Dutch Quarter in Potsdam

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  View of the rows of houses in the Dutch Quarter in Potsdam.

• Colorful bouquets of tulips are sold at the Tulip Festival in the Dutch Quarter.

The Dutch Quarter in the historic center of Potsdam is full of charm. Where Dutch immigrants once lived, there are now small stores and cozy pubs.

The Holländisches Viertel (Dutch Quarter) in Potsdam was built in 1742 for Dutch settlers. A total of 134 apartments, spread over four squares, offered guest workers from the Netherlands a sense of home. They were brought to Potsdam as craftsmen by King Frederick William I. Today, the district with its 150 small red brick houses is one of the most popular residential areas in Potsdam and a much-visited tourist attraction.

Apartments, stores, cafés and restaurants

Before reunification, many of the houses were in a poor condition. Renovation work after reunification gave the Dutch Quarter a new lease of life. The houses not only contain apartments, but also numerous small stores, cafés and restaurants. Together with the facades, they give the district a special charm.

Jan Bouman Haus in the Dutch Quarter

The Jan Bouman Haus shows the history of the Dutch Quarter. The museum is a walk-in testimony to Dutch life in Potsdam. In the permanent exhibition, visitors can not only experience the history of the Dutch Quarter and the restoration of the originally preserved house. Household items and furniture from the 18th century give an impression of the everyday life of the first inhabitants.

Formerly a prison: Lindenstraße Memorial

The Lindenstraße Memorial shows the history of political persecution and violence in the dictatorships of the 20th century in Germany in a former court and prison complex. The building was first used as a prison by the National Socialists, then by the Russian occupation and finally by the Stasi. The exhibition focuses on people who were imprisoned for political reasons during the Nazi dictatorship, the Soviet occupation and the SED dictatorship, as well as people who contributed to overcoming the SED dictatorship.

Places of interest near the Dutch Quarter

The Nauener Tor (Nauen Gate), Prussia's first neo-Gothic building, is located on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße in the immediate vicinity of the Dutch Quarter. It is one of Potsdam's three surviving city gates. The Nauen Gate was built in 1755 by the architect Johann Gottfried Büring based on a sketch by Frederick the Great. Not far away is Potsdam's second city gate: the Brandenburg Gate. The Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam was built 22 years after the Nauen Gate.

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