1713 – The Garrison Town

The famous Garrison Church (© Landeshauptstadt Potsdam/Archiv)
The famous Garrison Church (© Landeshauptstadt Potsdam/Archiv)
The famous Garrison Church (© Landeshauptstadt Potsdam/Archiv)

Potsdam’s expansion to a garrison town is due to the Prussian King Frederick William I who went down in the history of Prussia as the Soldier King.

He subordinated everything to the development of a strong army. To accommodate the troops, new quarters had to be built. The construction area expanded from 43 to 142 hectares. The uniform road network and the two-story housing developments are recognizable characteristics of the ‘New Towns’ even today. The Soldier King encouraged the Dutch, well known as good workmen, to come to Potsdam to populate and to build the city.

Between 1721 and 1735 the St Nicholas Church, Heilig-Geist Church and Garrison Church were built. Since then, their steeples have defined the silhouette of the royal and garrison town Potsdam.