Flags of the provinces of the Netherlands

Map illustrating provinces of the Netherlands and their flags

This list contains all twelve official flags of the provinces of the Netherlands, including the pennons. The Dutch provinces have their own flag and also their own pennons. Provincial flags tend to have a long historical history. Flags have made an important contribution to forming a national or regional identity since time immemorial. This also applies to Dutch provincial flags, which often have a long tradition. Yet, research shows that quite a few Dutch people do not or hardly recognize the flag of their province. The 12 provincial flags are placed below in order of seniority. During official occasions, they are also placed from left to right (for the spectator) in this manner, starting with the flag of North Brabant. Dutch provinces have their own pennons in addition to their own flags. However, these are unofficial, so no flag protocol applies to them. They can therefore be hoisted at any time.

Current flags

Province	Coat of arms	Flag	Pennon	Description	Adoption
North Brabant				Main article: Flag of North Brabant The provincial flag with the deepest historical roots within the Dutch banner is that of North Brabant. The design, which consists of a checkered pattern with 24 squares executed in red and white, has its roots in the Middle Ages. The motif appeared in Brabantian banners and standards since the proclamation of the County of Louvain, and a little later it was also adopted by the Duchy of Brabant. In the 18th century, the design fell into disuse, only to make a comeback in the 20th century. Since 1959, the checkered flag has formed the basis of the official provincial flag of North Brabant. [1]	21 January 1959
Gelderland				Main article: Flag of Gelderland The flag of Gelderland takes the form of a horizontal tricolour. The colours used are blue, yellow and black. The design has been considered the official flag of Gelderland since 1953. The colours in the design are derived from the provincial coat of arms. The central element of the coat of arms is a shield carried by two lions. The left half shows a golden lion on a blue shield, while the right half shows the black lion of Jülich. The black lion stands out against a gold background. [2]	15 April 1953
South Holland				Main article: Flag of South Holland The flag of South Holland shows a red lion standing out prominently against an even yellow background. The flag of the most populous province is a banner of arms of the South Holland coat of arms. This shield is in turn grafted onto the coat of arms of Holland. The colour choice is also obvious; after all, yellow and red have traditionally been the colours of the province of Holland. Remarkably, the aspect ratio of the South Holland flag is 2:3, the same dimensions that also apply to our national tricolour. The left-facing lion, standing on its hind legs, occupies three-quarters of the flag's height and is equally distant from the top and bottom. The current design has only been considered the official provincial flag of South Holland since January 1986. [3]	1 January 1986
North Holland				Main article: Flag of North Holland The flag of North Holland consists of three horizontal bands executed in the colours yellow, red and blue. The colours are taken from the coat of arms of North Holland. This in turn is a combination of the old coats of arms of North Holland and West Friesland. Yellow (actually gold) and red belong to Holland, while blue is part of the West Frisian identity. The current design was adopted by the Provincial Council on 22 October 1958 as the official tricolour of North Holland. [4]	22 October 1958
Zeeland				Main article: Flag of Zeeland The crown and shield of the coat of arms of Zeeland occupy a prominent place on the Zeelandic flag. These symbols are surrounded by wavy stripes in the colours blue and white. The blue stripes symbolize the constant battle against water, an important element of Zeelandic history and identity. The flag of Zeeland was designed in 1948 and was declared a provincial flag in 1949. [5]	14 January 1949
Utrecht				Main article: Flag of Utrecht (province) The flag of Utrecht dates from 1952. The design consists of a red and a white stripe. Both stripes are displayed horizontally. The upper left corner of the white stripe is decorated with a red canton containing a white cross on the inside. The design is a mixture of two older flags, namely those of the Archdiocese and the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht. The current banner has been the recognized provincial flag of Utrecht since 1952. In practice, the Utrecht provincial flag is relatively unknown and enjoys little popularity. [6]	15 January 1952
Friesland				Main article: Flag of Friesland The Frisian flag is probably the best known and most recognizable Dutch provincial flag. It flies abundantly during (inter)national skating competitions and is also used by one of our largest and oldest dairy producers. Moreover, the design is the basis of the home shirt of popular football club SC Heerenveen. The Frisian flag consists of four blue and white diagonal stripes. The white stripes are enriched with seven red seeblatts (pompeblêden). Those symbols refer to the so-called Frisian 'sea countries'. These were independent, coastal regions that formed a defensive alliance against the Normans in the Middle Ages. The current flag took shape in the latter part of the 19th century and has been recognized as the official provincial flag since 1957. [7]	9 July 1957
Overijssel				Main article: Flag of Overijssel The flag of Overijssel is composed of five horizontal stripes in the colours yellow, blue and red. The blue stripe is wavy and depicts the river IJssel. The yellow and red stripes express Overijssel's historical connection with both Dutch provinces. The current Overijssel flag is the only one the province has ever had and has been a recognized provincial flag since 1948. [8]	21 July 1948
Groningen				Main article: Flag of Groningen (province) The flag of Groningen is undoubtedly one of the most colourful provincial flags in the Netherlands. The flag consists of two crosses - one green on one white - surrounded by two red and two blue corners. The design combines elements and colours of the arms of Ommelanden (red, white and blue) and the city of Groningen (green and white). It is no coincidence that Groningen's city colours form a cross at the heart of the flag. In fact, that placement in the centre symbolizes the central location of the city of Groningen in the province. The Groningen flag has an aspect ratio of 2:3. The current design has been considered the official provincial flag of Groningen since 17 February 1950. [9]	17 February 1950
Drenthe				Main article: Flag of Drenthe The flag of Drenthe has a remarkable appearance. The traditional Saxon colours of red and white form the basis of the design. They also link it to the Archdiocese of Utrecht, which administered Drenthe when the area was still part of the Oversticht. Between the white base colour and the two red bands are six red stars and a black tower. The stars represent the districts Zuidenveld, Oostenmoer, Noordenveld, Rolde, Beilen and Diever. The tower is a historical reference to Coevorden Castle. From this castle, the viscounts of Coevorden maintained the law in the name of the bishop of Utrecht for a long time. The current design has been at the base of the Drenthe provincial flag since 1947. This flag was designed by Gerlof Auke Bontekoe. [10]	19 February 1947
Limburg				Main article: Flag of Dutch Limburg As a symbol of honour, strength, pride and courage, the lion has always been in vogue in royal houses, noble families or other institutions seeking to exude authority and authority. A fearsome-looking red lion with a crown and double tail also occupies a central place on the Limburgian flag. The lion refers to the old Duchy of Limburg and symbolizes the province. The background of the Limburgian flag is formed by two equals, horizontally positioned stripes of white (top) and yellow (bottom). The stripes are separated by a narrower blue stripe. This symbolizes the Meuse, the largest river flowing through Limburg. The colours yellow and white respectively represent the marl landscapes in southern Limburg and the sandy soils in northern and central Limburg. They are also part of the provincial coat of arms. Like the Dutch and South Holland flags, the Limburgian flag has an aspect ratio of 2:3. [11]	28 July 1953
Flevoland				Main article: Flag of Flevoland The base of the flag waved by the country's youngest province consists of two horizontal stripes in the colours green and blue. A thinner, yellow stripe separates the two. In the upper left corner of the flag is a fleur-de-lis. The yellow, partly wavy strip symbolizes the Flevoland cornfields. The green represents the province's vast meadows, while the blue recalls the fact that Flevoland was conquered from the sea. The white fleur-de-lis is a tribute to Cornelis Lely, the man behind the Zuiderzee Works and the creation of Flevoland. The design was adopted as the provincial flag on 15 February 1989. [12]	9 January 1986

