The Huguenots Establish Manufactures in Brandenburg

The fighting and destruction of the Thirty Years' War had resulted in a dramatic reduction in the population in many German territories. The economy was also depressed. It was hoped that the settlement of immigrants would not only replenish the population, but also stimulate economic activity. The Huguenots were viewed as desirable immigrants, as their craft skills were in demand and the authorities hoped that their arrival would result in the founding of manufactures.

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki (1726–1801), "Les Réfugiés françois établissent des Fabriques dans le Brandenbourg", etching; source: Erman, Jean Pierre / Reclam, Pierre Chrétien Frédéric: Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des Réfugiés françois dans les Etats du Roi, Berlin 1782–1799. Courtesy of the Huguenot Museum in Bad Karlshafen, http://www.hugenottenmuseum.de/hugenotten/bildergalerien/chodowiecki/erman-reclam/004-die-hugenotten-gruenden-fabriken-in-brandenburg.php.