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Hoogezand-Sappemeer (The Netherlands)

Groningen province

Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.shipmate.nl/flags.htm
adopted 19 October 1956

Hoogezand-Sappemeer municipality
Hoogezand-Sappemeer CoA
Hoogezand former municipality
Sappemeer former municipality
De Vooruitgang Zeemanscollege, Sappemeer

See also:

Hoogezand-Sappemeer municipality

Number of inhabitants (1 Jan 2003): 33.658; area: 73,05 km². Settlements: Hoogezand (seat), Achterdiep, Borgercompagnie (ged), Borgweg, Foxham, Foxhol, Foxholsterbosch, Jagerswijk, Kalkwijk, Kiel-Windeweer, Kleinemeer, Kropswolde, Lula, Martenshoek, Meerwijck, Nieuwe Compagnie, Sappemeer, Tripscompagnie (ged), Waterhuizen, Westerbroek, Wolfsbarge
Hoogezand and Sappemeer merged on April 1, 1949, being in fact one long village along the 'Winschoterdiep', the canal from Groningen city to Winschoten. This was part of the big moorland region of East Groningen/Drenthe, where peat was dug. After that it became an industrial region, where shipbuilding is the main feature.
The flag was adopted 19 October 1956. The BRB refers to the old flag of Sappemeer, still in use by the Zeemanscollege in that place. The tools (a riveting-hammer, a cog-wheel and a carpenter's hammer) refer to the industrial aspect of the community.
Jarig Bakker, 8 November 1999

Hoogezand-Sappemeer CoA

image from the municipal website.

Granted 28 Nov 1951.

Hoogezand former municipality

by Jarig Bakker, 27 Aug 2003
adopted 24 Jul 1929

On 1 Apr 1949 the municipalities of Hoogezand and Sappemeer (Groningen province) merged to form the new municipality of Hoogezand-Sappemeer.
When Kl. Sierksma wrote "Nederlands Vlaggenboek" in 1962 the municipality of Hoogezand had been dissolved, so it fell outside the book's scope. Recently the flag was discovered; it had been adopted by municipal resolution 24 Jul 1929, but this resolution has not been written down. The flag was offered by the local Tourist Board, based on the CoA of Hoogezand (which had been granted 3 Dec 1902).
Description of the arms: gold with billeté black blocks, a black cogwheel ; a red chief with a riveting-hammer between two affrontée caulking-mallets, all gold; the shield surmontée a crown of three leaves and two pearls.
The block are peat-blocks. The hammers represent the (wooden) ships, which were built here; the cogwheel the engine-industry which developed here in the early 1900's.
Description of the flag: a red hoist of 1/5 flaglength, charged with a yellow hammer with its head towards the hoist, with above and below two yellow caulking-mallets; the top one left-diagonal with its head down; the bottom one right-diagonal with its head up; the fly with ten equally wide horizontal stripes of brown and yellow, with in the center a black cogwheel with 1/2 flagheight, surrounded by ten lying rectangular black black blocks.
Brown is the color of the soil from which peat was dug; the blocks the peat-blocks; the hammers represent shipbuilding; the cogwheel industry.
The red color symbolizes the "holy fire", which should inspire everybody to work for the prosperity of Hoogezand.
Source: article by Hans van Heijningen in Vexilla Nostra, nr. 197, 1992.
Jarig Bakker, 27 Aug 2003

Sappemeer former municipality

by Jaume Ollé, 12 Aug 2003

Occasionally Jaume Ollé's series of images from Steenbergen's book hits the Netherlands. Here is one depicting "Sappemeer", a town in Groningen province, now part of the municipality of Hoogezand-Sappemeer, noted for seafaring in the 19th century and shipbuilding (mainly coasters) up till now.
The old Sappemeer flag is based on the local "Zeemanscollege", which later (with some implements on the red stripe) became the municipal flag of Hoogezand-Sappemeer, still in use.
Jarig Bakker, 12 Aug 2003

De Vooruitgang Zeemanscollege, Sappemeer

by Jarig Bakker, 29 Jun 2003

Collegie "De Vooruitgang" (College "The Progress"), established 1827 in Sappemeer. It appears that neighbouring Hoogezand did not have its own Zeemanscollege, as several Hoogezand captains are registered as members of the Sappemeer college. Leen Smit pictures number 12. By 1979 this college had disappeared.
Flag: Red with blue flywise edges, and a white number centered on the red. (Drawn as appr. 1:4:1.).
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 6 Dec 2001

In "De geschiedenis van het College Zeemanshoop 1822-1972", by Mr. J.H.van den Hoek-Ostende is a plate with 13 flags of Zeemans Collegiën in Nederland. For "De Vooruitgang" te Sappemeer the flag is hor. blue - red - blue, with a white cipher 1 in the center. Stripes proportioned 1:2:1.
Jarig Bakker, 29 Jun 2003