Displaced Believers Establish a Fresh Living in Brandenburg
In the 17th century, Brandenburg, now modern-day Berlin and Brandenburg, witnessed a significant influx of Huguenot refugees, a group of French Protestants seeking asylum after being persecuted in their homeland. However, their reception was not universally warm.
The Brandenburg nobility, assured of long-term tax exemptions for the refugees, found their presence potentially unsettling. The fear was that the Huguenots might set a bad example for German peasants, particularly in terms of culture and work ethic.
Elector Frederick William I, known as "the Great," saw an opportunity in these skilled refugees and issued the Edict of Potsdam in 1685, welcoming the Huguenots with incentives such as tax-free status for ten years and free passage into Brandenburg. This policy was designed to attract refugees who could contribute economically and technologically to the region, which was recovering and developing at the time.
As a result, the north-east of Brandenburg became the primary destination for these refugees. Regions like Prignitz, situated in the north-western part of Brandenburg and somewhat more peripheral, remained relatively unaffected. The strategic economic planning and administrative focus led to the concentration of Huguenot refugees in the north-east, while regions like Prignitz, being more remote and less economically developed, remained mostly unaffected.
The Huguenots, or réfugiés, founded numerous colonies in Brandenburg, including in Angermünde, Prenzlau, and Strasburg. The Prenzlau "colony" in the Uckermark became the largest in the region, with 427 members after just twelve years.
However, the Prignitz did not see a significant influx of Calvinist settlers. Only a few Huguenot families are mentioned in the region, such as Anthoine Gain and Pierre Lenain in Perleberg and Wittstock. Arnold Gijsels van Lier, a Dutch admiral who lived from 1593 to 1676, brought settlers from his Dutch homeland to the Prignitz. Gijsels van Lier was summoned by Elector Frederick William to Lenzen in 1651 and was tasked with helping restore order and the economy in the Prignitz.
Despite the Brandenburg nobility's initial reluctance, the Huguenot refugees brought a positive impact. They introduced their language, culture, and tobacco cultivation to their new homes. The Markish nobility, who later came to appreciate the refugees, did not settle them on their estates to avoid the loss of income and the potential bad example for their German peasants.
Today, traces of these former religious refugees can still be seen in Berlin and Brandenburg, in street names or buildings like the French Cathedral in the federal capital. Gijsels van Lier, the Calvinist admiral, is buried in the Prignitz, and his richly decorated coffins can be viewed in the church of Mölich in the Lenzerwische community.
References: [1] Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv, Rep. 100 I, Nr. 1389 [2] Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv, Rep. 100 I, Nr. 1388 [3] Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv, Rep. 100 I, Nr. 1387 [4] Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv, Rep. 100 I, Nr. 1386
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