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Portuguese in Germany

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German Portuguese
Luso-alemães (Portuguese)
Portugiesen in Deutschland (German)
Germany Portugal
Total population
244,217[1]
Languages
German, Portuguese
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism), Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Other Portuguese people, Portuguese in Austria, Portuguese in Liechtenstein, Portuguese in the Netherlands, Portuguese in Switzerland

Portuguese in Germany (German: Portugiesen in Deutschland) are citizens and residents of Germany who are of Portuguese descent.

Portuguese in Germany (also known as Portuguese Germans/ German Portuguese Community or, in Portuguese, known as Portugueses na Alemanha / Comunidade portuguesa na Alemanha / Luso-alemães) are the citizens or residents of Germany whose ethnic origins lie in Portugal.

Portuguese Germans are Portuguese-born citizens with German citizenship or German-born citizens of Portuguese ancestry or citizenship.

There are about 245,000 Portuguese people living in Germany as of 2021. They represent 0.29% of the country's population.[2][3]

History

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Map showing the location of the two countries within Europe
Regional distribution of Portuguese citizens in Germany in 2021
See also: History of the Jews in Hamburg

Portuguese in Germany have been known since the 16th century. They are now part of the Portuguese diaspora scattered around the world and are generally considered low profile and well integrated.[4]

Relative frequency of Portuguese nationals at county level 2014 (relative to other foreign populations)

The initial larger Portuguese community in Germany emerged during the 16th century in the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, when Sephardic Jews sought refuge here from the Inquisition.[5]

During the First World War, approximately 5,000 Portuguese prisoners of war were temporarily held in Germany, primarily at the specially constructed prisoner of war camp in Breesen, and occasionally in other camps like Soltau-Ahften.[6][7]

In the final three years of World War II, some Portuguese individuals were deported to German concentration camps, mainly from occupied France. Recent estimates suggest that around 1,000 Portuguese, mainly members of the Luso-French community, were used by Nazi Germany.[8] Sadly, a few dozen of them lost their lives there. In 1941, about 150 Portuguese volunteers joined the Spanish Blue Division to support Nazi Germany. They were primarily ex-Legion Viriatos members and fought on the Eastern Front.[9][10][11]

Portuguese embassy, Portugal's tourism agency (Turismo de Portugal) and the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (AICEP)

n the post-war period, Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese settled as guest workers in other European countries, especially in Western Europe.

Following a recruitment agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and Portugal, tens of thousands of Portuguese guest workers arrived since 17 March 1964.

The Portuguese Armando Rodrigues de Sá was officially welcomed in 1964 as the millionth "guest worker" in Germany and was given a certificate of honor and a two-seater Zündapp Sport Combinette – Mokick.[12]

After the Carnation Revolution in 1974 and Portugal's EU accession in 1986, the country experienced significant economic growth and a decline in emigration.

Portuguese consulate in Düsseldorf

In Germany, the demand for foreign labor was extremely high during the "Golden Years" (Wirtschaftswunder) of the 1960s. Following the 1973 oil crisis, the German government curtailed immigration and, until 1983, implemented a policy to promote and encourage return migration.[13][14][15]

Due to growing xenophobia and an increase in unemployment among foreign workers, the German government passed a law in October 1983 to finance the voluntary return of foreign workers to their countries of origin. Foreign workers who were legally recruited and residing in the country individually received a reimbursement of 10,500 Deutsche Marks – approximately the amount they had contributed to the German social security system (retirement fund).[16][17][18][19][20]

This program was only applicable to foreigners leaving Germany before 30 June 1984. According to Zimmermann et al. (1998: 1–7), 20 thousand Portuguese workers participated in the program. As a result, the Portuguese population in Germany decreased to 69 thousand by 1987.[21][22][23][24][25]

However, with the economic crisis in Portugal after the 2007 financial crisis, emigration from Portugal to Germany increased once again.

Nowadays, the immigrants are mostly well-educated, often holding academic qualifications. In recent years, Berlin has become particularly attractive to Portuguese academics, specialists, and students, even surpassing Hamburg as the city with the largest Portuguese community.[26][27]

Demographics

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Hamburg's Little Portugal
Portuguese flag in Hamburg

The largest Portuguese community is located in Hamburg, where about 25,000 people with Portuguese heritage live. There is also a Portugiesenviertel (Portuguese quarter) in Hamburg near the Port of Hamburg and between the subway stations of Landungsbrücken and Baumwall where many Portuguese restaurants and cafes are located there.[28][29][30][31] In Germany there are 145 Portuguese associations.[32] The Portuguese associations are found all over Germany and are often related to sports centers, language centers or community centers.[33][34] Despite the widespread presence of Portuguese centers, there is a higher concentration in Nordrhein-Westphalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Baden-Württemberg and Hessen: despite hosting around 42% of Germany's population, these states (Länder) host around 60% of the Portuguese community.[35]

