I just got back from Holland and couldn't get an accurate answer about what the 3 X's mean on the Holland logo. I was told it has nothing to do with the prostitution. One if for the floods, the other is for the holocaust, but I couldn't get an answer for what the last one means...does anyone know?
2007-08-25 14:55:00 · 7 answers · asked by danarayofsunshine 1 in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Netherlands
Hi, I'm Dutch.
Sorry, that's not the Holland logo you're talking about, it's the Amsterdam logo.
Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands, of which North Holland and South Holland are 2 provinces.
The three crosses have indeed nothing to do with prostitution, nor with the holocaust:
xxx was not a symbol for sex yet at the time Amsterdam started using this symbol. And the holocaust was much, much later.
The three crosses stand for the apostle Andrew, who died on a similar cross.
There is no official explenation for the use of the three crosses, but they might well be related to the symbol of the formerly influential family Persijn - they originated from a place called Waterland and owned lots of land in the vicinity of Amsterdam.
The St Andrews crosses are also found in the symbols of the Dutch cities Dordrecht and Delft.
The black part that contains the three crosses are believed to symbolise the water, as Amsterdam's location.
The three words were added later, after WW2.
Hope this helps.
2007-08-26 05:24:57 · answer #1 · answered by Endie vB 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mister zwink had most likely the wrong page of wikipedia, as I have an English version explanation of the crosses:
"Flag of Amsterdam. The official city motto is Valor, Resolution, and Mercy. The three X's, saltires (St Andrew's crosses), are taken to represent these even though the X's are older than the motto. A popular tradition also links the X's to the three threats to the city: Water, Fire and Pestilence." (http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afbeelding:Flag_of_Amsterdam.svg )
I have always heard the explanation of the cities motto, the did do a lot with them when celebrating the cities 700 th birthday, back in the 1970s.
2007-08-25 23:26:23 · answer #2 · answered by Willeke 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're not in the Dutch/Holland/Netherlands coat of arms, that's a lion, they're in the Amsterdam coat of arms...
They are called (Saint) Andrew's crosses, after the apostle Andrew, and they're thought to come from the coat of arms of a wealthy local family sometime in the 14th or 13th century...
The three words, Heldhaftig, Vastberaden and Barmhartig were not added to it until 1947 so the crosses have nothing to do with them... And since they are thought to come from the coat of arms of a local family the chance of them having to do with anything that happened to Amsterdam is very small, they probably represent something to do with that family and not directly with Amsterdam, no matter what Wikipedia says. And personally I've never heard of any three plagues that hit Amsterdam and I think having a shield bearing the coat of arms of whatever the shield is defending AGAINST, or a coat of arms that portrays enemies/threats or even anything negative at all doesn't fit with the period, I wouldn't know of any other examples of that...
-------------------------------
to all the other answerers; If you don't basically disagree with anything I already said, why copy it? That doesn't make it more clear for the asker...
2007-08-25 17:33:04 · answer #3 · answered by Vince has left the building... 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hollands logo, is an orange lion sometimes holding a shield with seven arrows.
http://hpbimg.oranje-trouw.nl/Leeuw.gif
the arrows represent all 7 original 16th century provinces (12 nowadays) the lion represents the royal house. orange is the last name of our royal house.
You must be thinking of the amsterdam city logo, which are 3 black crosses.
http://www.sportingamsterdam.nl/Wapen_van_Amsterdam.JPG
the exact meaning of the crosses is unknown, but wikipedia says that historians assume they represent the three plagues that struck amsterdam.
accourding to the city council site of amsterdam. the crosses are so called 'andreas crosses' which apparantly the apostle andreas died on, because he did not want to be crusified in the same fashion as jesus was.
as for the exact meaning of these crosses in flags, i cant seem to find anything online.
2007-08-25 22:24:47 · answer #4 · answered by mrzwink 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Netherlands Flag Meaning
2016-11-15 06:28:25 · answer #5 · answered by fireman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh most definately. Put a sticker of the ford logo right on the bumper!
2016-05-17 23:39:02 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To Endie vb
Are you really Dutch? You just promoted Amsterdam to capital of Holland. Did'nt you mean Madurodam? And what shall we do now with the Hague and the Oranjehof??
For crying out loud.
2007-08-29 04:36:07 · answer #7 · answered by Dr. House 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