A taste of Holland (Friedrichsstadt)

Friedrichstadt is a small town in Northern Germany which has had a remarkable and very unique history. In 1621 Duke Friedrich III of Holstein-Gottorf gave Dutch Mennonites and Remonstrants who were persecuted for the religion, the opportunity to reclaim fen and marshland and build a small town. He wanted to attract capital and knowledge into this rather remote region. They built this quaint dutch style town with its many canals where Dutch was the official language and named after the Duke, who later also tried to persuade both the Shah of Persia as well as the Russian Tsar to use it as a trade interchange avoiding trade routes around Africa. This was not successful, but Friedrichstadt remains a hidden gem in the watery, flat mashes of  Northern Frisia to this day.