Wittem (, ) is a small village in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

province of

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Gulpen-Wittem Gulpen-Wittem (; ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands (in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg) with inhabitants as of . Gulpen-Wittem came into being after the merger of the municipalities Gulpen and Wittem. This took ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "silted land in a bend in a waterway". Wittem developed in the Early Middle Ages. In the 13th century, a castle was built near the confluence of the Selzerbeek with the

Geul The Geul (, ; ; ) is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands, where it is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse. Geography The source of the Geul is at about above sea level in northeastern Belgium near the German border, south of th ...

. It used to be a free ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch language, Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and Judiciary, judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking ...

'' (=no fief), but was bought by Ferdinand Adolph von Plettenberg in 1722 and elevated to barony in 1732. 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. 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. Wittem was home to 130 people in 1840. It was a separate municipality until 1999, when it merged with

Gulpen Gulpen (; ) is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. It is approximately midway between the Dutch city of Maastricht and the German city of Aachen. Gulpen was a separate municipality until 1999, when it ...

Gallery

File:Wittem-Kasteel Wittem (2).JPG, Wittem Castle File:Capucijnenweg P1300860.jpg, Country road with tractor File:Wittem, café-restaurant Oud Wittem foto2 2014-09-28 13.25.jpg, Café-restaurant Oud Wittem File:Woning P1300856.jpg, Farm in Wittem

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1999 Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Gulpen-Wittem