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Pekela (The Netherlands)

Groningen province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 22 Feb 1991.

Pekela municipality
Pekela coat of arms

Other Pekela pages:

See also:

Pekela municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 13.581; area: 50,22 km². Settlements: Oude Pekela (seat), Boven Pekela, Nieuwe Pekela.
Pekela was formed by the merger on 1 Jan 1990 of the former municipalities of Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela.
Pekela as a name is an anomaly. It is named after the Pekel A (Pekel canal), by which peat dug from that place was transported to Groningen city. Along the canal villages were built, like Oude Pekela and Nieuwe Pekela. The villagers were peat-diggers, in very low esteem. After they got rid of our muck that region remained not very exploitable. That 'veenkolonie' and others were a feeding ground for Dutch Communism.
The ship (kofschip) on the flag refers to the Frisian Feicko Clock, who started the magnificent digging operation...
Jarig Bakker, 12 November 1999

Pekela Coat of Arms

image from the Pekela municipal website.

Granted 19 Jul 1990.