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Hempens/Teerns (The Netherlands)

Leeuwarden municipality, Fryslân province

Last modified: 2014-10-04 by andrew weeks
Keywords: hempens | teerns |
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Hempens (Himpens) village

Hampens village Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net

Hempens and Teerns are listed in my book as two separate villages, but according to this website it has become a huge conglomeration with 226 inhabitants in the municipality of Leeuwarden (south of Ljouwert on the other side of the van
Harinxmakanaal.)

The flag of Hempens (Himpens) has this story behind it, according to the webpage:
The municipality of Leeuwarden granted an official name to the bridge over the "Nauwe Greuns" in Hempens. It is "Oxena brids", old-Frisian for "oxen bridge".
In the Middle Ages an "Oxena brids" was mentioned in the village territory of Hempens. A charter in old-Frisian of 21 July 1463 mentions this bridge, probably a bit east of the present bridge. In the opinion of the Leeuwarder municipal council it is important to keep these old names.
Some years ago the village flag of Hempens was adopted, which is being dominated by two horns of oxen, which refers to the old bridge, over which the farmers chased their cattle.
It is remarkable that the old-Frisian name has nearly the same spelling as (old) English. Probably Hempens has the only "brids" on the continent!
Jarig Bakker, 10 Jun 2003


Teerns (Tearns) village

Teerns village Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 1994; Design: Rudolf J. Broersma

The flag of Teerns (Frisian: Tearns) is dominated by the waters of the big van Harinxmakanaal, and towards the hoist the old watermill is symbolized.
Jarig Bakker, 10 Jun 2003

The flag of Teerns is a simplified derivation af the arms, closely connected to that of the neighbourly Hempens (wavy base, referring to the formerly watery environment), In the flag the Catherine's Wheel (no wheel of the watermill) of the arms was adopted. St. Catherine was the patron saint of the parish church, The interruption in the wheel is in the form of a chevron, from which two wavy stripes emanate, with the same meaning as in the arms.
Rudolf J. Broersma, 1 Sep 2006