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Medemblik (The Netherlands)

Noord-Holland province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 11 Aug 1959; design: Kl. Sierksma; confirmed 26 Mar 2007

Medemblik municipality
Medemblik old flag

Other Medemblik pages:

See also:

Medemblik municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2008): Populatio: 26.569; area: 181,23 km². Settlements: Abbekerk, Benningbroek, Hauwert, Lambertschaag, Medemblik (seat), Midwoude, Nibbixwoud, Oostwoud, Opperdoes, Sijbekarspel, Twisk, Wognum, Zwaagdijk, Zwaagdijk-Oost, Zwaagdijk-West.
On 1 January 2007 the former municipalities of Medemblik, Noorder-Koggenland and Wognum merged to form the new municipality of Medemblik.
Medemblik is a city on the former Zuiderzee, the capital of the region of West-Friesland in Noord-Holland province. According to tradition here resided King Redbad of Fryslân (8th century); however Redbad's castle was founded in 1288 by Count Floris V of Holland, probably as a defense against the (West) Frisians. The name is derived from the river Leek (Medemeleke); it was a member of the Hanseatic league, and had the right to have the Emperor's crown on top of its coat of arms. Medemblik florished notably in the days of the Dutch East India Company (17th century).

The flag of Medemblik: Six diagonal stripes of black and yellow, runnining from hoist-top to fly-bottom, with in the canton a blue castle with open gate. This flag was adopted by municipal resolution on 11 Aug 1959; design: Kl. Sierksma in Muiderberg.
The diagonal stripes are a remote reminder of the Frisian flag, while the blue castle refers to Redbad's castle.
Source: Sierksma's Nederlands Vlaggenboek, 1962 [sie62].
Jarig Bakker, 8 Jul 2003

The Medemblik municipal council decided 26 Mar 2007 to adopt an official municipal flag, to wit the existing municipal flag of Medemblik, which was introduced 30 Jun 1959. At the same time a number of village flags were recognized by the council, namely the flags of Midwoude, Nibbixwoud and Wognum previous to 1979, and the old municipal flag of Twisk may be used at local festivities.
The other villages are encouraged to develop their own village flags, provided heraldic and vexillological rules are used.
Every village will receive 5 village flags.
Source Municipal website.
Stefan Lambregts, 11 Apr 2007

Medemblik old flag

image by Jarig Bakker, 8 Jul 2003

In the Napolitan flagbook of 1667 (That is "Bandiere usate in mare da diverse nazioni sopra i legni da guerra e mercantili", Napoli - manuscript in possession of the John Carter Brown Library, Providence, USA) is a flag with three equally high horizontal stripes of black and yellow. That flag is a banner of arms (see Ralf Hartemink's site), although the stripes on the Coat of Arms are vertical.
In the Amsterdams Scheepvaartmuseum is a manuscript with a black-white-black flag for Medemblik, but that is probably a case of mis-reading the Napolitan manuscript.
Source: Sierksma's Nederlands Vlaggenboek, 1962 [sie62].
Jarig Bakker, 8 Jul 2003