Cristina Branco singing in Germany

The Portuguese community, despite being highly integrated, retains distinctive features of Portuguese religious culture such as Catholic Christmas and devotion to Our Lady of Fátima.[36][37]

Portuguese in Germany tend to have settled long time ago, and they have generally spent more than 20 years in the country.[38]

Remittances

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Caixa Geral de Depósitos in Berlin

The two countries enjoy friendly relationships and mutual trust, witnessing increasing trade as well.[32][39][40][41]

The Portuguese community in Germany retains strong ties with its homeland and, between 2000 and 2021, it has sent approximately 4.5 billion euros (€) to Portugal in remittances. In the same timeframe, Germans in Portugal (numbering around 20,500 individuals)[42] have sent approximately 136.4 million euros (€) to Germany.[43]

Portuguese language

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Legal seal of the Portuguese legation in Germany (19th century)

In several German cities, one can find associations dedicated to Portuguese culture, parishes where Portuguese is spoken, and classes specifically tailored for native Portuguese speakers, which are also available in mainstream schools. For instance, at the Max Planck High School in Dortmund, Portuguese is offered up to the Abitur level.[44]

Fans of the Portuguese national football team in Cologne

The Portuguese cultural associations are predominantly organized under the Federal Association FAPA (Federal Association of Portuguese Associations in Germany). Additionally, the Portuguese cultural institute, Instituto Camões, operates a language center in Hamburg and a cultural center in Berlin, along with various partnerships and lectureships.[45][46]

Portugal Post, a Portuguese-language newspaper, has been published throughout Germany since 1993, with its headquarters located in Dortmund. Since 2018, its base of operations has shifted to Berlin.[47]

Nowadays, Portuguese is not only a heritage language for migrants coming from countries such as Portugal or Brazil, but it is also studied by German people with interest towards Lusophone culture.[48][49][50][51]

Notable people

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Literature

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  • João Barrento, Klaus Pörtl (Hrsg.): Verflechtungen. Deutschland und Portugal. TFM-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2002, ISBN 3-925203-89-3
  • Michael Studemund-Halévy: Portugal in Hamburg. Ellert & Richter Verlag, Hamburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-8319-0267-5
  • Luísa Coelho (Hrsg.): Encontros Por Contar Alemanha e Portugal. Orfeu, Brüssel 2014, ISBN 978-2-87530-044-7
  • Fernando Ribeiro (Hrsg.): Alemanha: Portugal. Edições Humus, Ribeirão 2014, ISBN 978-989-755-025-6
  • Entre o Cais e o Sonho – 50 Jahre Portugiesen in Deutschland – 50 Jahre Millionster Gastarbeiter,documentation of the symposium "Looking back to shape the future" (Cologne, 13 September 2014), Portugal-Post-Verlag 2014

