Friedrichstadt
Friedrichstadt (German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪçˌʃtat] ⓘ; Danish: Frederiksstad) is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider approx. 12 km south of Husum.
Friedrichstadt Frederiksstad | |
|---|---|
 Ensemble of all 9 houses with stepped gables ("Holländerhäuser") on the west side of the market place | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Friedrichstadt Frederiksstad within Nordfriesland district  | |
  Friedrichstadt Frederiksstad  Friedrichstadt Frederiksstad | |
| Coordinates: 54°22′N 9°04′E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Schleswig-Holstein |
| District | Nordfriesland |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Peter Hofmann |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.03 km2 (1.56 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-31)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,593 |
| • Density | 640/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 25840 |
| Dialling codes | 04881 |
| Vehicle registration | NF |
History
The town was founded in 1621 by Dutch settlers. Duke Friedrich III of Holstein-Gottorp persuaded them to invest capital and knowledge in this region in turn for freedom of their Mennonite and Remonstrant religions (see: Arminianism) and opportunities to reclaim fen and marsh land in the vicinity of the town. One of them was Johannes Narssius. Dutch became an official language. The town was named after Duke Frederick.
By 1630, many Arminians had already returned to the Netherlands. Between 1633 and 1637 Frederick III sent an embassy to Tsar Michael I of Russia and to Shah Safi of Persia with a view to setting up Friedrichstadt as a European trade terminus. The delegation was led by the jurisconsult Philip Crusius and the merchant Otto Bruggemann or Brugman; their secretary, the scholar Adam Olearius, later wrote a book documenting the mission. The aim of creating a regular trading route that did not need to pass around Africa was not achieved, the delegation proved fruitless and the town did not become as successful as anticipated.
Beside the Remonstrants and Mennonites, other faith communities which settled in the town included Unitarians, Quakers, Catholics and Jews.
Personalities
Sons and daughters of the city
- Benjamin Calau (1724–1785), visual artist
- Eduard Alberti (1827–1898), literary historian
- Wilhelm Mannhardt (1831–1880), scholar and folklorist
- William Thordsen (1879–1932), US Navy Medal of Honor recipient
- Norbert Masur (1901–1971), subcontractor of the Jewish World Congress
Connected to Friedrichstadt
- Jürgen Ovens (1623–1678), Rembrandt pupil and court painter of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, lived here and is buried in St. Christophorus Church
- Louis Philippe I (1773–1850) lived a few months in the flight from the French Revolution Place and worked under a blanket as a home teacher
- Hjalmar Schacht (1877–1970), German politician, banker, Reichsbank president and Reichswirtschaftsminister, his grandparents lived here
Images
Waterpump from 1879
Streetview with Dutch architecture
Remonstrant church
Detail Remonstrant church
Streetview Friedrichstadt
Mennonites church Friedrichstadt
Dutch gravestone 1725 in the Mennonite cemetery
Former synagogue
House brand with the monogram of the Danish king
Building used by the Unitarians
References
External links
- In search of the Dutch origin of Friedrichstadt and the surrounding polderlands, including walking tour
- Friedrichstadt's official homepage.
