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Westkapelle (The Netherlands)

Veere municipality, Zeeland province

by Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2005
adoption date unknown; design ?

Westkapelle former municipality
Westkapelle Coat of Arms

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Westkapelle former municipality

Westkapelle is a former municipality in Zeeland province, since 1997 part of Veere.
Flag: three vertical stripes blue - white - yellow; at 1/3 flaglength a castle, which is yellow on blue and blue on white.
adoption date unknown; design ?
Source: Vexilla Nostra 22 (152): 92.

In 1514 an Roman oathstone was found here on the beach, and local lore had it that Hercules himself had built a castle and a temple - that may be the reason for this coat of arms. (not as unlikely as it seems, as Odysseus was having a good time in Zierikzee (= Circe sea), not far from here - according to a Zeeuwse rewriter of history, who also proved that there was a Trojan Cow, not horse :-) )

In Roman times it was a seaport for traffic to England, and that has left a Hercules-statue here. In medieval times it was equally an important harbor, which was granted townrights in 1223 by Count Floris IV. In 1567 Westkapelle became one of the domains of the House of Orange. It was for centuries involved in the battle against the sea, and in the 19th and 20th centuries many Westkappellers were dikeworkers. The greatest catastrophe however came out of the air: The English bombed the dike at Westkapelle on 3 Oct 1944, and again on 29 Oct, ruining c. 80 % of the village, and Walcheren was nearly totally drowned. On 3 Oct 1945 they had managed to close the gap. Now it is a bathing resort. The pride of Westkapelle is its lighthouse, on which someone has scratched: "dat de toren niet mag worden beschreven, bekrast of besmet". (forbidden to write, scratch or contaminate the tower). The artist Toorop found here many models for his paintings.
Source: Prisma-toeristengids Zeeland - Brabant - Limburg, 1965.
Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2005

Westkapelle Coat of Arms

by Jarig Bakker, 1 May 2005, after image in the Koffie Hag album
Granted 31 Jul 1817

Arms: azure three castles in a horizontal row argent, with a topfloor or, in base or.