| Houthem | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands#Netherlands Limburg |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands##Location in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Limburg |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Valkenburg aan de Geul |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 88 |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.90 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 1,515 |
| 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: | 6301 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 043 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Transport |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Major roads |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | A79 |
Houthem is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is a part of the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul, and lies about 8 km east of Maastricht.
The village was first mentioned in 1096 as "apud Houlten", and means "settlement in a deciduous forest".[3] Houthem is a village which developed in the Middle Ages in the valley of the Geul. Since 1232, it belonged to the . In 1201, a Premonstratensian monastery was founded near the grave of Saint Gerlach. Between 1661 until 1785, the walled monastery was an Austrian enclave in the Dutch Republic.[4]
The Catholic St Gerlachus Church used to be the main building of the nunnery. The church was destroyed in 1574, but 13th century elements remain. Between 1720 and 1727, the building was renovated and enlarged. In 1786, the nuns left and the building was auctioned in 1797. In 1808, part of the vault collapsed and the building was restored as a church. The church contains the tomb of Saint Gerlach.[4]
Houthem was home to 659 people in 1840. In 1888, Houthem-Sint Gerlach railway station opened on the Aachen to Maastricht railway line.[5]
Houthem was a separate municipality until 1940, when it was merged with Valkenburg. In 1982, it became part of the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul.[6]