In conversation – Andreas Huxol on the weavers' quarter of Babelsberg

Dear Mr. Huxol, when one meets you during a visit to the weavers' workshop, one immediately senses your passion for the neighborhood and its history. How did this come about?

As a technician, my work involved a lot of numbers, data, and facts. To balance this, I've been privately researching my family's origins, or genealogy, for years. This sparked my interest in historical events. Working in the association's archive specifically focused me on the topic of Babelsberg Nowawes. I had lived in Babelsberg for many years without knowing its historical background. I find this task incredibly exciting, especially because I've noticed that more and more residents are becoming interested in the historical roots of their neighborhood.

How did this weavers' quarter come to be founded?

In 1750, Frederick II, through his then-Colonel Wolf Friedrich von Retzow, issued a call for the establishment of a Bohemian weavers' and spinners' colony. The colony of Nowawes followed a tradition of Brandenburg-Prussian settlement policy initiated by Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia, the Great Elector, after the devastating Thirty Years' War. Frederick II intended the founding of Nowawes to improve the country's supply of woolen fabrics. He considered the development of wool manufactories particularly important throughout Prussia, as large quantities of expensive spinning wool, especially from Saxony, had to be imported. The first phase of construction was completed in 1753 with the consecration of the church on what is now Weberplatz (Weavers' Square). Approximately 700 people, primarily weavers and spinners with their families, lived in 150 modest half-timbered double houses. After the Seven Years' War, Nowawes was expanded by about 50 houses starting in 1763. These houses were occupied by "foreign" construction workers needed for the building of the New Palace. They came from Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, or Switzerland. Of course, in addition to weavers, spinners, and wool strippers, there were also the necessary village craftsmen for the self-sufficiency of the colony's inhabitants, such as bakers, butchers, bricklayers, wheelwrights, locksmiths, carpenters, and tailors.

The so-called weavers' houses are a standardized type of house and characterize the neighborhood. Can you describe the construction of the houses and give us an insight into what it was like to live in them?

The typical weaver's house has five bays on its front: window – window – wide door – window – window. A family lived on each side. Behind the two windows facing the street was the living room, which also served as the weaver's workspace. The loom stood there. A door led from there into a smaller room that served as a storeroom and the parents' bedroom. Only the youngest children were allowed to sleep there as well. Only the ground floor could be heated. The older children slept in the unheated upper floor under the roof in a makeshift wooden structure, cozy and warm in the summer and "somewhat" cooler in the winter.

In the first colonists' houses, the kitchen was called a "black kitchen" at the far end of the hallway because it had no chimney. The outhouse was located in the yard. When this pit was emptied, the waste was used to fertilize the garden. Water for the house and garden was carried in buckets. In the weavers' quarter, there were 30 wells with hand pumps in the streets. There were seven wells on what is now Karl-Liebknecht-Straße. Pits were dug in the garden for garbage disposal. The streets, of course, were not yet paved.

Life and work for the weavers in Babelsberg were hard. What challenges did they face? How did their position within the city's structure evolve?

Many factors influenced the lives of the weavers in Nowawes. The weavers in Nowawes were not independent. They were part of a putting-out system, meaning each weaver was assigned to one of four publishers. These publishers came from Berlin. They supplied the raw materials to the weavers and, after processing, purchased the finished product. The publishers only supplied as much raw material as they could sell as finished goods. The profit lay with the publishers, the risk with the weavers.
The weavers of Nowawes processed calico, that is, imported cotton. After the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763, Silesia fell to Frederick II. Many weavers also lived there, but they processed linen and could therefore produce more cheaply. The Nowawes weavers were unwilling to switch to processing linen.
In 1810, Nowawes lost its status as a colony. This also ended the subsidies from the royal treasury. Poverty took a dramatic turn; people even spoke of the "weavers' misery." Only after the government councilor Wichgraf founded the weaving school after 1850 and introduced new weaving techniques did the weavers' situation improve. The number of operating looms increased from about 100 to almost 1000. With the onset of industrialization from the mid-19th century, more and more workers moved to Nowawes. As a result, the percentage of weavers fell dramatically. The weaving trade was gradually replaced by machines. The last master weaver in Nowawes ceased his work after 1930.

How would you characterize the neighborhood then and now?

The inhabitants of Nowawes were initially mostly craftsmen and day laborers. Two language groups lived here – the Czech-speaking Bohemians and the German-speaking "foreigners" from Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, and Switzerland. The colony was bilingual, and there were certainly conflicts. Integration took about 50 years.
With industrialization, the population increased dramatically. Industrial workers made up the majority of the inhabitants. They lived in impoverished conditions. Potsdam was a city of civil servants; they wanted nothing to do with the industrial city, known as "Red Nowawes."
Today, Babelsberg is one of Potsdam's trendiest districts. It's noticeable that many young families now live there. Foreign languages ​​are also frequently spoken. Babelsberg is a self-contained and well-functioning district. Here you can find everything you need for daily life and leisure activities.

How and where can one best explore the history of the weavers' quarter?

The best starting point is the Nowawes Weavers' Room, the local history museum. Here you can learn about things that have long since disappeared from the townscape. Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, Weberplatz, and Karl-Gruhl-Straße offer excellent opportunities to get a feel for the place. At Restaurant Hiemke, you can then reflect on your impressions in a historic setting. Those who enjoy walking should definitely visit Mühlenstraße. Here you'll find several murals by the master painter Selle that depict the history of the area.

Furthermore, some street names today recall the history of the district: the Yarn, Wool and Cloth Makers Street, the Alt Nowawes Street or the Weavers' Square.