West Meuse and Waal
The municipality of West Maas en Waal was created in 1984 after the reorganization of the municipalities of Appeltern, Dreumel, and Wamel.
The municipality consists of the villages of Alphen, Altforst, Appeltern, Beneden-Leeuwen, Boven-Leeuwen, Dreumel, Maasbommel, and Wamel. Various bridges provide excellent access to cities such as Nijmegen, Tiel, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Arnhem, as well as the Randstad and Germany.
The municipality is located in the westernmost part of the Land van Maas en Waal region and has a population of over 20,000. The Maas and Waal rivers form the natural borders to the south and north, respectively.
A piece of history
In 1993, but especially in February 1995, the municipality was in the news because all residents had to be evacuated as a precautionary measure due to an impending dike breach. The water levels in the Meuse and Waal rivers were extremely high. Due to the extremely poor condition of the Waal dike, a dike breach was not unlikely. A breach would mean that the lowest areas of our municipality would be flooded with 4 to 5 meters of water. After this near-disaster, work to improve the river dikes began fairly quickly. The work was completed in 2000.
Municipal coat of arms and municipal flag
Description of coat of arms
The municipal coat of arms was adopted by the Wamel municipal council on June 28, 1984. The aforementioned decision by the municipal council was approved by royal decree on December 18, 1984.
In silver, two wavy crossbars of azure; in a heart shield of gold, a double eagle of sable, beaked, tongued, and pied of gules; the shield is covered with a golden crown of three leaves and two pearls.
Flag description
On May 30, 1985, the municipal council decided to adopt a new municipal flag. In addition to the municipal coat of arms, it is customary for the municipality to fly a municipal flag for representative purposes. When choosing the design, close alignment with the municipal coat of arms was sought.
Five wavy stripes, white, blue, white blue, etc., overlaid by a yellow stripe running from the top to the bottom and covering 1/3 of the length of the flag, on which is depicted a double black eagle, the height of which is equal to 1/2 of the height of the flag.
West Maas and Waal in pictures
You can view videos of daily life and events in the Land van Maas en Waal region, where this municipality is located, viathe Tweestromenland in Beeld en Geluid Foundation. This cultural heritage is thus being preserved for future generations.