This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website
Elsloo (The Netherlands)
Ooststellingwerf municipality, Fryslân province
Last modified: 2018-12-15 by rob raeside
Keywords: elsloo |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
image
by Jarig Bakker, 31 Aug 2003
See also:
Elsloo village
Elsloo is a village in the municipality of Ooststellingwerf, Fryslân
province - not to be confused with the former municipality of Elsloo,
now in Stein municipality, Limburg province.
Elsoo is on the Fryslân - Drenthe border in a woody environment,
with c. 600 inhabitants. The idea for a village flag was necessitated by
the 1977 contest between villages of the municipality, where all villages
proudly carried flags - but Elsloo not :-( The flag which was made was
used, it was said, for one day only. The society for village-interests
"Plaatselijk Belang" amply discussed the flag. A flag-design-competition
was organized, deadline 1 Mar 1978. Then "Plaatselijk Belang" discussed
the designs together with some Ooststellingwerver VIPs. The winning design
was by Hendrik Betten - it was accepted only after some odds and ends had
been improved. The villagers were asked whether they wanted to use the
flag, and the Dokkumer Vlaggencentrale got the order of 50 Elslooer
flags.
Source: "De Nieuwe Ooststellingwerver" (local ad-paper), 8 Mar
1979, quoted in VN.
Comments by Mr. Bultsma: The Ooststellingwervers may be prominent,
but they are not prominent in designing flags...
Description: the flag consists of green and white stripes with a vertical
yellow stripe towards the hoist charged with a red-brown
"elsetakkien" - alderbranch.
Source: Vexilla Nostra nr. 104/105, 1979, article by P. Bultsma.
<the description is incomplete, I don't know whether the letters
ELSLOO have in reality been put on the flag>
Jarig Bakker, 31 Aug 2003
From Vexilla Nostra, VI, 1971:
The Dutch Mailservice (PTT) has the habit of regularly confusing Elsloo
(Limburg) with Elsloo (Fryslân). The villagers of Elsloo (Fryslân)
became annoyed with that - whereupon the members of the Vesuviusclub departed
on 28 Dec 1970 for Limburg, and stole the Elsloo
municipal coat of arms. On 4 Jan 1971 the club returned to Limburg to justify
their evil deed. However they were overwhelmed by a grandiose unexpected
welcome by Mayor and Aldermen, local press and inhabitants of the Limburgian
village. After long tenacious negociations Elsloo (Limburg) offered its
coat of arms as a gift to Elsloo (Fryslân), under the condition that Elsloo
(Limburg) would receive the "Vesuvius"-flag (red with a black bull, the
"village-arms). Furthermore a bottle of Frisian Berenburger was exchanged
for a bottle of Limburgian Els.
After that an unofficial party was organized, and the pubs were not
allowed to close for 24 hours. Which was a ruse de guerre: for when the
Elsloo (Fryslân) villagers departed they missed the Municipal
flag of Ooststellingwerf (which they had taken along to underline their
protest) - for a moment unobserverved. Here ends this story, but the Frisian
Elsloo-ers will attend the carnaval in Elsloo (Limburg).
Quoted from the Leeuwarder Courant, 4 Jan 1971
The Vesuviusclub is is named after the Vesuvius firecrackers, used
to celebrate "Âld en Nij" on New Years eve.
Jarig Bakker, 3 Sep 2003