Turks in Berlin ( tr, ) are people of
Turkish ethnicity living in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
where they form the largest ethnic minority group, and the largest
Turkish community outside
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. The largest communities can be found in
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it h ...
,
Neukölln
Neukölln () is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located in the southeastern part from the city centre towards Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city. It featu ...
, and
Wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
, with substantial populations in other areas, almost exclusively those of the former
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
.
Demographics
Official statistics
German statistics do not provide a true reflection on the ethnic Turkish community in Berlin because censuses only collect data on the country of birth of one's parents rather than ethnicity. In 2016 there were 97,682 foreign nationals with Turkish citizenship registered as residents in Berlin. Additionally, there were 79,048 German citizens with a Turkish "migration background" (meaning they or their parents had immigrated to Germany after 1955).
However, these figures do not take into account the third, fourth, or fifth generation
Turkish-Germans who are recorded as "Germans".
Furthermore, German statistics do not include the significant migration waves of ethnic
Turkish communities which have come to Berlin from other post-
Ottoman modern nation-states, especially from the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
(e.g.
Bulgarian Turks
Bulgarian Turks ( bg, български турци, bŭlgarski turtsi, tr, Bulgaristan Türkleri) are a Turkish ethnic group from Bulgaria. According to the 2021 census, there were 508,375 Bulgarians of Turkish descent, roughly 8.4% of t ...
and
Western Thrace Turks
Turks of Western Thrace ( tr, , el, Τούρκοι της Δυτικής Θράκης, Toúrkoi tis Dytikís Thrákis) are ethnic Turks who live in Western Thrace, in the province of East Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece.
According ...
), from the island of
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
(i.e.
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,0 ...
from both the
Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
and
Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Rec ...
), the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
(especially
Iraqi Turks,
Lebanese Turks, and
Syrian Turks
Syrian Turkmen, also referred to as Syrian Turkomans, Turkish Syrians, or simply Syrian Turks or Turks of Syria, ( ar, تركمان سوريا; tr, Suriye Türkmenleri or ) are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to ...
), etc. These ethnic Turkish communities are recorded according to their citizenship, such as "Bulgarian", "Cypriot", "Greek", "Iraqi", "Lebanese" "Macedonian", "Syrian" etc., or German (if they have acquired German citizenship), rather than by their Turkish ethnicity.
"Turkish towns"
Due to its large Turkish population,
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it h ...
has been dubbed a so-called "Turkish town" by observers such as
John Ardagh
John Ardagh (28 May 1928, Nyasaland – 26 January 2008, London) was a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. He was educated at Sherborne School, Dorset, and Worcester College, Oxford, where he took a degree in classics and philosophy. 1953 ...
.
See also
*
Turks in Germany
Turks in Germany, also referred to as German Turks and Turkish Germans (german: Türken in Deutschland/Deutschtürken; tr, Almanya'da yaşayan Türkler/Almanya Türkleri), are ethnic Turkish people living in Germany. These terms are also used t ...
*
Turks in the United Kingdom
British Turks ( tr, ) or Turks in the United Kingdom ( tr, ) are Turkish people who have immigrated to the United Kingdom. However, the term may also refer to British-born persons who have Turkish parents or who have a Turkish ancestral backg ...
**
Turks in London
Turks in London ( tr, ) or London Turks ( tr, ) refers to Turkish people who live in London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The Turks in the United Kingdom, Turkish community in the United Kingdom is not evenly distributed across the ...
Notes and references
Notes:
References:
Ethnic groups in Berlin
German people of Turkish descent
Turkish diaspora in Germany
{{Germany-stub