The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "silted land in a bend in a waterway".

[3] Wittem developed in the Early Middle Ages.

In the 13th century, a castle was built near the confluence of the Selzerbeek with the Geul.

It used to be a free heerlijkheid (=no fief), but was bought by Ferdinand Adolph von Plettenberg in 1722 and elevated to barony in 1732.

[4] The Catholic St Alphonsus of Liguori and Johannes Nepomuk Church was built between 1729 and 1733.