German-Chilean
Encyclopedia
German Chileans are an important ethnic group
in Chile
; they are Chileans of German descent deriving their German ethnicity from one or both parents – they also include a minority of German citizens holding permanent residency
in Chile. A major criterion unifying this distinctive Chilean ethnic minority has more to do with linguistics
than to the geographic location or the nationality
of their ancestor
s. Hence, the group German Chileans also incorporates descendents of Austrians
, Swiss Germans, Silesians
, Alsatians
and other German-speaking
groups.
From the middle of the 19th century to the present they have played a significant role in the economic, political and cultural development of the Chile
an nation. Most German Chileans are descendents from German immigrants that began to settle in Chile in the middle of the 19th century, many of them after the failed liberal German Revolution of 1848
. Their main settlements were and remain mostly in Chile’s IX (Araucanía Region)
, XIV (Los Ríos Region) and X (Región de los Lagos)
regions in the so-called small south
of Chile, all part of northern Patagonia
.
The first German to feature in the history of what is now Chile is Bartolomé Blumenthal
(Spanish alias Bartolome Flores) during the 16th century when Pedro de Valdivia
ousted the indigenous population and founded the city of Santiago. Valdivia also arrested and took hostage the local Cacique
(viz. tribal leaders and chiefs) to weaken the society of the local Mapuche
people. Blumenthal took part in the defence of the Spanish settlement of Santiago when the indigenous people
launched a counter-offensive on September 11, 1541 in attempt to free their tribal leaders held hostage by the conquistadores.
Later Blumenthal took part in the consolidation of the Spanish settlement that would became the Talagante Province
and he was the first engineer in the remote colony. Blumenthal’s son in law, Pedro Lisperguer – born Peter Lisperger in Worms, Germany
- became the mayor of Santiago in 1572.
Another figure of German origin, Johann von Bohon (Spanish alias Juan Bohon), is ordered by Valdivia to establish the city of La Serena in 1544.
In 1810 Chile became independent from Spain and thus acquired the freedom to engage in trade
with any nation. The port city of Valparaíso
became a major center for trade with Hamburg
with commercial travellers from Germany staying for lengthy periods of time to work in Valparaíso
, with some settling permanently.
On May 9, 1838 the first German cultural organization was established, Club Alemán de Valparaíso, which allowed the German visitors and residents to hold cultural functions. The club began to organize literary, music
al and theatre
productions and became a stepping stone in the cultural life that subsequently emerged in Valparaíso
. Aquinas Ried, a physician, became widely known in the city for composing opera
s, for writing poetry
and plays
. The club had its own orchestras and academic choir (singakademie) which would perform works composed by local musicians.
. Before that Bernhard Eunom Philippi
recruited nine working families to emigrate from Hesse
to Chile.
The origin of the German immigrants in Chile began with the Law of Selective Immigration of 1845. The objective of this law was to bring people of a medium social/high cultural level to colonize the southern regions of Chile; these were between Valdivia
and Puerto Montt
. Some report that 20,000 immigrated as a result. According to another source, no more than 5,600 out of about 11,000 German emigrants to Chile between 1846 and 1914 settled in Southern Chile. The process was administered by Vicente Pérez Rosales
by mandate of the then-president Manuel Montt
. The German immigrants revived the domestic economy and they changed the southern zones. An example of this constructive spirit was stated by the leader of the first colonists Carlos Anwandter
, who proclaimed to all the colonists:
The expansion and economic development of Valdivia
were limited in the early 19th century. To stimulate economic development, the Chilean government initiated a highly-focused immigration program under Vicente Pérez Rosales
as government representative. Through this program, thousands of Germans
settled in the area, incorporating then-modern technology and know-how to develop agriculture and industry. Some of the new immigrants stayed in Valdivia but others were given forested land, which they cleared for farms
For ten years after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
, immigrants came from Germany. They established themselves principally in the Llanquihue
in the towns of Frutillar
, Puerto Octay
, Puerto Varas
, Osorno
and Puerto Montt
all areas known as Northern Patagonia
.
