Alphen (also known as Alphen aan de Maas) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

West Maas en Waal West Maas en Waal () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Gelderland. The municipality covers the western part of the , an island located between the Meuse and Waal (river), Waal rivers. Popu ...

, and lies about 7 km north of

Oss OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...

. Alphen was a separate municipality until 1818, when it became a part of

Appeltern Appeltern is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Maas en Waal, and lies about 9 km northeast of Oss. Until 1984, Appeltern was an independent municipality. History It was firs ...

. The statistical area "Alphen" includes the hamlets of

Moordhuizen Moordhuizen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Maas en Waal and is located about from Alphen. The hamlet is notable for its name, and is the location of the Quarles van Ufford pumping statio ...

, , and .

History

It was first mentioned in 1144 as Alfene. The etymology is unclear. It is often called Alphen aan de Maas to distinguish from

Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn (Old Rhine ...

. The village developed along the Maas, and was originally a spread out settlement. The tower of the Catholic St. Lambertus Church dates from the middle of the 12th century. The church was constructed 1400. Between 1929 and 1932, the church was restored and enlarged. The Dutch Reformed Church is a modest building from 1818. In 1840, Alphen was home to 913 people. The windmill '' Tot Voordeel en Genoegen'' lies just to the west of the village. The

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

was constructed in 1798 and restored in 1963. An

hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

capable of producing 14

Megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s of electricity has been built next to the wind mill.

Notable people

Tineke Strik Martina Hermina Antonia "Tineke" Strik (born 28 September 1961) is a Dutch politician. From 2007 to 2019 she was a member of the Senate for GreenLeft. Since 2019 she is a member of the European Parliament sitting with the Greens–European Free A ...

(born 1961), politician

Gallery

File:Alphen (Gld) Rijksmonument 8197 H. Lambertuskerk.JPG, Lambertus Church File:Alphen (Gld) Rijksmonument 523079 Dijkmagazijn.JPG, Dike shed File:Alphen (Gld) Rijksmonument 8201 Hervormde kerk.JPG, Dutch Reformed Church File:Overzicht van de gevels van het voormalige Maasbommelse stoomgemaal, bij de Nieuwe Schans - Maasbommel - 20428048 - RCE.jpg, Former steam pumping station at Nieuwe Schans

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Gelderland Former municipalities of Gelderland West Maas en Waal