one-master ("Westlander") for inland shipping would have been more appropriate.
See also Ralf Hartemink's site.
Gerard van der Vaart, 8 Apr 2005

Midden-Delfland CoA