Vaals - The Netherlands

Vaals is located in the Dutch province of Limburg in most extreme southeastern part of the Netherlands. Vaals is an village and the seat of the municipality with the same name, with three villages and nine hamlets. The villages are: Vijlen, Lemiers and Holset and the nine hamlets are: Camerig, Cottessen, Harles, Mamelis, Melleschet, Raren, Rott, Wolfhaag. Then is there the fact that the highest point in the Netherlands with an whopping height of 322.4 mt (1,058 ft). Very close to the summit is the tripoint border with Belgium and Germany. In the Dutch its called "Drielandenpunt" and those two facts made the spot an touristic destination, on the Dutch and Belgian side. Another border fact Vaals is one of four Dutch municipalities that borders Belgium and Germany. The other three are: Sittard-Geleen, Echt-Susteren and Gulpen-Wittem. Nowadays Vaals acts as an suburb of the German city Aachen, 26% of the 10 thousand inhabitants are Germans. So lets take an look at the flag.

The flag has an white background and there runs a narrow red lane at the top and bottom. And in the center an red lion with double tail. That lion is the same as from the coat of arms of the German town of Herzogenrath. Vaals was once part of the Herrschaft of Herzogenrath when at the Congress of Vienna they split the small territory. Herzogenrath became part of Prussia and Vaals part of the Netherlands in 1819. They get the lion from the dukes of Limburg when they granted Herzogenrath cityrights in 1282. The small city of Limbourg in Belgium in the province Liège, it was once the capital of the old dukedom of Limburg. This Limburg has nothing to do with the current Belgian and Dutch province of Limburg, when those provinces were formed they needed an strong historical name. But the red lions are on those flags are taken for that old dukedom, thereby the lion represented dukedom Limburg that exist from 1082-1795. The lion is was given away many times, so expect that Limburg lion come by again soon.