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Nijmegen (The Netherlands)

Gelderland province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 1 Jan 1995.

Nijmegen municipality
Old Nijmegen flag
Nijmegen 1938 flag
Nijmegen Coat of Arms

See also:

Nijmegen municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 154.581; area: 72,33 km². Settlements: Nijmegen (seat), Lent, Nijmegen-Oosterhout, Nijmegen-Ressen.
Nijmegen is the city with most inhabitants in Gelderland and one of the oldest Dutch cities; founded by the Celts, named by the Romans Ulpia Noviomagus in c. 100 AD. Residence of Charlemagne (Valckhof), has now a university of international fame.

Sierksma (Nederlands vlaggenboek, 1962) writes: The yellow-black-yellow flag was adopted 9 September 1953. The colors are derived from the Coat of Arms. Unfortunately the double eagle has been omitted, depriving the flag of a characteristic element. On a very old skippers-antependium (c. 1494) of the St. Olofs-chapel in Nijmegen has been found a yellow city flag with the black eagle.
Also the white-red edging, present on several images of city flags of Nijmegen, dating from the time that Maximilian of Austria in 1482 stretched his hand over the city, has been lost.
The new Black over Red flag was adopted in 1994.
Jarig Bakker, 8 October 1999

Until the beginning of the 1950s Nijmegen did not have an official flag. A flag was used with the colors black and red, sometimes with two stripes, sometimes with more stripes. In 1953 the municipal considered several possibilities. At first a black-red flag was preferred, later on a flag with three equal horizontal stripes yellow-black-yellow was chosen. The colors were derived from the municipal arms.
But the colors black-red have historical rights. This is evident from the shutters of the Waag and the Latijn School, but also from the painting of the Nijmeegse barrel of shame, which was used in the Middle Ages and now can be admired in the Museum "de Commanderie van St. Jan". There is also the "kovel", a ceremonial mayor's cap used from 1592-1770. Most convincing for the black-red flag is the antependium, the curtain of the altar-table of the St. Olofs chapel of the Nijmeegse Schippersgilde. The flag in the crow's nest shows two stripes. top black, bottom red. In 1994 the municipal council reconsidered the issue and decided that the old city-flag would be restored.
Information from the Nijmegen municipal website.

Old Nijmegen flag

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 9 Sep 1953

Nijmegen 1938 flag

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net

Flag used in 1938, probably at the occasion of Queen Wilhelmina's 40 years reigning jubilee.

Nijmegen Coat of Arms

image from the Nijmegen municipal website.

Granted 7 Aug 1953.