Alphen was first mentioned in 709, when a nobleman named Engelbrecht sold "Alfheim" to Saint
Willibrord. In 739, it was sold on to the
Abbey of Echternach. The Catholic St Willibrord Church was built in 1954 to replace a church from 1909-1910 which was destroyed in 1944. The earliest church dated from the 16th century and had a tower which was built around 1559. The emergency church, which was built in 1945, is still located next to the St Willibrord Church. Alphen includes the hamlets of
't Zand,
Alphen-Oosterwijk,
Druisdijk,
Looneind,
Boslust,
Hondseind,
Het Sas,
Terover,
Boshoven and
Kwaalburg. Alphen was home to 431 people in 1840. Until 1997, Alphen was the main village of the municipality of
Alphen en Riel. ==Notable people==