Valdivia
prospered with industries, including shipyards, the Hoffmann Gristmill
, the Rudloff shoe factory and many more enterprises. The steel mill
s of Corral were the biggest recorded private investment in Chile at the time, and were the first steel mills in South America
. In 1891 Valdivia became a commune according to a law that created that subdivisions in Chile. After that the Malleco Viaduct
had been built in 1890 the railroads advanced further south reaching Valdivia in 1895. The first train with passengers arrived in 1899.
The German military culture had great influence on the Army of Chile. At the end of the 19th century, adopted the Prussian military tradition, especially after the Civil War of 1891. A German-Chilean, Emil Körner
, reached the rank of commander-in-chief of the Army in 1900.
Subsequently, a new wave of German immigrants arrived in Chile, with many settling in Temuco
, and Santiago
. Many founded businesses; for example, Horst Paulmann
's small store in the capital of the Araucanía Region
grew into Cencosud, one of the largest businesses in the region.
In Germany is also possible to find testimonies of the links between Chile and Germany. The building Chilehaus
(The House of Chile) in the port of Hamburg
symbolizes the past trade relations between the countries. The building was constructed in the 20th century, designed with the form of a bow of ship.
, many German Jews
fled to Chile before and during the Holocaust. For example, the families of Mario Kreutzberger and Tomás Hirsch
came to Chile during this time.
After World War II, many leaders of the Nazi Germany
tried to take refuge in the central and southern regions of the country, fleeing trials against them in Europe and elsewhere; one such successful escapee was Walter Rauff
. Paul Schäfer
even founded Colonia Dignidad
, a German enclave in the Maule Region
, in which abuses against human rights
were allegedly carried out.
The exact number German-Chileans is unknown, because many of the early arrivals' descendants have intermarried and assimilated over the past 150 years. As of 2009, 5,906 residents are known to have been born in Germany. Perhaps 500,000 to 600,000 Chileans have German ancestors..
Today the German language
is still spoken by about 40,000 Chileans in daily life. There are also German schools and German-language newspapers and periodicals in Chile (e.g., CONDOR - a weekly German-language newspaper).
and Lutheran
churches to Chile.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
; they are Chileans of German descent deriving their German ethnicity from one or both parents – they also include a minority of German citizens holding permanent residency
Permanent residency
Permanent residency refers to a person's visa status: the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within a country of which he or she is not a citizen. A person with such status is known as a permanent resident....
in Chile. A major criterion unifying this distinctive Chilean ethnic minority has more to do with linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
than to the geographic location or the nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
of their ancestor
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
s. Hence, the group German Chileans also incorporates descendents of Austrians
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
, Swiss Germans, Silesians
Silesians
Silesians , are the inhabitants of Silesia in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. A small diaspora community also exists in Karnes County, Texas in the USA....
, Alsatians
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and other German-speaking
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
groups.
From the middle of the 19th century to the present they have played a significant role in the economic, political and cultural development of the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an nation. Most German Chileans are descendents from German immigrants that began to settle in Chile in the middle of the 19th century, many of them after the failed liberal German Revolution of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. Their main settlements were and remain mostly in Chile’s IX (Araucanía Region)
Araucanía Region
The IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....
, XIV (Los Ríos Region) and X (Región de los Lagos)
Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...
regions in the so-called small south
Zona Sur
The Zona Sur is one of the five natural regions on which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. Its northern border is formed by the Bío-Bío River, the limit with the Central Chile Zone. By west with the Pacific Ocean, by the east with the Andean mountains and Argentina. Its southern border is...
of Chile, all part of northern Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Germans in the Spanish colony
Bartolomé Blumenthal
Bartolomé Blumenthal alias Bartolomé Flores is supposed to be the first German arrived in Chile...
