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Batenburg village (The Netherlands)

Wychen municipality, Gelderland province

image by Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted ?

Batenburg former municipality
Batenburg Coat of Arms

See also:

Batenburg former municipality

The present municipality of Wychen was formed by the merger of the former municipalities of Batenburg, Bergharen and Wychen in 1984.
After the merger it was decided to adopt the flag and Coat of Arms of Batenburg, which were identical:
Flag: red with a yellow saltire, with arms of 1/5 flagheight, with in each quarter turned yellow cloth shearer's scissors.
Mr Marcel van Westerhoven wrote me that that was originally the flag of Batenburg.
Arms: gules a saltire with four reversed cloth shearer's scissors, all
or; the shield surmounted by a crown or of five leaves.
Granted by Royal Resolution 28 Mar 1984; originally granted to Batenburg 15 Jul 1818.
This is the old coat of arms of the Van Bronckhorst family, lord and master over life and death for a long time in Batenburg.

Why Batenburg? Wychen is an insignificant suburb of Nijmegen, gaining only some national fame when the "Vierdaagse" (four-day walk) is held and severly injured are treated and the healthy people are greeted with gladiolen for some weird reason...

Batenburg is an old town, with in its heighdays 650 inhabtants, and possibly the oldest settlement in Gelderland. Legend has it that its name is derived from prince Bato, of the Batavian tribe (or people), c.0 AD. There was a redoubtable castle defending the honor of Prince Bato's descendants, which, alas, has become derelict. Another reason (well, that is what I thought), was that Batenburg ain't that different from "Battenberg", or as the British know it: "Mountbatten". However there is no relation whatsoever, but Wycheners expect the British to be gullible :-)

Nickname: "Keieschijters" - people who s*** rocks - towns were privileged in getting far earlier hardened streets than village (like Wychen).
Source: Derkwillem Visser's "Gemeentevlaggen en Wapens Koninkrijk der Nederlanden", 2001.
Groot Schimpnamenboek van Nederland, by Dirk van der Heide, 1998.
Jarig Bakker, 17 Apr 2005

The municipal arms of Batenburg was not from the Lords of Bronkhorst, but from the oldest Lords of Batenburg. The Bronkhorsten had a white lion on red. When they acquired Batenburg they quartered their family arms with that of the lordship.
Marcel van Westerhoven, 24 Apr 2005

Batenburg Coat of Arms

image by Jarig Bakker, 17 Apr 2005
Granted 15 Jul 1818