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Relações Bilaterais Portugal-Alemanha".
  2. ^ "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Homepage". Federal Statistical Office. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  4. ^ deutschlandfunk.de. "50 Jahre Portugiesen in Deutschland – Die stillen Nachbarn". Die Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Portuguese Quarter". www.inyourpocket.com. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  6. ^ Portugiesische Offiziere 1917 in Breesen, 11 September 2017 im Archiv der Deutsch-Portugiesischen Gesellschaft, retrieved 18 July 2018.
  7. ^ Informationen im Eintrag zum Kriegsgefangenenfriedhof in Soltau – Ahlften, Website des Volksbunds Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, retrieved 18 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Projeto vai criar plataforma sobre trabalhadores forçados portugueses na Alemanha nazi". contacto-online (in Portuguese). 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  9. ^ Portugueses nos campos de concentração – "Portugiesen in den Konzentrationslagern", im Jahr 2013 recherchiertes Dossier der Zeitung Público, retrieved 18 July 2018.
  10. ^ Os portugueses que combateram no exército de Hitler – "Die Portugiesen, die in Hitlers Armeen kämpften", 12 February 2013 im portugiesischen Nachrichtenmagazin Visão, retrieved 18 July 2018.
  11. ^ Portugiesischer Blog-Artikel mit Abbildungen von spanischen und portugiesischen Zeitungsartikeln, retrieved 18 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Angekommen – Armando Rodrigues de Sa". iberer.angekommen.com. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Between A Between Ausländer and Almancı: The T usländer and Almancı: The Transnational Hist ansnational History of Turkish-German Migration".
  14. ^ Salt, John (1985). "Europe's foreign labour migrants in transition". Geography. 70 (2): 151–158. ISSN 0016-7487. JSTOR 40571971.
  15. ^ "University of Glasgow" (PDF).
  16. ^ Ohndorf (1986). "The various forms, reasons and motivations for return migration of persons who voluntarily decide to return to their countries of origin". International Migration (Geneva, Switzerland). 24 (1): 213–217. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.1986.tb00113.x. ISSN 0020-7985. PMID 12314944.
  17. ^ Körner, Heiko (1 September 1984). "Problems of migrant workers' return to their home countries". Intereconomics. 19 (5): 235–238. doi:10.1007/BF02928343. hdl:10419/139936. ISSN 1613-964X. S2CID 73656149.
  18. ^ "Return migration" (PDF).
  19. ^ "Return migration from Germany".
  20. ^ Göktürk, Deniz; Gramling, David; Kaes, Anton, eds. (3 April 2007). Germany in Transit: Nation and Migration, 1955–2005. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24894-6.
  21. ^ Dustmann, Christian; Bentolila, Samuel; Faini, Riccardo (1996). "Return Migration: The European Experience". Economic Policy. 11 (22): 213–250. doi:10.2307/1344525. ISSN 0266-4658. JSTOR 1344525.
  22. ^ Körner, Heiko (January 1983). "Return Migration from the Federal Republic of Germany". International Migration Review. 17 (1_suppl): 175–186. doi:10.1177/019791838301701S28. ISSN 0197-9183. S2CID 150363930.
  23. ^ "Germany: The Development of Migration and Citizenship Law in Postwar Germany" (PDF).
  24. ^ "Return Migration of Low- and High-Skilled Immigrants from Germany" (PDF).
  25. ^ "European Migration: Push and Pull" (PDF).
  26. ^ 50 Jahre Portugiesen in Deutschland: Die stillen Nachbarn, 13 September 2014 des Deutschlandfunks, retrieved 9 March 2017.
  27. ^ Artikel auf Seite 1 und Seite 5 der Zeitung Portugal Post, Ausgabe Nr. 289 / July 2018.
  28. ^ "Portugiesenviertel". hamburgtourist.info (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  29. ^ "Portugiesenviertel Hamburg – Informationen rund um Hamburgs einzigartiges Multikulti-Szeneviertel – direkt am Hafen zwischen Landungsbrücken und Michel" (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  30. ^ "Portugiesenviertel – Südländisches Flair am Hafen". www.hamburg-tourism.de. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  31. ^ "7 Spots im Portugiesenviertel – Ein Viertel voller Urlaubsgefühle". geheimtipphamburg.de (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  32. ^ a b "Alemanha". Portal Diplomático (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Movimento associativo". Embaixada de Portugal na Alemanha (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  34. ^ "OS PORTUGUESES NA ALEMANHA – Página da Visita de Estado à Alemanha". anibalcavacosilva.arquivo.presidencia.pt. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  35. ^ "138.555 portugueses vivem na Alemanha". PTPost (in Portuguese). 21 April 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  36. ^ "Festa de Natal da Comunidade Portuguesa em Berlim". berlinda (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  37. ^ Neves, Sonia (13 August 2021). "Migrantes: Fátima é "imagem de marca" dos portugueses na Alemanha (c/vídeo)". Agência ECCLESIA (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  38. ^ "Comunidade Portuguesa na Alemanha – dados estatísticos referentes a 2020". Embaixada de Portugal na Alemanha (in European Portuguese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  39. ^ "My AICEP". My AICEP (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  40. ^ "Portugal e Alemanha destacam ampla convergência nas questões europeias e mundiais". www.portugal.gov.pt. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  41. ^ "Convenção entre a República Portuguesa e a República Federal da Alemanha para Evitar a Dupla Tributação em Matéria de Impostos sobre o Rendimento e... | Portal do Ministério Público – Portugal". www.ministeriopublico.pt. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  42. ^ "Sefstat" (PDF).
  43. ^ "Observatório da Emigração". observatorioemigracao.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  44. ^ "Portugiesisch – Max-Planck-Gymnasium" (in German). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  45. ^ Website der FAPA (port.), retrieved 9 March 2017.
  46. ^ Übersicht über die Aktivitäten in Deutschland, Website des Instituto Camões, retrieved 5 March 2017.
  47. ^ "Notícias em português na Alemanha | Jornal Portugal Post | Alemanha". PTPost (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  48. ^ Rinke, Esther; Flores, Cristina (2021). "Portuguese as Heritage Language in Germany—A Linguistic Perspective". Languages. 6 (1): 10. doi:10.3390/languages6010010. hdl:1822/70492. ISSN 2226-471X.
  49. ^ "Kultur und Portugiesische Sprache". Botschaft von Portugal in Berlin (in German). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  50. ^ Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität. "Portugiesisch in Deutschland | Sprachen Nordeuropas und des Baltikums". Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (in German). Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  51. ^ "Portugiesischunterricht in Deutschland" (PDF).
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