^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Overijssel Province (The Netherlands)

Overijssel Provincie (Nederland)

image by Mark Sensen, 4 May 1999
adopted 21 Jul 1948

Overijssel province
Overijssel CoA
1938 parade flag

See also:

Overijssel Province

Overijssel (or "on the other side of the IJssel river") was part of Utrecht until 1528. In 1528 Charles V, as count of Holland, inherited the area. In the same year new arms were adapted. The arms depict the lion of Holland over the river IJssel. The arms haven't changed since then.

Flag: H:L = 10:17; "Five equal stripes red-yellow-blue-yellow-red, the blue stripe being wavy".
Adopted by Decision of the Provincial States of Overijssel, 21 July 1948, nr. 14

Explanation: In the Middle Ages Overijssel and Drenthe belonged to the Diocese of Utrecht, the "Sticht", and, being the outer parts, they were called "Oversticht". When Emperor Charles V gained these lands from Utrecht, he called the lands around the river IJssel, Salland and Twenthe "Overijssel". In 1579 Overijssel gained its own arms: the Dutch red lion with a blue fess wavy, symbolizing the river IJssel, after which the province has been named. The modern flag is a simple and wonderful derivation from the arms.
Source: "The Dutch provinces: Their arms, their flags, their pennants, their banners", by Hans van Heijningen, 27 March 1993, in: Vexillavaria, occasional paper of Vexilla Nostra.

According to Kl. Sierksma, Nederlands vlaggenboek (1962) Overijssel did not have a historic legacy regarding its flag. It always used the banner of the Bishop of Utrecht. When it came to adopting a new flag some suggested using the "Twentsche Ros", the old Saxon white horse on red, but this was rejected, because it didn't represent Salland and the Western part of the province. Others suggested putting the lion from the arms on the flag; that was rejected for financial reasons.
Jarig Bakker, 14 Sep 2009

Previous flag of Overijssel?
Jaume Olle, 12 Sep 2009

The flag reported by Jaume seems to be a modern table flag - I have no idea who used it. A quick Google-search delivered no hits.
Jarig Bakker, 14 Sep 2009

Overijssel CoA

International Civic Arms : http://www.ngw.nl/
Granted by Royal Decision, 6 May 1950, nr. 7

"Or, a fess wavy azure, over all a lion rampant gules, armed and langued azure. The shield is crested by a coronet of four pearls between five leaves or. Supporters: two lions rampant proper, langued gules."

1938 Parade flag

image by Jarig Bakker, 26 January 2001

In 1938 Queen Wilhelmina had reigned the Netherlands for 40 years. On that occasion a lot of municipalities paraded in front of HM with their flags, which consisted of the provincial flag with the municipal CoA in the canton (or something...). Those municipal flags can only be considered as 'curiosities', while the status of the provincial flags is not quite clear.
Jarig Bakker, 26 January 2001