(Spanish alias Bartolome Flores) during the 16th century when Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
ousted the indigenous population and founded the city of Santiago. Valdivia also arrested and took hostage the local Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
(viz. tribal leaders and chiefs) to weaken the society of the local Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
people. Blumenthal took part in the defence of the Spanish settlement of Santiago when the indigenous people
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
launched a counter-offensive on September 11, 1541 in attempt to free their tribal leaders held hostage by the conquistadores.
Later Blumenthal took part in the consolidation of the Spanish settlement that would became the Talagante Province
Talagante Province
Talagante Province is one of six provinces of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in central Chile. The capital is the city of Talagante, located approximately southwest of the national capital of Santiago...
and he was the first engineer in the remote colony. Blumenthal’s son in law, Pedro Lisperguer – born Peter Lisperger in Worms, Germany
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
- became the mayor of Santiago in 1572.
Another figure of German origin, Johann von Bohon (Spanish alias Juan Bohon), is ordered by Valdivia to establish the city of La Serena in 1544.
Hamburg and Valparaíso
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
with any nation. The port city of Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
became a major center for trade with Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
with commercial travellers from Germany staying for lengthy periods of time to work in Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, with some settling permanently.
On May 9, 1838 the first German cultural organization was established, Club Alemán de Valparaíso, which allowed the German visitors and residents to hold cultural functions. The club began to organize literary, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
productions and became a stepping stone in the cultural life that subsequently emerged in Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
. Aquinas Ried, a physician, became widely known in the city for composing opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, for writing poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
. The club had its own orchestras and academic choir (singakademie) which would perform works composed by local musicians.
Colonization of Southern Chile
The Chilean government encouraged German immigration in 1848, a time of revolution in GermanyRevolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. Before that Bernhard Eunom Philippi
Bernhard Eunom Philippi
Berhard Eunom Philippi was a German naturalist, explorer and colonization agent for Chile.-Biography:His father was John Wilhelm Eberhard Philippi and his mother Mary Anne Krumwiede. In 1818 the family moved to Switzerland, where Rodolph and his brother Bernard entered the school of Johann...
recruited nine working families to emigrate from Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
to Chile.
The origin of the German immigrants in Chile began with the Law of Selective Immigration of 1845. The objective of this law was to bring people of a medium social/high cultural level to colonize the southern regions of Chile; these were between Valdivia
Valdivia, Chile
Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla...
and Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region. The commune spans an area of and had a population of 175,938 in 2002. It is located 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago...
. Some report that 20,000 immigrated as a result. According to another source, no more than 5,600 out of about 11,000 German emigrants to Chile between 1846 and 1914 settled in Southern Chile. The process was administered by Vicente Pérez Rosales
Vicente Pérez Rosales
Vicente Pérez Rosales was a politician, traveller, merchant, miner and Chilean diplomat that organized the colonization by Germans and Chileans of the Llanquihue area. Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park is named after him....
by mandate of the then-president Manuel Montt
Manuel Montt
Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861.-Biography:...
. The German immigrants revived the domestic economy and they changed the southern zones. An example of this constructive spirit was stated by the leader of the first colonists Carlos Anwandter
Carlos Anwandter
Carlos Anwandter was a German political exile that emigrated to Valdivia, Chile in 1850 after participating in the Revolutions of 1848...
, who proclaimed to all the colonists:
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- We shall be honest and laborious Chileans as the best of them, we shall defend our adopted country joining in the ranks of our new countrymen, against any foreign oppression and with the decision and firmness of the man that defends his country, his family and his interests. Never will have the country that adopts us as its children, reason to repent of such illustrated, human and generous proceeding,...
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- - Carlos Anwandter
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- We shall be honest and laborious Chileans as the best of them, we shall defend our adopted country joining in the ranks of our new countrymen, against any foreign oppression and with the decision and firmness of the man that defends his country, his family and his interests. Never will have the country that adopts us as its children, reason to repent of such illustrated, human and generous proceeding,...