Former flags

Province	Coat of arms	Flag	Pennon	Description	Adoption
South Holland				Main article: Flag of South Holland The first official flag of South Holland was introduced on 22 June 1948. It was a triband consisting of three equal horizontal fields; yellow on the top, red in the middle and yellow on the bottom. It had a ratio of 2:3. The decision to adopt the current flag was motivated by a desire to raise the profile of traditional symbolism of Holland. The current flag closely resembles the cloths used by the counts of the County of Holland since the Crusades. The current flag was proposed by the provincial executive of South Holland on 15 October, and passed by the Provincial Council of South Holland on 24 October 1985. It was decided to change the flag into a yellow field with a red rampant lion–the old flag of the Counts of Holland, which according to tradition had been in use since the time of the Crusades. The lion was supposed to symbolize the "always victorious lion of Judah". The current flag became official on 1 January 1986.	22 June 1948

See also

• Coats of arms of provinces of the Netherlands
• List of flags of the Netherlands
• Provinces of the Netherlands

References

1. Noord-Brabant. "De provincievlag". Brabant (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
2. "Vlag, lied en wapen". www.gelderland.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
3. Zuid-Holland. "Politiek en bestuur". Provincie Zuid-Holland (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
4. "Geschiedenis, vlag en volkslied". www.noord-holland.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
5. "Zeeuwse vlag en wapen | Provincie Zeeland". www.zeeland.nl. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
6. "Vlag". Provincie Utrecht. Archived from the original on 2019-05-25.
7. "Friese vlag". Provincie Fryslan. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
8. "Volkslied, vlag en wapen". Provincie Overijssel. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
9. "Vlag en wapen". www.provinciegroningen.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
10. Drenthe. "Het waopen en de vlag". Provincie Drenthe (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
11. Limburg. "Wapen, vlag en volkslied". Provincie Limburg (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.
12. Flevoland (2019-02-21). "Vlag en wapen van Flevoland". Provincie Flevoland (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-17.