OCTOBER 3, 2026 — Residents of Gaanderen, a village situated in the Achterhoek region of the eastern Netherlands, have chosen a new local flag design following a community contest organized by the local village council, reports Regio8.
The initiative originated from a local resident who proposed the concept to the local council. A panel selected nine finalist proposals from the entries, which were then put to a public vote that concluded on September 27 at the local Pleinenfeest event. Out of 232 total votes cast by community members via an online form and at the festival, the winning design was submitted by local designer Miranda Smit-Reijers.
The winning design incorporates green and white stripes that pay homage to the regional Achterhoek flag, while yellow represents the sand dunes surrounding the area, and blue signifies the Bielheimerbeek stream flowing through the territory. At the centre of the banner is an aaltschep, a historic scoop tool historically used to clear cesspools prior to modern municipal sewage systems.
The project now moves into a refinement stage, where the winning designer and the original initiative proposer will collaborate with a graphic designer and an established working group to finalize technical production specifications.
