Aalter

The arms from 1904 The arms from 1986	AALTER Country : Belgium Province : Oost-Vlaanderen Additions: 1976 Bellem 1976 Lotenhulle 1976 Poeke 2019 Knesselare 1977 Ursel Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"250px","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":7,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":51.0827000000000026602720026858150959014892578125,"lon":3.44620000000000015205614545266143977642059326171875,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Official blazon
Dutch	(1904) Van zilver met een rood St. Andries kruis. (1986) In keel een ankerkruis van zilver, een schildhoofd van goud met een gaande leeuw van sabel, geklauwd en getongd van keel.
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on December 18, 1903 and changed on July 8, 1986. These were continued in 2020 after the merger with Knesselare.

The territory of Aalter and Bellem belonged in medieval times to the Estate of de Woestyne. In 1379 the estate was bought by the Count of Vlaanderen (Flanders) and he gave it to his son, the Lord of Praet. The family ruled the estate until 1488, and again in the 18^th century.

The local council used a seal with the arms of the Woestyne estate as used by the Praet family, in gold a red cross. This cross, with a silver field instead of a golden field, was granted to the Aalten municipality in 1903.

The new arms show in the base a silver cross, which was supposedly the arms of the Lords of Woestyne prior to 1379. The chief shows the lion, taken from the arms of the Lords of Poeke, who owned many possessions in Poeke and Lotenhulle.

Image gallery

The arms in the Koffie Hag/Café Hag albums +/- 1930
Municipal letterhead, 1966
Municipal letterhead, 1960s
275 px]]
The arms on a police badge (source)

Literature: Servais, M. : Armorial des provinces et des communes de Belgique. Liege, 1955, 1041 p; new image and information provided by the municipality of Aalter.

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