Dalem is a village in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( or ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of Oc ...

, about 2 km east of the city. It was first mentioned in 1343 as Dalem, and means "low-lying settlement". It should not be confused with the nearby hamlet Laag-Dalem which has become a neighbourhood of

. Dalem is a dike village which probably developed around the 11th century along the

Boven-Merwede The Boven Merwede () is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, mainly fed by the river Rhine. The Afgedamde Maas river joins the Waal at Woudrichem to form the Boven Merwede, which at Hardinxveld-Giessendam splits into the Beneden Merwede river ...

. The Dutch Reformed church is an aisleless church with a doomed roof. An

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

has been placed on top of the roof. In 2001, it was discovered that the roof had become unstable, and the local congregation could not afford a restoration. In 2004, it was sold to the municipality and restored. Dalem was a separate municipality until 1818, when it was renamed to "

Vuren Vuren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and is located about 5 km east of Gorinchem. Vuren was a separate municipality until 1986, when it merged with Asperen, Herwijnen, and H ...

", the name of the other village in the municipality. The village was part of the province of

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

until 1986, when the municipality of Vuren ceased to exist, and Dalem became part of Gorinchem,Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, "Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten", KNAW, 2006. thereby becoming part of the province of

Gallery

File:Dalem een dorp aan de Boven-Merwede in de Tielerwaard.jpg, Postcard of Dalem File:Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, Dalem P1500217.jpg, Dutch Reformed church

References

Populated places in South Holland Former municipalities of Gelderland Gorinchem {{SouthHolland-geo-stub