The expansion and economic development of Valdivia
Valdivia, Chile
Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla...
were limited in the early 19th century. To stimulate economic development, the Chilean government initiated a highly-focused immigration program under Vicente Pérez Rosales
Vicente Pérez Rosales
Vicente Pérez Rosales was a politician, traveller, merchant, miner and Chilean diplomat that organized the colonization by Germans and Chileans of the Llanquihue area. Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park is named after him....
as government representative. Through this program, thousands of Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
settled in the area, incorporating then-modern technology and know-how to develop agriculture and industry. Some of the new immigrants stayed in Valdivia but others were given forested land, which they cleared for farms
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- Valdivia, situated at some distance from the coast, on the Calle-calle river, is a German town. Everywhere you meet German faces, German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish. There is a large German school, a church and various Vereine, large shoe-factories, and, of course, breweries...
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- - Carl SkottsbergCarl SkottsbergCarl Johan Fredrik Skottsberg was a Swedish botanist and explorer of Antarctica.Skottsberg was born in Karlshamn, began his academic studies at Uppsala University in 1898 and received his doctorate and a docentship there in 1907...
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- Valdivia, situated at some distance from the coast, on the Calle-calle river, is a German town. Everywhere you meet German faces, German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish. There is a large German school, a church and various Vereine, large shoe-factories, and, of course, breweries...
For ten years after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
, immigrants came from Germany. They established themselves principally in the Llanquihue
Lake Llanquihue
Lake Llanquihue is the second largest lake in Chile with an area of about . It is situated in the southern Los Lagos Region in the Llanquihue and Osorno provinces. The lake's fan-like form was created by successive piedmont glaciers during the Quaternary glaciations...
in the towns of Frutillar
Frutillar
Frutillar is a city and commune located in southern Chile in the Los Lagos Region. The bay of Frutillar is placed on the banks of Lake Llanquihue, the largest lake entirely within Chile.-History:...
, Puerto Octay
Puerto Octay
Puerto Octay is a town and commune located on the north shore of Llanquihue Lake in Los Lagos Region in the south of Chile. It was settled by German colonists in 1852. Puerto Octay was an important port with regular traffic to Puerto Varas before the coming of railway in 1912.-History:Its origin...
, Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas is a city and commune located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region.The city is well known for its German traditions, its food, its fish and seafood, the natural environment, its casino and 5 star hotels. Only from Puerto Montt, located on the shore...
, Osorno
Osorno, Chile
Osorno is a city and commune in southern Chile and capital of Osorno Province in the Los Lagos Region. It had a population of 145,475, as of the 2002 census...
and Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region. The commune spans an area of and had a population of 175,938 in 2002. It is located 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago...
all areas known as Northern Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Valdivia
Valdivia
-Geography:*Chile** Valdivia, Chile, a city and municipality in the Province of Valdivia** Valdivia River, a river which begins in the city of Valdivia** Valdivia Province, the Province of Valdivia...
prospered with industries, including shipyards, the Hoffmann Gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, the Rudloff shoe factory and many more enterprises. The steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
s of Corral were the biggest recorded private investment in Chile at the time, and were the first steel mills in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. In 1891 Valdivia became a commune according to a law that created that subdivisions in Chile. After that the Malleco Viaduct
Malleco Viaduct
The Malleco Viaduct is a railway bridge located in central Chile, passing over the Malleco River valley at the south entrance of Collipulli in the Araucania Region. It was opened by President José Manuel Balmaceda on October 26, 1890. At that time, it was the highest such bridge in the world...
had been built in 1890 the railroads advanced further south reaching Valdivia in 1895. The first train with passengers arrived in 1899.
The German military culture had great influence on the Army of Chile. At the end of the 19th century, adopted the Prussian military tradition, especially after the Civil War of 1891. A German-Chilean, Emil Körner
Emil Körner
Emil Körner Henze was a scion of Prussian military tradition brought to Chile and Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army with the rank of Inspector General from 1900 to 1910.-Army modernization plans in Chile:...
