Introduction
This article is about the village in Limburg, Netherlands. For the Greek political party, see National Political Union (1984). Village in Limburg, NetherlandsEpen IeëpeVillageWingber mill, EpenEpenLocation in the NetherlandsShow map of NetherlandsEpenLocation in the province of Limburg in the NetherlandsShow map of Limburg, NetherlandsCoordinates: 50°47′N 5°55′E / 50.783°N 5.917°E / 50.783; 5.917Country NetherlandsProvince LimburgMunicipality Gulpen-WittemArea • Total7.42 km2 (2.86 sq mi)Elevation130 m (430 ft)Population (2021) • Total1,025 • Density138/km2 (358/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code6285Dialing code043 Epen (Dutch: [ˈeːpə(n)]; Limburgish: Ieëpe [ˈiəpə]) is a village in the southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg. It is a part of the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem, and lies about 15 km southwest of Kerkrade. Epen is known for its timber framed houses and is part of the sightseeing tour the Mergellandroute. The village was first mentioned in 1041 as "in villis ... Apine", and probably means "settlement near a river". Epen developed in the Early Middle Ages. The Catholic St Paul Conversion Church is a single aisled church with a semi built-in tower with needle spire. The church was built between 1841 and 1842 and the tower was added between 1847 and 1848. Epen was home to 443 people in 1840. After World War II, it started to develop as a tourist area.