Dahlem, near Garnich, is one of those villages that over the past one hundred years, have evolved from a purely farming working environment to a predominantly middle-class residential environment.
One notices that only few stately houses shape the picture of the village. Most buildings are neat residences that were built over the past fifty years.
The comfortable farms circle the village chapel, built only at the beginning of the 19th century. On May 17, 1785, on St. Pancreas day, a fire destroyed the "royal" parish church and the center of the village. After that fire the priest resided in Sprinckingen and used that church as the parish church. The village of Dahlem recovered only slowly.
In the list of "fire-places" (households) of the year 1611 the house-names of: Barthel, Arestorf, Niclaus, Schoumachers, Schroeder, Thernes, Nicles and Theis were listed. In the year 1656, the house-names: Meyers, Nicles and Schmidts.
Several place-names, in common use for centuries, have survived to our times. Among others, the locally common place-name "a Neckels" stands out.
Johann Nickels died in Dahlem on February 16, 1725 at the age of 88 years. Magdalena Nickels passed away on October 7, 1729. We are certainly not mistaken if we assume that the two were the parents of Michel Nickels, who was already mentioned in 1767, as a man in his best years.
When Bernard Büringer, priest in Dahlem and learned author of "Serta moralia", printed by Jakob Ferry in Luxembourg between 1710 and 1717, lent Matheis Arendts, in the "Barthelshouse in Dahlem near Sprinckingen "32 royal thalers" to purchase some produce in this desolate year" Michel Nickels was a witness. On the same day, April 15, 1707, Jakob Meyer borrowed 24 thalers, also "for the subsistence of the household in these costly times". Michel Nickels also confirmed to the parish priest to have received 24 thalers. A meadow located "in Brühl's heights" served as collateral.
The winter 1708-1709 was a catastrophe for the farmers. "All the sown grain froze." wrote Professor Arthur Schon in his book "Timetables for Parishes". The spring-grain could not be sown in a timely fashion so that in the summer of 1709 there was no grain and no straw. Additionally, there was war everywhere, taxation, dearth and famine. Wood became cheap because frost had destroyed whole forests and split mighty oaks. P.J. Müller writes in his "Facts Regarding the History of the Country of Luxembourg" that till then the heat from the kitchen stove was transmitted through the "Takeplack" to the adjoining room, but that now the progress of the iron-works came to bear through the commonplace use of the round oven and later on of the column oven. (Note: "Takeplack": A cast-iron plaque installed at the back of the fireplace in the wall dividing kitchen and adjoining room. Warmth radiating from the cast-iron plaque heated the adjoining room.)