German Bolivians are Bolivians of full, partial, or predominantly

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 **Ge ...

descent, or German-born people residing in Bolivia.

Waves of immigration

German immigrants began to arrive in Bolivia in the 18th century, and many more arrived in the 19th century. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Bolivia ceased diplomatic relations with Germany and expelled many Germans. Many German Jews immigrated to Bolivia during the war. Inti SA, Bolivia's largest pharmaceutical company, was founded by German immigrant Ernesto W. N. Schilling Huhn. A substantial and growing part of the Germanic population in Bolivia are Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites from Russia, who are of Dutch and Prussian descent. These Mennonites started to immigrate in the 1950s, with large waves of immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

. In 2012 there were 23,818 church members in congregations of these Mennonites, indicating a total population of about 70,000. The total population of German Mennonites in Bolivia was estimated at 60,000 by Lisa Wiltse in 2010. See also:

Mennonites in Bolivia The Mennonites in Bolivia are among the most traditional and conservative of all Mennonite denominations in South America. They are mostly Russian Mennonites of Frisian, Flemish, and North German descent. , there were about 70,000 Mennonites liv ...

Education

German schools: * Deutsche Schule La Paz * Deutsche Schule Santa Cruz Historic German schools:Deutscher Bundestag 4. Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672
( ).

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 Common ...

(West Germany). 23 June 1965. Retrieved on 12 March 2016. p. 18-19/51. * Deutsche Schule

Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by pop ...

* Deutsche Schule Sucre

Notable German Bolivians

* Ronald Rivero Kuhn, footballer *

Hugo Banzer Hugo Banzer Suárez (; 10 May 1926 – 5 May 2002) was a Bolivian politician and military officer who served as the 51st president of Bolivia. He held the Bolivian presidency twice: from 1971 to 1978 in a military dictatorship; and then a ...

, military officer, twice President *

Germán Busch Víctor Germán Busch Becerra (23 March 1903 – 23 August 1939) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who served as the 36th president of Bolivia from 1937 to 1939. Prior to his presidency, he served as the Chief of the General Staff ...

, military officer and President * Luciano Durán Böger, writer and poet *

Enrique Hertzog José Enrique Hertzog Garaizábal (; 10 November 1897, in La Paz – 31 July 1981, in Buenos Aires) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 42nd president of Bolivia from 1947 to 1949. He resigned in 1949, and died in exile in Argentina. ...

, physician and President *

Pato Hoffmann Erwin Eduardo Hoffmann-Alarcon (born 23 August 1956) is a Bolivian actor and theater director who has performed in such films as '' Geronimo: An American Legend'', '' Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee'', '' Cheyenne Warrior'' and '' The Last ...

, actor and theater director * Noel Kempff, biologist and environmentalist * Jaime Mirtenbaum Zenamon, classical guitarist and composer * Alberto Natusch, military officer and dictator * Erwin Sánchez Freking, footballer * Achim von Kries, German military officer * Blanca Wiethüchter, writer and poet * Jorge Wilstermann, aviator *

Lidia Gueiler Tejada Lidia Gueiler Tejada (28 August 1921 – 9 May 2011) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 56th president of Bolivia on an interim basis from 1979 to 1980. She was Bolivia's first female Head of State, and the second female republican He ...

, politician (the first female President of Bolivia, and the second woman in the Americas to ever become chief of state). * Luis Gamarra Mayser, singer and songwriter * Rodrigo Mendoza Heinrich, American War Hero * Pedro Kramer, Historian and diplomat

References

{{Portal bar, Bolivia, Germany

Bolivians Bolivians ( es, Bolivianos) are people identified with the country of Bolivia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Bolivians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

German diaspora in South America Bolivia–Germany relations