Uetzer Fähr- und Fischerhaus

On the edge of Potsdam, where the Wublitz once carried a ferry across the water, stands the Uetzer Fähr- und Fischerhaus, a timber house built in 1834 to designs by Ludwig Persius. King Friedrich Wilhelm III commissioned it as part of his effort to shape the landscape around him, and the building shows what that ambition looked like in wood: a Swiss-style construction with elaborate timber framework, artfully framed windows and doors, and decoration running up into the eaves and gables. A differentiated colour scheme sets off the craftsmanship, and the symmetrical room plan inside has survived largely as designed.

The house was never meant to stand alone. It served the king's route to Gut Paretz, the summer residence he acquired for Queen Luise, and to make that journey possible a ferry was laid over the Wublitz and a road, the Königsweg, was built. From there the story reaches into literature: the village of Uetz appears repeatedly in the works of Theodor Fontane, who visited the area in the mid-nineteenth century and spoke with the local ferryman. In 2014, funds went towards restoring the historic doors and windows, so the frames you see today carry their original design into the present.

Look closely at the joinery before you move on: the carving around a window or a gable tells you more about 1834 than any plaque could.