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Terwispel (The Netherlands)

Opsterland municipality, Fryslân province

image by Jarig Bakker, 16 Sep 2003
adopted 1994; Design: J.C. Terluin.

Terwispel village
Terwispel coat of arms

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Terwispel village

Terwispel is a village in Opsterland municipality, Fryslân province, with (1958) 1122; (1973) 912; (2000) 967 inhabitants. It is north of Gorredijk, on a sand ridge. Its formation had of course to do with peat-digging, but in 1900 the calamity took place: Tijnje separated from Terwispel and became a separate village. The dairy factory was a small consolation, so that was closed and became a second-hand car-shop.
Nickname: none (note that the Honorable Mayor of the municipality of Juinen was named "Terweksel", not Terwispel - Juinen is a fictive entity, invented by the Dutch comedians Koot & Bie, no flag known)
Terwispel coat of arms: in silver a green St. Anthony's cross-reaching into chief, on top charged with a golden clover with three black peatblocks on both sides.
Flag: Three equally wide horizontal stripes of white and green, and a green hoist, charged with a yellow clover.
Terwispel's name is derived from the small river "Wijde Wispel" in a marshy environment. In a chapel list of 1315 the Latin "Wispolia" occurs. Of old it is an agricultural village, with cattle-breeding on the sandy soil. The color green on silver shows this. Around the village was marshy soil, which was dug down for peat. The village name is symbolized by the T on coat of arms and flag. (A similar use was made of the T on the flag of Telc in Czechia).
The flag is a simplification of the arms.
Design: J.C. Terluin
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 1994.
De Woudklank (local newspaper), 23 Jul 1998.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Jarig Bakker, 16 Sep 2003

Terwispel coat of arms

from De Woudklank (local newspaper), 23 Jul 1998.