Bears (Dutch: Beers) is a village in Littenseradiel municipality, Fryslân
province, not to be confused with the former municipality of Beers
in Noord-Brabant province. Bears used to be in the former municipality
of Baarderadeel, with (1958) 176; (1974)
140 inhabitants. Here was the old Unia-state (fortified stately
house), of which only the gate remains.
Unia-state played an important part in the medieval feud between the
"Skieringers" and "Fetkeapers", as a bulwark of the Skieringers;
in 1515 it was demolished by the Black Heap, a Gelders band of soldiers
of fortune in the service of the duke of Saxony. It was rebuilt, but definitely
demolished in 1756. The church, devoted to the Virgin Mary, was built in
1300, enlarged 1500, later improved and deproved, and in 1857 the saddle-roof
was lost.
Nickname: "Katten" (cats, referring to the unapproachable women
in the village)
Bears coat of arms: in blue a golden gate opened, in the shield corners with
two facing silver crescents.
Flag: blue with a yellow gate, standing on the hoist, connected to
top and bottom of the flag; with a stepped gable with five steps, starting
at 2/3 flag length and ending at 14/15 flag length, and the gate-opening
with 8/15 flag height and 8/15 flag length; in the gate-opening a white turned
crescent of 2/5 flag height.
The beautiful gate with the renaissance gable of the former Uniastate
is central in both coat of arms and flag; the crescent is from the Unia-family arms.
Gold/yellow and blue are from the Baarderadeel arms.
Design: J.C. Terluin and R.J. Broersma
Source: Genealogysk Jierboekje 2001.
Encyclopedie van Friesland, 1958.
Baerderadiel: in Geakunde, 1977.
Jarig Bakker, 9 Sep 2003
Bears coat of arms
from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.
![[Bears villageflag]](../images/n/nl-fr_bs.gif)
image
by Jarig Bakker, 9 Sep 2003
![[Bears Coat of Arms]](../images/n/nl-fr)bs.jpg)
from Wapens en Flaggen fan Littenseradiel, booklet of the municipality.
