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Heel (The Netherlands)

Limburg province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 9 Jul 1991

Heel municipality
Heel Coat of Arms
Beegden former municipality
Wessem former municipality

Other Heel pages:

Heel en Panheel

See also:

Heel municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 8.378 ; area: 25,36 km². Settlements: Heel (seat), Beegden, Panheel, Wessem.
Heel was formed on 1 Jan 1991 by the merger of the former municipalities of Heel en Panheel, Beegden and Wessem.
Heel (formerly Heel en Panheel) is a municipality southwest of Roermond on the west bank of the Maas river. A rural environment with several psychiatric institutions.
The flag has the horns of two local family-Coats of Arms, while the cross refers to allegiance to the bishopric of Luik (Liege). The patron saint was St. Lambertus.
see: <http://www.bng.nl/ngw/h/heel-2.htm>
Jarig Bakker, 1 December 1999

The flag of the municipality of Heel has blue as its main color. The white cross cuts through this main field, and is slightly off to the left of the centre. On the left top is a yellow block, and on it a red horn.
The blue colour symbolises the situation on the Maas river. The four main fields stand for Beegden, Heel, Panheel en Wessem.
The Christian belief is indicated by the white cross. The bond with the Count of Horne is indicated by the red horn. The important position on the flag, left top, indicates the intensity of this bond.
Source: the Heel municipal website.
Franc van Diest, 3 Nov 2000

Heel Coat of Arms

image from the Heel municipal website.

Granted 13 Dec 1991.

Beegden former municipality

by Jarig Bakker, 1 Sep 2003
adopted 24 Jun 1977

Beegden is a former municipality in Limburg province, since 1991 part of the municipality of Heel, while some parts went to Haelen and Roermond. It is at a stone's throw west of the city of Roermond, in the lake-area west of the Maas-river in northern Limburg.
Flagdescription: two equally wide hvertical stripes; white with in the center a red hunting horn armed white (black fimbriation against white) with a height of 13/25 flagheight, and a width of 8/25 flaglength; divided in stripes yellow- white - yellow - white - yellow - greenm, the white stripes with a half, a whole and a half wave, all proportioned 8:3:3:3:8:25. The whole flag proportioned 2:3.
The flag is derived from the municipal arms. The horn is from the arms of the count of Horn, to which Beegden belonged. The green bottom-fly represents the wood- and heathergrounds. The fly top is yellow with white waves representing the Maas river. Yellow symbolizes agriculture and sandy soils.
The flag was adopted 24 Jun 1977 by municipal resolution. It was designed by a Beegden citizen.
Source: Vexilla Nostra nr. 95, 1978.
Jarig Bakker, 1 Sep 2003

Wessem former municipality

by Jarig Bakker, 18 Apr 2005
adopted 16 Sep 1975

Wessem is a former municipality in Limburg province, along the Maas river, opposite the city of Roermond, part of Heel since 1991.
Flag: two stripes quartered yellow and green at 1/3 flaglenth with at top hoist a red horn and in bottom hoist a white fleur-de-lis, both of 2/5 flagheigh, adopted 16 Sep 1975.
The horn tells that Wessem belonged to the County of Horn from 1219 till 1795. The lily is a representation of the Virgin Mary.
Wessem had in olden days city rights, as well as its own mint, which produced the county-coinage; the mint was later moved to Weert. It is now an important port on the Maas river, as well as an autoroute-hub.
Source: Derkwillem Visser's "Gemeentevlaggen en Wapens Koninkrijk der Nederlanden", 2001.
Jarig Bakker, 18 Apr 2005