Last modified: 2018-12-15 by rob raeside
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image by Jarig Bakker, 24 May 2006
adopted 2004; design: Co Loerakkers
Marcel van Westerhoven, in Vexilla Nostra 248, 2006, describes the villageflag
of Spaarndam as: "Per white saltire of 1/10 flagheight blue and red; at
the hoist on red three white perches in a vertical row, facing the fly".
The flag was designed in 2004 by Co Loerakkers, a Spaarndammer. He
had talked to an Enkhuizenaar, who boasted that Enkhuizen was the only
place in the Netherlands with <three fishes on> a "real" flag. Co took
that as a challenge, and came up with this flag. The colors are the Dutch
flagcolors. The red hoist with the perches represents Old (West) Spaarndam;
the fishes are from the old Coat of Arms. The red fly represents New (East) Spaarndam.
The blue top and bottom represent the mighty Spaarne river; the saltire
the roads; in the center the dam in the Spaarne can be imagined.
Spaarndam is an old village, until 1927 a separate municipality, when
it was annexed by Haarlem. East of the dam
in the Spaarne river, in the municipality of Haarlemmerliede
en Spaarnwoude, a new settlement arose, which actually forms part of
Spaarndam - which has been emphasized by the new flag.
Jarig Bakker, 24 May 2006
The American novelist Mary Mapes Dodge wrote in 1873 the book "Hans
Brinker or the Silver Skates". I expected eels on the flag, since the "Guide
Vert Michelin Hollande" (sic), says that smoked eel is eaten in Spaarndam.
As usual with Guide Vert, the phrasing suggests that everybody there eats
smoked eel three times a day all the day long. Thus probably explaining
why there is no eel left for the flag.
Ivan Sache, 24 May 2006
Coat of arms: argent three swimming perches or.
Presumably fishing was one of the main activities here in the past.
It has been said that the shield had formerly the form of a ham, which
is reflected in an old rhime:
"Drie baarsjes en een ham,
Is 't wapen van Spaarndam".
Three perches and a ham
is the arms of Spaarndam.
Jarig Bakker, 24 May 2006