Woudrichem is a city and former municipality in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.
Woudrichem originated in the ninth century. A marketplace emerged on a riverbank where Hoogstraat and Molenstraat are now located. Around the year 1000, several settlements, mostly north of the Alm, appeared and were centered around Woudrichem. Initially, the Maas did not flow past Woudrichem. The main course of this river first flowed approximately through the bed of the current Bergsche Maas; later, the Alm was the main course, and later still, the current Afgedamde Maas, until the Bergsche Maas was dug in 1904.
Woudrichem was strategically located at the confluence of the Maas and Waal rivers, within the spheres of influence of the Duchy of Brabant, Gelre, and the County of Holland. In 1322, the Land of Altena was incorporated into the County of Holland, only to be assigned to the newly formed province of North Brabant in 1815.
Here is a photographic impression of the city of Woudrichem.