Kotem

Kotem is a hamlet of Boorsem, a borough of Maasmechelen in the Belgian province of Limburg. The village covers an area of 3.17 km² and had a population of 1006 in 2016. Since 1970, Geneuth has also been part of Kotem, which until that year was an enclave of Mechelen-aan-de-Maas.
Throughout history, Kotem has often been hit by flooding of the Meuse. In 1459 the Meuse left its old bed at Kotem, which lay more to the west, and started to run in its current bed. Presumably, the current territory of the hamlet of De Hal was then located on the Belgian side of the Meuse. At low water levels, one can see the remains of the sunken castle in the Meuse. When the Meuse changed its flow in the fifteenth century, the village of Elsloo was badly damaged. Houses and the castle were washed away. For a long time, it was thought that this was a Norman castle that was used as a warehouse around 881. Recent studies relegate this proposition to the realm of fables. This is Elsloo Castle, located between Geul and Maas. At that time, the Geul flowed much further north than it does today, at Geulle aan de Maas. This castle disappeared into the Meuse around 1458. The ruins of the castle can already be seen on a map from the 17th century.

Wikipedia