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Jorwert (The Netherlands)

Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân province

image by Jarig Bakker, 9 Sep 2003
adopted 1999; Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.

Jorwert village
Jorwert coat of arms

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Jorwert village

Jorwert (Dutch: Jorwerd) is a village in Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân province. It used to be in the former municipality of Baarderadeel, with (1900) 650 inhabitants; (2000): 330. The Dutch journalist Geert Mak wrote a book about this village: "Hoe God verdween uit Jorwerd", English translation: Jorwerd: "The Death of the Village in Late Twentieth-Century Europe" - available at Amazon.com.
Nickname: "Dweilstikken" (poor people who are dependent of rich ones), "Dweilen" (boozers), "Lêben" (whining people)
The description of Amazon seems to underline the whining character; however in 1951 the tuff-stone church spire collapsed, and the Jorwerters got together and collected enough money to restore it in its old glory, no mean feat in the years following the II World War.
Jorwert coat of arms: in gold a blue narrowed fess, coinciding with the central embattlement of the chief, right with a red acorn en left with an erased black eagle's head; in chief a red embattlement with three embattlements; the chief charged with three silver lozenges.
Flag: three horizontal stripes of yellow and blue, proportioned 2:1:2; the blue stripe coincides with the central embattlement of the hoist; the red hoist's first embattlement starts at the flag top at 2/5 flag length; the hoist is charged with three lozenges, placed above each other, with each 3/10 flag height.
In the coat of arms the two old "states" (fortified stately houses) of the villages: Hesens, of the Hettinga family, and Fondens, of the Fons family, represented by two embattlements. The red acorn is from the Hettinga-arms and the eagle's head from the Fons family arms. The blue peg symbolizes the Jorwerter feart (canal). The red chief refers to the old courthouse of Baarderadeel, which stood here until the 17th century. The lozenge is the symbol of the law. The number three refers to the judge and two assessors. They are silver/white to show that the law has to be pure.
In the flag the main elements of the coat of arms return.
Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma.
Source: Genealogysk Jierboek 2001.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Jarig Bakker, 8 Sep 2003

Jorwert coat of arms

from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.