Germany

Russian colony Alexandrovka

Even before Potsdam entered our history after World War II, Russian Cossacks settled here. Surprisingly, for 200 years it was possible to maintain the authentic atmosphere of the patriarchal Russian village. It seems that there is no such miracle even in Russia. So the Russian village could look!

Colonist's House, photo by Olaf

Aleksandrovka is an ideal Russian village in Germany

In 1806, the army of Napoleon defeated the Prussian-Saxon troops, and an alliance with France against Russia was imposed on the defeated Prussia. In 1812, more than a thousand soldiers were captured by the French and 62 of them remained in Potsdam. They formed a choir formally assigned to the first guards regiment of Prussia.

When a treaty of neutrality was concluded in December 1812, and Prussia united with Russia against France, a separate regiment was formed from captured Russian soldiers, who took part in the battles against Napoleon, and the Potsdam choir of Russian prisoners of war entertained the Prussian king in the military camp. The retired singers were replaced by Russian grenadiers: Emperor Alexander I allowed the choir to remain in Prussia and allocated seven grenadiers from his guard to replenish the guard of the Prussian king.

By 1825, when Alexander I died, 12 chorus singers survived in Potsdam, and in the spring of 1826, Frederick William III established a colony near Potsdam in memory of his friendship with the Russian Tsar, which he ordered the remaining singers to name and named in honor of Alexander I - Alexandrovka (Russische Kolonie Alexandrowka).

Church of Alexander Nevsky (Alexander-Newski-Gedächtniskirche), photo A.Savin

In 1827, the colonists celebrated a housewarming party, 12 farmsteads and a two-story caretaker's house without a garden were erected. The houses were furnished, gardens were laid out next to them, a cow was allocated to each household. The colonists did not have the right to dispose of the plots, but they could inherit. An Orthodox church of Alexander Nevsky was built on Mount Kapellenberg. Nearby was the 14th house, in which Tarnovsky, the foreman of the royal teahouse, lived on the top floor. In 1891, the last of the singers died. By the centenary of the colony, only four families of direct descendants of the first colonists lived in it, and after the land reform there were two of them left.

A restaurant
House with garden
The ideal Russian village
Colonist
House in Aleksandrovka
All done with love
Speaker

Russian colony - UNESCO site

Today, one family lives here - the Grigorievs. The colony was in the personal ownership of the royal house of Prussia, and until 1945 the rights and obligations of its inhabitants remained the same as under the king. When Germany merged in 1990, most of the houses became private property. Since 1999, the architectural complex of the colony has been recognized by UNESCO as worthy of inclusion in the World Heritage List.

Watch the video: Alexandrowka, Александровка, Alexandrovka. (November 2024).

Popular Posts

Category Germany, Next Article

Italy has become one of Europe's leaders in blood donation
Society

Italy has become one of Europe's leaders in blood donation

Italians are perhaps the best blood donors in Europe. According to the latest data provided by the National Association of Blood Donors (Associazione Volontari Italiani Sangue (AVIS)), about 80 percent of the inhabitants of the sunny country regularly and consistently help fellow citizens in need. These figures indicate that Italy is the second largest European country in the collection of donated blood.
Read More
Pope named the names of 19 new cardinals
Society

Pope named the names of 19 new cardinals

Pope Francis of the evening named the names of 19 priests who will receive a new dignity and become cardinals. He stated that the solemn appointment of clergymen would take place in 9 days, i.e. January 22 in Rome. The pontiff announced his decision on Sunday in the Vatican after he finished reading the prayer “Angelus”.
Read More
Thousands of pilgrims head to Rome
Society

Thousands of pilgrims head to Rome

Rome is preparing to receive hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and dozens of foreign delegations bound for the Vatican. This Sunday there will be a historical event the canonization of two popes, John Paul II and John XXIII. According to the Italian Foreign Minister, on April 27, 19 heads of state, 24 heads of government and 800,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive in Rome.
Read More
Miracles in Italy: a paralyzed woman can walk again
Society

Miracles in Italy: a paralyzed woman can walk again

A 74-year-old paralyzed pensioner can walk again after a real miracle happened in one of the churches in southern Italy. Michelina Comegna (Michelina Comegna) announces to the whole world about the miracle that happened during the morning mass in the new city of Pompeii. A woman who remained paralyzed for 11 years and lay on the operating table for several years prayed in the local church for the opportunity to walk again.
Read More