4207

Where did the first settlers come from?

Colonist houses

A targeted population policy led to lasting changes in Wedding. In 1782, King Frederick II commissioned building a colony North-East of the river Panke and recruited farmers from abroad for this purpose. The idea was that they should supply the royal city with agricultural produce. The immigrants were from Voigtland and Bohemia. Soon, their languages and traditions led to the development of a culturally diverse community. The Northwest of Berlin was still very sparsely populated.

The house on Koloniestraße 57 from 1782 was one of several so‑called colonist houses in the Gesundbrunnen area. It is now the oldest building in this part of Wedding and a listed building.

Heinz Schneider, oldest house in Berlin-Wedding, house Koloniestraße 57

Gouache on paper, 1993

On loan from: Weddinger Heimatverein e. V.

“Therefore, His Royal Highness, the King of Prussia, our most gracious master, in the highest grace resolves to establish gardener families in various parts of Berlin to encourage an increased cultivation of fruit. For these establishments, houses will be built at the King’s cost, yet the land will be allocated to gardens, and accordingly, establishment no. 21 near Gesundbrunnen, consisting of a residential house as per attached inventory and an area for a courtyard and garden of five acres of land, with the acre calculated as one hundred and eighty square rods in line with Rhineland measures has been transferred to the colonist and gardener Johann Philipp Sorg under the following conditions.

“In order to plant the garden, he should also receive four threescores of fruit trees in kind, or if he bought and planted the trees himself, five thalers should be paid per threescore*.“

Happened in Berlin on 9 January 1784

President, Mayor and Alderman

Philippi. Ransleben. Wackenroder. Buchholz. From the land register of the 21. colony near Gesundbrunnen, 1784

* 1 threescore = 60 fruit trees

Model of the twig from an apple tree, synthetic material

Acquired in 2021