Almkerk is a village in the municipality of Altena, in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is located about 7 km south of Gorinchem.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1292 as Almekercke, and means "church on the Alm river". The Alm used to be a

distributary A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. Distributaries are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributar ...

of the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

. The mouth of river had been dammed before 1230 in

Giessen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 univers ...

. Almkerk developed on the river bank of the Alm. The

Altena Castle Altena Castle (german: Burg Altena) is a medieval hill castle in the town of Altena in North Rhine-Westphalia. Built on a spur of Klusenberg hill, the castle lies near the Lenne in the Märkischer Kreis. The castle was erected by the early Count ...

was located east of the village. The ''polder'' mill Oude Doornse Molen was built around 1700. The wind mill was in service until 1965. In 1940 and 1944, the ''

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

'' was inundated by the Dutch and German armies respectively, and Oude Doornse Molen later removed the water again. The mill also removed the water after the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and flo ...

. Almkerk was home to 320 people in 1840. In 1879, Almkerk absorbed the former municipality of

Emmikhoven Emmikhoven is a former village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It was located just south of Almkerk Almkerk is a village in the municipality of Altena, North Brabant, Altena, in the Netherlands. It is located about 7 km south of Gori ...

. The Dutch Reformed church was destroyed in 1945, and rebuilt in 1951. Until 1973, Almkerk was a separate municipality. Since 2019, it is part of the municipality of Altena, however the town hall is located in Almkerk.

Sights

On the eastern edge of Almkerk, the motte of the former

is visible from the road. The castle was probably build in the 12th century. In the 17th century, there was still a tower.

Notable people

Leendert Antonie Donker Leendert Antonie Donker (7 September 1899 in Almkerk – 4 February 1956 in Rotterdam) was a Dutch politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicia ...

(1899–1956), politician *

Hans van Helden Hans van Helden (born 27 April 1948) is a former speed skater, originally competing for the Netherlands, later for France. Life and career Despite being a very talented speed skater and having an excellent skating style and technique, Van Hel ...

(born 1948), former speed skater

Gallery

File:De Kerkstaat in Almkerk in het zonnetje.jpg, Street view File:Almkerk, bij Eterij het wapen van Emminckhoven.jpg, Restaurant in Almkerk File:Almkerk. Bij de Hervormde kerk in de Kerkstraat.jpg, Dutch Reformed church File:Overblijfsel koor - Almkerk - 20007266 - RCE.jpg, Ruins of the church (1947)

References

{{Authority control Former municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant Geography of Altena, North Brabant