| Giessen | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Native Name Lang: | nl |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands North Brabant#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Brabant |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Altena |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 1.7 |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.46 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1,645 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 4283 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 0183 |
| Coordinates: | 51.7886°N 5.0328°W |
Giessen is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant.
It is located in the municipality of Altena, about 7 km southeast of Gorinchem.
The village was first mentioned in 1178 as Giscen. It is named after a river, however the etymology is unclear.[3] Giessen developed in the Middle Ages along the Afgedamde Maas.[4]
The Dutch Reformed church was dates was built on a terp (artificial living hill) in the 14th century. In 1755, the tower collapsed due to frequent flooding. The church was enlarged in 1856.[4]
Giessen was home to 360 people in 1840.[5] Giessen was a separate municipality until 1973, when it became a part of the former municipality of Woudrichem. Giessen nowadays forms a single urban area with Rijswijk.[4]
Giessen is part of the New Dutch Water Line. Fort Giessen has been preserved, and was constructed between 1878 and 1881.[4]
In 2013 Giessen Castle was rediscovered in the village.[5] There are no visible traces of this castle, except for a small monument that marks its location.