Ameland has its own flag and coat of arms. The colors associated with the island are yellow and blue. It is a beautiful color combination that is proudly hung on the flagpole or on the flagpole. You come across those colors everywhere on the island. Besides the red and white of the lighthouse, it is the most used color combination on the island. Especially in advertising for companies and organizations, blue and yellow are used as characteristic shades for this island.
Source: Municipality of Ameland
The moon and the beams of Ameland
- Council decision for the flag of Ameland
- Royal decree for the coat of arms
- Flag use
- April Fool’s joke
Council decision for the flag of Ameland
The municipal flag was adopted by council decision on June 27, 1950. That decision describes what the flag should look like.
- Four equally high strips of blue and yellow
- containing a silver reversed wax tree in the center of the blue
- on the yellow three black shortened right diagonal bars next to each other.
Royal decree for the coat of arms
The coat of arms is older than the flag. The coat of arms was established by Royal Decree on February 20, 1816. The Amelander coat of arms was described as a shield that:
- Cut lengthwise;
- The right half of gold, loaded with three black bars descending from the upper right to the lower left corner;
- The left half of glazed, charged with a crescent moon of silver;
- The shield covered with a golden crown.
That’s how it’s described. It seems as if left and right are interchanged in this description, but in heraldry it is customary to describe the coat of arms from the person carrying the shield. For him or her, the left is for the viewer the right.
Source: Bouwe Brouwer, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
The beams
The coat of arms is a combination of symbols that connects the residents of the municipality. The coat of arms is flown next to the flag by the municipality. The coat of arms has been in use longer than the Amelander flag. Since the end of the 16th century it has been used as a coat of arms. The origin of the weapon is unknown, but there is a nice story circulating about the symbols on the weapon. According to tradition, the diagonal beams represent the beams stolen by Amelanders on Terschelling. The Amelanders wanted to make a gallows from those beams and that gallows would have been in Ballum.
The rhyme
A rhyme, which appears on the statue in the Hollum public garden, refers to that history:
The Amelander Schalken
The Amelander rogues
stole three brays in the evening in the moonlight, so this will be their weapon.
Flag use
Flag and coat of arms are used with respect. A flag instruction applies to government agencies, but this does not apply to citizens. A flag is considered a representative symbol and therefore deserves respectful treatment. The Amelander flag is not an advertising flag, but a flag that symbolizes the municipality.
Photo Ameland Press Agency / Source: Ameland Press Agency
Yellow moon in the Plantsoentje
Hollum on Ameland received a stone-encrusted coat of arms in the Plantsoentje in 2013. It was the final step in the redevelopment of that area. Discussion flared up when it was discovered during the unveiling that the moon in the stone weapon had not turned white but yellow, against the rules. A connoisseur of history and guide through the village therefore avoids the weapon in his tour.
April Fool’s joke
The coat of arms in the Plantsoentje came about after intensive collaboration between Dorpsbelang Hollum, retailers and catering establishments and the municipality of Ameland. As executors, men from road builder Spoelstra were allowed to lay the stones and when they arrived at the moon there was a lot of commentary. Not yellow but white, actually silver, it should be. The discussion called for an explanation and it was provided. White on the street is too contagious and after a democratic process, yellow moonstones were chosen. A dirty moon wouldn’t have done the weapon any good. A year later, in 2014, the moon was made white as an April Fool’s joke.
read more
- Municipality of Ameland and the municipal council
- Gentlemen of Ameland and Christa Van Cammingha
- Amelander Folk Song – Rising from seaweed and sand
- Wadden island Ameland is the size
- Ameland in 2011 – Year of lustrums and jubilees