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Leek (The Netherlands)

Groningen province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 13 Feb 1957

Leek municipality
Leek Coat of Arms

See also:

Leek municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 19.324; area: 64,00 km². Settlements: Leek (seat), Enumatil, Lettelbert, Midwolde, Oostwold, Tolbert, Zevenhuizen.
Leek is southwest of Groningen city, and the village of Leek nearly forms one village with Roden in Drenthe. It is on the road from Groningen to Drachten in Friesland, where there used to be a tramway (and nobody took the trouble of warning unaware cyclists like me that there was one :-( ) In the municipality is the estate Nienoord where there is the National Carriage Museum (Nationaal Rijtuigen Museum) where one can admire things used as such since the 17th century. The name is derived from 'lee' or 'lek', a watercourse.
The flag was adopted 13 February 1957; colors derived from the Coat of Arms (with a knight returning from a bit of dragon-bashing)
Jarig Bakker, 9 November 1999

Leek Coat of Arms

image from the Leek municipal site.

Granted 25 Oct 1902.
"Once upon a time there was a dragon in the south of Vredenwold, who caused a lot of trouble. A knight of the castle of Nienoord decided the end the misery caused by the dragon. He goes, defeats the dragon and set fire to the forests in which the dragon lives. On the municipal arms the knight has a last look at the burning forests and the defeated dragon. The four stumps on the Coat of Arms, under the horse, represent the burnt forests."