Barchem

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Barchem is a small village in the Netherlands, in the Gelderland province, part of Lochem municipality, about 15 km east of Zutphen. It began as a farming settlement called Borchem, meaning “settlement on or near a hill.” In 1840 it had 346 residents. The village grew around the road from Lochem to Ruurlo, where a toll house was built in 1857. A church was built in 1860 at the crossroads with the Borculo–Zwiep road. During World War II Barchem saw heavy fighting, and the general cemetery there has 25 Commonwealth graves. Today Barchem covers about 25.7 square kilometers and has around 1,750 residents (2021).