Wytmarsum (Dutch: Witmarsum) is a village in Wûnseradiel municipality
in the province of Fryslân, and municipal seat.
Flag: vertical stripes yellow, blue, black; at the hoist the narrowed
municipal flag.
adopted 1955; design: Kl. Sierksma.
Arms: or a wvy fess argent with three green waterlilyleaves, 2,1.
This coat of arms was found by Mr. Sierksma after the flag had been
designed, in the Royal collection. The wavy stripe probably represents
the canal through the village, and the waterlilyleaves ("pompeblêdden")
are typical Frisian. It is curious that this Coat of Arms is "false", because in
heraldry no colors can be put on colors, or metals on metals - so a white
(silver) stripe is not allowed in a yellow (golden) field. The Fryske Rie
foar Heraldyk deemed it not necessary to change the arms, because it is
old, and since its rediscovery is well liked in the village.
Wytmarsum is the birthplace of Menno Simons, the founder of the Mennonite
church, who was a priest here too. In the village was also the castle of
the Aylva family. In 1880 the municipal seat was moved from Bolsward to
Wytmarsum.
Nickname: "skimmelige koeken" - mouldy cakes. The Wytmarsumers
were poor and could only afford old cakes (for stark reduced prices) -
't wasn't too bad if you scraped the mould from the cakes...
Source: It Beaken, jrg. xxxi, # 3-4, Dec 1969
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958
Groot Schimpnamenboek van Nederland, by Dirk van der Heide, 1998
Jarig Bakker, 12 Apr 2005
![[Wytmarsum village flag]](../images/n/nl-fr0wm.gif)
Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
![[Wytmarsum Coat of Arms]](../images/n/nl-fr}wm.gif)
by Jarig Bakker, 12 Apr 2005
