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Heel en Panheel (The Netherlands)

Heel municipality, Limburg province

by Stefan Lambrechts, 20 Apr 2005: http://www.flagchart.net
adopted 7 Mar 1983; design: J.F. van Heijningen

Heel en Panheel former municipality
Heel en Panheel Coat of Arms

See also:

Heel en Panheel former municipality

Heel en Panheel is a former municipality in Limburg province, since 1991 part of the new municipality of Heel. It is along the Maas river, opposite the city of Roermond.
Flag: yellow with a purple Scandinavian-style cross with arms of 1/5 flagheight; around cross center the square purple contours of a bastion; the contours are of 3/100 flagheight, while the bastion is of 3/4 flagheight.
adopted 7 Mar 1983 by municipal resolution. Design: J.F. van Heijningen.

The coat of arms of Heel shows the golden bust of St. Helen on blue as explanation of the name "Heel". It is said that St. Helen rediscovered the cross of Christ in 324; therefore her attribute is a cross. St. Lambert is the supporter. According to Kl. Sierksma the name "Heel" means: "heide-dal" (heather-valley), derived from "Hedele". However that is incorrect. There has been heather in Heel, but that is not represented in the name. In 365 A.D. Heel is mentioned as Catualium, a stage on the road Tongeren - Köln. That word can be split into "Catu" + "Walja". The first part is from Old-German "hathu" = battle and the second part must be a derivation from Latin "vallum" - wall. The name points at a wall of defense which has been built there. The single cross is an attribute of St. Helen. A cross with a square in lines twined through it is St. Lambert's attribute. By putting bastions on the edges of the square the wall of defense is represented as the only correct explanation of the name "Heel". The two crosses and the wall of defense have been combined to one image. Purple is the color of heather, as the second less correct explanation. Yellow has been chosen to represent sand and sandy clay and points rather at "Panheel" = dip near Heel.
Source: Personal communications by Mr. van Heijningen.
Vexilla Nostra 18 (129) 85.
Derkwillem Visser's "Gemeentevlaggen en Wapens Koninkrijk der Nederlanden", 2001.
Jarig Bakker, 20 Apr 2005

Heel en Panheel Coat of Arms

scanned from "Limburg in Vogelvlucht", no date (c.1970).
Granted 21 Apr 1819.

Arms: azure a bust of St. Helen supported dexter by St. Lambert, all or.