Gulpen (; li, Gullepe ) 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

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 approximately midway between the Dutch city of

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

and the German city of

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

. Gulpen was a separate municipality until 1999, when it merged with

Wittem Wittem (, ) 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 "means silted land in a bend in a waterway". Wittem develo ...

. The newly formed municipality is called

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

. The village itself derives its name from the river Gulp, which runs straight through the centre of the village and characterises the townscape. There is a Romanesque tower in the old cemetery, which dates from the 11th Century and is the only still existing part of a mediaeval village church. Considering its construction (its walls are up to 2 metres thick) and its location, it probably also served as defence tower, where the local villagers could go in case of danger. The former rectory, which leans against the tower, dates from 1732. It is now being let as luxurious group accommodation. The current

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

St.Petrus church dates from 1924 and was designed by

Casper Franssen Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * Da ...

. A former monastery that was built in 1932 after a design by

Alphons Boosten Alphons Boosten (20 January 1893, Maastricht – 2 January 1951) was a Dutch architect, who mostly practiced in the province of Limburg. His works include several large housing complexes and more than twenty churches. Early in his career Booste ...

is being used as town hall. The village is home to the

Gulpener Brewery Gulpener Bierbrouwerij BV is an independent Dutch brewery in Gulpen, Netherlands. The brewery was founded in 1825 by Laurens Smeets. Gulpener makes a lager sold in the Netherlands. Ingredients, such as barley and hops, are sourced from local f ...

. Every year in June, a walking tour of 70 kilometres is organised that is called the ''

Nacht van Gulpen Nacht is the German and Dutch word for ''night''. It may refer to: * ''Die Nacht'' (film), a 1985 West German installation film by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg * "Die Nacht" (Strauss), an 1885 art song composed by Richard Strauss * " Come Back, My Lov ...

'' (Night of Gulpen). A little over a thousand people participate in this event each year.

References

External links

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