"German" Quarters developed in Moscow in the 16th century and were populated by foreigners from Western Europe (collectively called "Germans" by the Russian people (the Russian word for "German", , relates to the Russian word for "mute", ]) and by prisoners taken during the Livonian War of 1558-1583.
The residents of the Old German Quarter mainly engaged in handicrafts and flour-milling (whence the flour mills on the Yauza River).