To expand the garrison town of Potsdam, King Frederick William I, the Soldier King, urgently needed well-trained craftsmen. He found them in neighboring Holland. And because the Dutch were to feel at home in Potsdam, he had this quarter of about 150 brick houses built in the mid-18th century. Unplastered, with white mortar joints, shutters, and some with curved gables – everything just like back home.
Small shops, cafés, and bars characterize the atmosphere of the Dutch Quarter in Potsdam, the capital of Lower Saxony. Today, it is the only intact ensemble of buildings in the Dutch style outside the Netherlands. There's even a café there that serves traditional Dutch "poffertjes" and "pannekoeken."
