Wittem

Wittem
Village
Monastery at Wittem
Wittem Location in the Netherlands Show map of Netherlands Wittem Location in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands Show map of Limburg, Netherlands
Coordinates: 50°49′N 5°55′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
Municipality	Gulpen-Wittem
Area [1]
• Total	0.94 km^2 (0.36 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	93 m (305 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	730
• Density	780/km^2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6286[1]
Dialing code	043

Wittem (Dutch: [ˈʋɪtəm], Limburgish: [ˈwɪtəm]) is a small village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "silted land in a bend in a waterway".^[3] Wittem developed in the Early Middle Ages. In the 13th century, a castle was built near the confluence of the Selzerbeek with the Geul. It used to be a free heerlijkheid (=no fief), but was bought by Ferdinand Adolph von Plettenberg in 1722 and elevated to barony in 1732.^[4]

Wittem Castle is surrounded by two moats. The tower and southern wing date from the 13th century. The west wing was added in the 15th century. In 1569, it was damaged by Spanish troops. The southern wing was extended around 1700. In 1968, the castle was restored and converted into a hotel-restaurant.^[4]

The Catholic St Alphonsus of Liguori and Johannes Nepomuk Church was built between 1729 and 1733. Between 1845 and 1847, a chapel was added to the south-west side.^[4]

Wittem was home to 130 people in 1840.^[5] It was a separate municipality until 1999, when it merged with Gulpen.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Wittem Castle
• 
  Country road with tractor
• 
  Café-restaurant Oud Wittem
• 
  Farm in Wittem

References

1. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 24 April 2022. combined with Partij-Witten
2. "Postcodetool for 6286AA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
3. "Wittem - (geografische naam)". Etymologiebank (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
4. Sabine Broekhoven, & Ronald Stenvert (2003). Wittem (in Dutch). Zwolle: Waanders. ISBN 90-400-9623-6. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
5. "Wittem". Plaatsengids (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
6. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.

External links

• Media related to Wittem at Wikimedia Commons