German Uruguayans
The German community in Uruguay is small but significant; it numbers ca. 10,000 German expatriates and 40,000 people of German descent.[1] Most of them live in the Montevideo area, although there are German minorities in Paysandú, Río Negro, San José and Canelones.
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|---|---|
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 The German embassy in Uruguay | |
| Total population | |
| 250,000-350,000 descendants est. 10%-15%% of Uruguay's population are German or have German ancestry[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mainly found in the capital, Montevideo. Other numbers are found throughout the country. | |
| Languages | |
| German, Rioplatense Spanish | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| German Argentines, German Brazilians, German Chileans |
History
One of the first Germans to come to the region was Ulrich Schmidl (known locally as Ulrico Smidel), who arrived at the oriental shores of the River Plate in the early 16th century and described the Charrúas.[2]
The German presence in Uruguay was always small, relatively discrete. The 2011 Uruguayan census revealed 1,167 people who declared Germany as their country of birth.[3]
Religion
Local Germans practise different Christian religions:
- Roman Catholic: the Pallottine Fathers, with presence at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.
- Evangelical Church: with its own temple at Juan Manuel Blanes 1116 in Montevideo.
- Mennonite: there are four Mennonite settlements - Colonia Nicolich, El Ombú, Gartental, and Colonia Delta.
There is also an important presence of German Jews,[4] with religious activities at the NCI Synagogue.
Institutions
German immigrants established several institutions of their own, among others:
- German School Montevideo (German: Deutsche Schule Montevideo, established 1857)[5]
- German Evangelical Community (German: Deutsch-Evangelische Gemeinde Montevideo)[6]
- German Cultural and Social Work (German: Deutsches Kultur- und Hilfswerk)[7]
- German Club (German: Deutscher Klub, established 1866)[8]
- Uruguayan-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (German: Deutsch-Uruguayische Industrie- und Handelskammer, established 1916)[9]
- German Rowing Club Montevideo (German: Deutscher Ruderverein Montevideo, established 1922)[10]
- German Male Choir (German: Deutscher Männerchor)[7]
- Alpine Club Montevideo (German: Alpenländer Verein Montevideo, established 1934)[11]
- Bertolt Brecht House (German: Bertolt-Brecht-Haus, established 1964)[12]
- German-Uruguayan Cultural Association (German: Deutsch-Uruguayische Kulturvereinigung)[7]
- German Cultural Association Paysandú (German: Deutsche Kulturvereinigung Paysandú)[7]
- German-Uruguayan Friendship Circle[7]
There are also local offices of German institutions:
- Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Uruguay[13]
- Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Uruguay[14]
- The Goethe-Institut offers courses on German language and culture.[15]
Historic German schools:[16]
Notable People
There are important German names closely linked to the political landscape.
Politics
- Carlos Fischer (Colorado; President of the National Council of Government, 1958-1959)
- Héctor Grauert (Colorado; representative, minister, and member of the NCG)
- Julio César Grauert (Colorado hero, opposed the Dictatorship of Terra)
- Tabaré Hackenbruch (Colorado, three-term mayor of Canelones Department)
- Alberto Heber (Blanco; President of the National Council of Government, 1966-1967)
- Mario Heber (Blanco; representative and senator)
- Luis Alberto Heber (Blanco; senator since 1995; president of the party)
- Roberto Kreimerman (Frente Amplio; minister of Industry, Energy and Mining in the cabinet during José Mujica's presidency)
Sports
- Carlos Grossmüller, footballer
- Gary Kagelmacher, footballer
- Nicolás Klappenbach, rugby union player
- Martín Kutscher, swimmer
- Paul Kutscher, swimmer
- Sergio Orteman, footballer
- Gerardo Vonder Pütten, footballer
Other Professions
- Erika Büsch, musician
- Luis Camnitzer, artist
- Jorge Drexler, musician and doctor
- Elio García-Austt, neuroscientist
- Otto Langmann, pastor
- Mariana Meerhoff, biologist
- Carlos Ott, architect
- Carlos Rehermann, novelist and playwright
- Siegbert Rippe, commercial jurist
- Bernardo Rosengurtt, botanist and agrostologist
- Ernesto Schmitt, entrepreneur
- Erwin Schrott, opera singer
- Carla Witte, painter
- Rodolfo Wirz, Roman Catholic bishop of Maldonado and Punta del Este
See also
References
- German in Uruguay. Joshua Project. Retriewed 30 November 2020.
- Schmidel, Ulrich (2001). Viaje al Río de la Plata. Alicante: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes - Digital edition based on Buenos Aires Edition - Cabaut y Cía. 1903.
- "Immigration to Uruguay" (PDF) (in Spanish). INE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- Christoph Marx; Christine Hatzky; Waltraud Kokot; Hauke Dorsch (2004). Periplus 2004: Jahrbuch für Aussereuropäische geschichte. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 22. ISBN 978-3-8258-7820-7.
- Deutsche Schule Montevideo Archived April 28, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- German Evangelical Church in Uruguay
- German institutions in Uruguay (in German)
- Deutscher Klub Archived August 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- AHK Uruguay
- DRVM Archived May 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ALVM
- Casa Bertolt Brecht Archived May 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- FESUR
- KAS Uruguay
- Goethe-Institut Montevideo
- "Deutscher Bundestag 4. Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672" (Archive). Bundestag (West Germany). 23 June 1965. Retrieved on 12 March 2016. p. 29/51.
External links
- German presence in Uruguay (in Spanish)
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