, reached the rank of commander-in-chief of the Army in 1900.
Subsequently, a new wave of German immigrants arrived in Chile, with many settling in Temuco
Temuco
Temuco is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The name comes from the Mapudungun language, meaning "temu water"; "temu" is a tree used by Mapuches for medicinal purposes. The city is located 670 km south of Santiago...
, and Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. Many founded businesses; for example, Horst Paulmann
Horst Paulmann
Horst Paulmann is a German-Chilean businessman. He is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Cencosud.-Biography:Horst Paulmann was born in 1936 in Germany. He immigrated to Chile as a teenager after the Second World War. In 1976, he opened the first Hipermercados Jumbo and he has forty-three as of...
's small store in the capital of the Araucanía Region
Araucanía Region
The IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....
grew into Cencosud, one of the largest businesses in the region.
German-Chilean relations
German values have influenced Chilean culture and economic development and vice versa. For example,- The establishment of commercial houses and German shipping businesses in Valparaíso
- The foundation of the German Club in 1838
- The exploration of the Patagonia by the German Bernardo Phillipi, and his participation in the Chilean possession of the Strait of Magallanes
- The German immigration to the south of Chile after World War II
- Colonization and development of the city of Valdivia and the outskirts
- The exploitation of the nitrate fields
- The close relations between the ports of Valparaíso and Hamburg
- The establishment of a number of Chilean-German fire companies. (Nearly 20)
- Migration of ethnic Germans into Chile from Argentina in the early 20th century.
In Germany is also possible to find testimonies of the links between Chile and Germany. The building Chilehaus
Chilehaus
The Chilehaus is a ten-story office building in Hamburg, Germany. It is an exceptional example of the 1920s Brick Expressionism style of architecture...
(The House of Chile) in the port of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
symbolizes the past trade relations between the countries. The building was constructed in the 20th century, designed with the form of a bow of ship.
20th Century
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, many German Jews
History of the Jews in Germany
The presence of Jews in Germany has been established since the early 4th century. The community prospered under Charlemagne, but suffered during the Crusades...
fled to Chile before and during the Holocaust. For example, the families of Mario Kreutzberger and Tomás Hirsch
Tomás Hirsch
Tomás René Hirsch Goldschmidt is a leftist Chilean politician and businessman. He was the Together We Can Do More pact candidate for the 2005 Chilean presidential election, winning 5.4% of the vote.- Biography :...
came to Chile during this time.
After World War II, many leaders of the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
tried to take refuge in the central and southern regions of the country, fleeing trials against them in Europe and elsewhere; one such successful escapee was Walter Rauff
Walter Rauff
Walter Rauff , was an SS officer in Nazi Germany, attaining the grade of Colonel in June 1944...
. Paul Schäfer
Paul Schäfer
Paul Schäfer Schneider was the founder and former leader of a sect and agricultural commune of German immigrants called Colonia Dignidad —later renamed Villa Baviera—located in the south of Chile, about 340 km south of Santiago...
even founded Colonia Dignidad
Colonia Dignidad
Villa Baviera , formerly known as Colonia Dignidad is a hamlet in Parral Commune, Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile. Located in an isolated area of central Chile, it lies 35 km southeast of the city of Parral, on the north bank of the Perquilauquén River. It was founded by a group of German...
, a German enclave in the Maule Region
Maule Region
The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2...
, in which abuses against human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
were allegedly carried out.
German Chileans today
.The exact number German-Chileans is unknown, because many of the early arrivals' descendants have intermarried and assimilated over the past 150 years. As of 2009, 5,906 residents are known to have been born in Germany. Perhaps 500,000 to 600,000 Chileans have German ancestors..
Today the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
is still spoken by about 40,000 Chileans in daily life. There are also German schools and German-language newspapers and periodicals in Chile (e.g., CONDOR - a weekly German-language newspaper).
