Dutch Quarter, Potsdam

Dutch Quarter, Potsdam (must see)

The Dutch Quarter is also known as Little Amsterdam. Frederick William I commissioned the district to attract skilled artisans from the Netherlands. Frederick William I intended to expand Potsdam but needed skilled labor to help, so he offered workers housing and work contracts. The king particularly sought masons, cabinet-makers, and goldsmiths.

The Dutch Quarter was built by Dutch architect Jan Bouman and completed in 1742. This unique area has four squares and 134 two-story houses. The houses weren’t all occupied by Dutch artisans as originally planned. Instead, however, they also housed Prussian and French artists, merchants, and soldiers.

The terraced houses feature red Dutch brick with white accents, shutters, and distinctive gables. This beautiful district only suffered minor damage during World War II, but time still took its toll, and the buildings fell into disrepair after the World War II. However, the area was restored during the 1970s and is now one of Potsdam’s main tourist attractions.

Jan Bouman’s home is considered one of Potsdam’s first urban houses and is open to the public as a museum. The home features a main house, half-timbered outbuildings, and a home garden. Inside, visitors will see a spinning wheel, furniture, and cooking implements from the 18th century.

The district features galleries, craft shops, and backyard pubs. Visitors can walk along the cobbled streets and enjoy shopping at charming boutiques. Visitors can also see the house Mozart lived in during 1789.

The Dutch Quarter hosts several festivals throughout the year, including the Tulip Festival. The Dutch Christmas market is another popular annual event.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Potsdam. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Dutch Quarter on Map

Sight Name: Dutch Quarter
Sight Location: Potsdam, Germany (See walking tours in Potsdam)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Potsdam, Germany

Create Your Own Walk in Potsdam

Create Your Own Walk in Potsdam

Creating your own self-guided walk in Potsdam is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Neuer Garten Walking Tour

Neuer Garten Walking Tour

Laid out at the behest of Friedrich William II in 1787, Potsdam's Neuer Garten (New Garden) was indeed "new" compared to the already in place Sanssouci Park.

Between 1816 and 1828, the area was modified further as an English-style, open landscape garden, with an aim to reproduce nature – trees and plants were left to grow naturally, unshaped and untrimmed. Rural life was also...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Sanssouci Park Walking Tour

Sanssouci Park Walking Tour

Sanssouci Park is a unique Potsdam landmark that occupies 290 hectares in the heart of the city. The Park is named after the Sanssouci Palace that it surrounds, which in turn takes its name from the French phrase "sans souci", which means carefree, and implies that the palace was designated as a place of fun, rather than a seat of power.

Indeed, the Sanssouci Palace was built in 1747...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour

Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour

Potsdam was likely founded during the seventh century by the Hevelli tribe. The town was mentioned by the name of Poztupimi in a document from Emperor Otto III. The name likely came from an old Western Slavonic term roughly meaning "beneath the oaks."

By the early 1300s, a small town had formed with a town charter. By 1573 the town had around 2,000 people living there. Potsdam rose to...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles