The name of the town is derived from "Talheim", which was first mentioned in a document from Prüm Abbey in 867. In the Middle Ages, the town belonged to the Kronenburg domain. The municipality of Dahlem was founded as part of the local government reorganisation at the end of the 1960s by merging with five neighbouring towns. Dahlem is located in the northern Eifel region and is surrounded by a densely wooded landscape.
So much for "dead straight"
The hilly landscape of the northern Eifel had a major influence on the construction of the Agrippa Road: completely atypical for Roman roads, the state road in the Dahlem area is rather winding. In particular, the elevation of the three "Heideköpfe" between Esch and Schmidtheim presented the Roman road engineers with a real challenge. Archaeological finds also prove that the area around Dahlem was settled by the Romans: several Roman graves and settlement sites have been discovered. In addition, the remains of smelting works and slag heaps suggest that metal smelting was already being carried out here in Roman times.
Dahlem's monuments
There are also sights from later centuries in Dahlem. The old boundary stone "Vierherrenstein" is located southeast of the municipality, exactly on the border between North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. Also worth seeing is the Zehnbachhaus motte, a medieval castle mound in the Urft Valley. Schmidtheim Castle is considered one of the best-preserved castles in the Eifel and is particularly notable for its extensive park. Relics of the Siegfried Line can be seen not far from Dahlemer Binz airfield.
