The German community in
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
numbers ca. 10,000 German expatriates and 40,000 people of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
descent.
Most of them live in the
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
area, although there are German minorities in
Paysandú
Paysandú () is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay.
Location
The city is located on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina. It lies northwest of Montevideo via Route 1 and Route 3, on the ju ...
,
Río Negro,
San José and
Canelones.
History
One of the first Germans to come to the region was
Ulrich Schmidl
Ulrich Schmidl or Schmidel (1510 in Straubing - 1579 in Regensburg) was a German Landsknecht, conquistador, explorer, chronicler and councilman. Schmidl was, beside Hans Staden, one of the few Landsknechts who wrote down their experiences of tr ...
(known locally as Ulrico Smidel), who arrived at the
oriental shores of the River Plate in the early 16th century and described the
Charrúa
The Charrúa were an indigenous people or Indigenous Nation of the Southern Cone in present-day Uruguay and the adjacent areas in Argentina ( Entre Ríos) and Brazil ( Rio Grande do Sul). They were a semi-nomadic people who sustained themselve ...
s.
The 2011 Uruguayan census revealed 1,167 people who declared Germany as their country of birth.
Religion
Local Germans practise different Christian religions:
*Roman Catholic: the
Pallottine Fathers
The Pallottines officially named the Society of the Catholic Apostolate ( la, Societas Apostolatus Catholici), abbreviated SAC is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1835 by the Roman C ...
, with presence at the
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.
*Evangelical Church: with its own temple at Juan Manuel Blanes 1116 in Montevideo.
*
Mennonite
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...
: there are four Mennonite settlements -
Colonia Nicolich
General Seregni (former Colonia Nicolich) is a town in the Canelones Department of southern Uruguay.
Colonia Nicolich is also the name of the municipality to which the town belongs and which includes the areas Colinas de Carrasco (Empalme) and V ...
,
El Ombú
El Ombú is a Mennonite agricultural settlement in Río Negro Department, Uruguay. It is located 284 km NW of Montevideo and 29 km SE of Young, Uruguay, Young, near the Route 3 (Uruguay), Route 3.
Established in 1950 by Vistula delta M ...
,
Gartental
Gartental is a Mennonite agricultural settlement in Río Negro Department, Uruguay. It is located NW of Montevideo, near San Javier, Uruguay, San Javier, not far from Route 24 (Uruguay), Route 24.
Established in 1951 by Vistula delta Mennonites ...
, and
Colonia Delta
Colonia Delta is a Mennonite agricultural settlement in San José Department, Uruguay. It is located 97 km west of Montevideo, near the Arroyo Pavón, not far from Route 1.
Established in 1955 by Vistula delta Mennonites who came from West P ...
.
There is also an important presence of
German Jews
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
,
with religious activities at the
NCI Synagogue.
Institutions
German immigrants established several institutions of their own, among others:
*
German School Montevideo
Colegio y Liceo Alemán de Montevideo (formal Spanish name). ( en, German School of Montevideo) is one of the most prestigious schools in Uruguay. It was established in 1857 for the children of German traders, artists, engineers and diplomats liv ...
(german: Deutsche Schule Montevideo, established 1857)
* German Evangelical Community (german: Deutsch-Evangelische Gemeinde Montevideo)
* German Cultural and Social Work (german: Deutsches Kultur- und Hilfswerk)
* German Club (german: Deutscher Klub, established 1866)
* Uruguayan-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (german: Deutsch-Uruguayische Industrie- und Handelskammer, established 1916)
* German Rowing Club Montevideo (german: Deutscher Ruderverein Montevideo, established 1922)
* German Male Choir (german: Deutscher Männerchor)
* Alpine Club Montevideo (german: Alpenländer Verein Montevideo, established 1934)
* Bertolt Brecht House (german: Bertolt-Brecht-Haus, established 1964)
* German-Uruguayan Cultural Association (german: Deutsch-Uruguayische Kulturvereinigung)
* German Cultural Association Paysandú (german: Deutsche Kulturvereinigung Paysandú)
* German-Uruguayan Friendship Circle
[German institutions in Uruguay](_blank)
There are also local offices of German institutions:
*
Friedrich Ebert Foundation
The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (''German: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: FES'') is a German political party foundation associated with, but independent from, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Established in 1925 as the ...
in Uruguay
*
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (german: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sank ...
in Uruguay
* The
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and ...
offers courses on German language and culture.
Historic German schools:
[Deutscher Bundestag 4. Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672]
Archive
. Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
(West Germany). 23 June 1965. Retrieved on 12 March 2016. p. 29/51.
* Deutsche Schule
El-Ombu
* Deutsche Schule
Gartental
Gartental is a Mennonite agricultural settlement in Río Negro Department, Uruguay. It is located NW of Montevideo, near San Javier, Uruguay, San Javier, not far from Route 24 (Uruguay), Route 24.
Established in 1951 by Vistula delta Mennonites ...
* Deutsche Schule Delta (La Boyado)
* Deutsche Schule
Paysandú
Paysandú () is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay.
Location
The city is located on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina. It lies northwest of Montevideo via Route 1 and Route 3, on the ju ...
Notable people
Arts and entertainment
*
Erika Büsch
Erika Büsch Guadalupe (born 22 October 1974) is a Uruguayan popular music composer, guitarist, and singer.
Biography Artistic field
Büsch's first artistic studies took place at the National Dance School, where she took classes in the history of ...