Notable German Chileans
- Cecilia Bolocco, television entertainer and former Miss Universe
- Andres AnwandterAndrés AnwandterAndrés Andwandter is a Chilean poet, known for his sound poetry.He studied psychology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and still works in the field. He was an instructor at the Spanish-American poetry workshop led by Jorge Gissi at the same university, and edited the magazine Humo ,...
, poet - Carlos AnwandterCarlos AnwandterCarlos Anwandter was a German political exile that emigrated to Valdivia, Chile in 1850 after participating in the Revolutions of 1848...
, settler - Karen DoggenweilerKaren DoggenweilerKaren Sylvia Doggenweiler Lapuente is a popular Chilean journalist and TV presenter.Doggenweiler is the daughter of Félix Doggenweiler Heim, of Swiss-German descent and Silvia Lapuente, of Spanish-Aragonese descent. She is married to the Chilean politician Marco Enríquez-Ominami. The marriage...
, journalist - Hermann EberhardHermann EberhardHermann Eberhard was a 19th century German explorer credited with western discovery of considerable lands in Patagonia, Chile. Eberhard journeyed by boat up the Seno Última Esperanza to investigate lands previously unknown to Europeans...
, explorer, founder of the first settlements in western Patagonia - Emil KörnerEmil KörnerEmil Körner Henze was a scion of Prussian military tradition brought to Chile and Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army with the rank of Inspector General from 1900 to 1910.-Army modernization plans in Chile:...
, army commander - Evelyn MattheiEvelyn MattheiEvelyn Rose Matthei Fornet is a Chilean economist and politician.Matthei entered Chilean politics in the late '80s and early '90s, as part of the National Renewal party's youth group called Patrulla Juvenil, along the future President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, and future fellow senator and...
, minister - Fernando MattheiFernando MattheiFernando Matthei Aubel is a retired Chilean Air Force General that was part of the military junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, after Gustavo Leigh was dismissed in 1978. Before he became a junta member, Matthei was Minister of Health of the military government...
, former commander of the Air Force - Rodolfo Armando Philippi, naturalist
- Carlos SchneebergerCarlos SchneebergerCarlos Alberto Schneberger Lemp was an Chilean football attacker.-External links:...
, former footballer - Alex von SchwedlerAlex Von SchwedlerAlex Cristian von Schwedler Vásquez is a Chilean professional footballer with German descendent who plays as a Centre back for Chilean club Everton. He has also been capped by Chile.-Early Carrer:...
, footballer - Ena von BaerEna von BaerEna Anglein von Baer Jahn is a Chilean journalist, political scientist and current senator.In December 2009, von Baer lost a very tight race for a seat in the Senate. In March 2010 she became Ministry General Secretariat of Government...
, politician
Religious affiliations
Many Germans who migrated to Chile practice Roman Catholicism, but there are others with Protestant affiliations. Germans introduced the first Evangelical ProtestantEvangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
and Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
churches to Chile.
See also
- List of Chileans of German descent
- Basque ChileanBasque ChileanMany Basques arrived in Chile in the 16th,17th,18th and 19th century from their homeland in northern Spain and parts of southwestern France, as conquistadors, soldiers, sailors, merchants, priests and labourers...
- British ChileanBritish ChileanThe British Chileans are people of British ancestry, in full or in part, who reside in Chile. The British have been very important in the formation of the Chilean nation. They include Chileans of English, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. The numbers of Scottish and Welsh are higher in the Patagonia and...
- Croatian ChileanCroatian ChileanChileno-croatas are an important ethnic group in Chile; they are citizens of Chile who were either born in Europe or are Chileans of Croatian descent deriving their Croatian ethnicity from one or both parents...
- Ethnic GermanEthnic GermanEthnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
- French ChileanFrench ChileanA French Chilean is an Chilean citizen of full or partial French ancestry. Between 1840 and 1940, 20,000 to 25,000 French people immigrated to Chile...
- Italian Chilean