Wittem (, ) is a small 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 located in the municipality of

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 ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "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 , french: la Gueule , image = Geul river valley in Plombières, Belgium 100 0278.jpg , image_caption = The Geul valley in Plombières, Belgium , source1_location = near Lichtenbusch , mouth_location = Meuse near Bunde , m ...

. It used to be a free ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

'' (=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 (; li, Gullepe ) is a village in the Dutch province of 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 merged with Wittem. The ...

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