, musician
*
Luis Camnitzer
Luis Camnitzer (born November 6, 1937) is a German-born Uruguayan artist, curator, art critic, and academic who was at the forefront of 1960s Conceptual Art. Camnitzer works primarily in sculpture, printmaking, and installation, exploring topic ...
, artist
*
Jorge Drexler
Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology.
In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...
, musician and doctor
*
Andrés Neumann, cultural entrepreneur
*
Carlos Ott
Carlos Ott (born October 16, 1946, in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan architect who resides in Canada and many other countries. He became famous when he won his first prize in 1983 (among 744 architects from all over the world) for the construction ...
, architect
*
Carlos Rehermann, novelist and playwright
*
Erwin Schrott
Erwin Schrott (born 21 December 1972 in Montevideo, Uruguay) is an operatic bass-baritone, particularly known for his interpretation of the Title role in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni''.
Career
Schrott studied singing with Franca Mattiucci. He made his ...
, opera singer
*
Carla Witte
Carla Witte (20 May 1889 – 8 May 1943) was a German Uruguayan, German-Uruguayan painter, sculptor, and teacher.
Biography
Carla Witte was born in Leipzig, a German city in Saxony on 20 May 1889, and studied plastic arts in Berlin. In 1927, sh ...
, painter
Politics
*
Carlos Fischer Carlos Lorenzo Fischer Brusoni (1903 – 7 August 1969) was a Uruguayan political figure. He was President of Uruguay from 1958 to 1959, at the end of a long period of rule by Presidents of the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party not to be resu ...
(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
Tabaré Hackenbruch (born 26 November 1928 in Canelones, Uruguay, Canelones-ib. 19 June 2017) was an Uruguayan politician. Biography
A member of the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado Party, he started his long political career supporting the ...
(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, later minister in the cabinet of
Luis Lacalle Pou
Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou (; ''Luis Lacalle'' locally or ; born 10 August 1973) is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer serving as President of Uruguay since 1 March 2020.
Son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, Lacalle ...
)
*
Roberto Kreimerman (Frente Amplio; minister of Industry, Energy and Mining in the cabinet during
José Mujica's presidency)
Sports
*
Carlos Grossmüller, footballer
*
Gary Kagelmacher
Gary Christofer Kagelmacher Pérez (born 21 April 1988) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a right-back or a central defender for Chilean club Universidad Católica.
Club career
Born in Montevideo of German descent, Kagelmach ...
, footballer
*
Dominique Knüppel, Olympic sailor
*
Nicolás Klappenbach, rugby union player
*
Martín Kutscher, swimmer
*
Paul Kutscher, swimmer
*
Sergio Orteman, footballer
*
Gerardo Vonder Pütten, footballer
Other professions
*
Daniel Altschuler, physician
*
Elio García-Austt, neuroscientist
*
Otto Langmann
Otto Langmann (1898-1956) was a German pastor and diplomat.
In November 1923 he married Ilse Siefert, with whom he had four children. He was appointed parish priest in Mecklenburg. In 1928 he went to Colombia and Ecuador. In 1930, in Guatemala, ...
, pastor
*
Mariana Meerhoff
Mariana Meerhoff (born 17 June 1975) is a Uruguayan researcher and Full Professor at the of the University of the Republic (Uruguay), University of the Republic (UdelaR). She is also honorary associate researcher at Aarhus University and a member ...
, biologist
*
Siegbert Rippe
Siegbert Rippe (born 23 May 1936 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan lawyer and jurist.
He specialized in commercial law
Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and condu ...
, commercial jurist
*
Bernardo Rosengurtt, botanist and agrostologist
*
Ernesto Schmitt
Ernesto Gottfried Schmitt (born August 1971) is an Americans, American-born entrepreneur, serial entrepreneur and investor. He is co-founder of The Craftory, a $600m VC fund, venture capital fund for cause-driven Challenger brand, challenger bra ...
, entrepreneur
*
Rodolfo Wirz
Rodolfo Pedro Wirz Kraemer (born 19 April 1942 in Schwarzrheindorf near Bonn, Germany) is a Uruguayan Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century B ...
, Roman Catholic bishop of Maldonado and Punta del Este
See also
*
German people
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
*
German diaspora
The German diaspora consists of German people and their descendants who live outside of Germany. The term is used in particular to refer to the aspects of migration of German speakers from central Europe to different countries around the world. ...
*
German Argentine
German Argentines (german: Deutschargentinier, es, germano-argentinos) are Argentines of German ancestry as well as German citizens living in Argentina. They are descendants of Germans who immigrated to Argentina from Germany and elsewhere in E ...
*
Germany-Uruguay relations
*
Austrians in Uruguay
Austrian Uruguayans are people born in Austria who live in Uruguay or Uruguayan-born people of Austrian descent.
Overview
In the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire diplomatic relations were established with Uruguay, with Baron Anton von Petz c ...
*
Mennonites in Uruguay
Mennonites in Uruguay have been present since 1948. The Mennonites of Uruguay are made up of ethnic Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites, who are descendants of Friesian, Flemish and Prussian people, as well as Spanish-speaking Uruguayans of ...
*
Uruguayans in Germany
Uruguayans in Germany are people born in Uruguay who live in Germany, or German-born people of Uruguayan descent.
Overview
Generally speaking, Uruguayans went to Germany as part of a wave of emigration due to economic or political reasons. Many o ...
References
External links
German presence in Uruguay
{{Ethnic groups in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
European Uruguayan
Immigration to Uruguay
Ethnic groups in Uruguay