Ukrainians in Germany

Ukrainians in Germany
Українці в Німеччині
Ukraine Germany
Ukrainian population in Germany 2021: The darker the color, the larger the Ukrainian population in the district
Total population
1,164,200 (2022)[1]
roughly 1.38% of the total population
Regions with significant populations
Berlin, Munich, Hanover Region, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Leipzig[2]
Languages
German, Ukrainian, Russian
Religion
Orthodox Christianity with Judaism, Catholicism, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Protestantism and Islam
Related ethnic groups
Ukrainians, Ukrainians in Hungary, Ukrainian Canadians, British Ukrainians, Ukrainian Australians, Rusyn Americans, Ukrainians in Poland, Ukrainians in Slovakia, other Slavic peoples especially East Slavs

Ukrainians in Germany (Ukrainian: Українці в Німеччині, German: Ukrainer in Deutschland) currently form one of the largest ethnic minorities in the country. Despite the long history of contacts between the two groups, significant Ukrainian presence in Germany started only after the First World War. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the number of Ukrainians in Germany experienced a major growth due to the arrival of refugees.

History

Middle Ages

Political and trade connections between German lands and territory of today's Ukraine are recorded starting from the 9th century. In 959 an embassy of Olga, Princess of Kyiv, arrived to the court of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. In 973 ambassadors of Yaropolk, son of Sviatoslav of Kyiv, took part in a congress in Quedlinburg. Princes Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise also exchanged ambassadors with German rulers.[3]

In 1056 Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, gave refuge to Anastasia, daughter of Yaroslav, and wife of king Andrew I of Hungary. In 1073 Iziaslav, son of Yaroslav, also sought refuge at Henry's court after being deposed from the Kyivan throne by his brother Sviatoslav. In 1089 Henry IV married Eupraxia, the daughter of Kyivan prince Vsevolod. However, due to intrigues and political conflicts, their marriage eventually collapsed, and Eupraxis returned to Kyiv. In 1189, prince Volodymyr, son of Yaroslav Osmomysl, visited the residence of Frederick Barbarossa, seeking alliance in order to restore his rule in Galicia.[3]

Modern era

Starting from the 16th century, students from Ukrainian lands are recorded in documents of German universities. Among them was the son of Kyiv Voivode Fryderyk Proński, who studied at the University of Heidelberg, as well as numerous Ruthenian students from Volhynia, Galicia and Podolia. Notable Ukrainian alumni of the University of Leipzig included Meletius Smotrytsky and Alexander Bezborodko.[3]

After the deposition of Ukrainian Cossack hetman Ivan Mazepa, his allies Pylyp Orlyk and Andriy Voynarovsky spent some time in Germany as political émigrés. Following the liquidation of Ukrainian autonomy, in 1791 Vasily Kapnist secretly travelled to Berlin in order to seek help for a possible uprising against the Russian Empire.[3]

Among prominent Ukrainian figures who were active in Germany during the 19th century were Mykola Ziber and Serhiy Podolynsky. Notable Ukrainian students at German universities during that period included Mykola Lysenko and Andrey Sheptytsky. Starting from the late 19th century, inhabitants of Western Ukraine travelled to Germany as seasonal workers.[3]

20th century

Monument to Ukrainian prisoners of World War I in Rastatt

During World War I Berlin became the seat of the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine. Many ethnic Ukrainian prisoners of war were kept in German camps in Rastatt, Wetzlar and Salzwedel, and later formed the core of the Bluecoat division of the Ukrainian People's Republic. Following the signing of the Treaty of Brest, Ukraine established its diplomatic mission in German Empire, headed by Oleksandr Sevriuk, and later Theodor von Steinheil. In September 1918 Germany was visited by Pavlo Skoropadsky, Hetman of Ukraine.[3]

Following the establishment of the Directorate, Ukraine was represented in Germany by Mykola Porsh, later replaced by Mykola von Wassilko. During the same period, West Ukrainian People's Republic had its own representation in Germany, headed by Roman Smal-Stocki. In 1919-1922 a consulate of the Ukrainian People's Republic was active in Munich, headed by Vasyl Orenchuk. Between 1921 and 1923 Ukrainian SSR was represented in Germany by Voldemar Aussem. Following the Treaty of Rapallo (1922), a trade representation of Soviet Ukraine was opened in Berlin. During the 1920s, Germany was visited by Pavlo Tychyna, Mykola Khvylyovy, Alexander Dovzhenko and other Ukrainian authors. In 1926 a Ukrainian scientific institute was established in Berlin.[3]

Starting from 1919, Germany became a centre of Ukrainian political emigration. Among notable figures of the Ukrainian community in Germany during the Interwar period were Zenon Kuzelia, Bohdan Lepky and Volodymyr Stakhiv. Political leaders such as Pavlo SKoropadsky, Yevhen Konovalets and Yevhen Petrushevych also resided in Germany during that time. In 1940 a Ukrainian Greek Catholic apostolic visitation was founded in Berlin.[3]

A group of Ukrainian Ostarbeiter in Germany, 1943

During the Second World War, up to 3 million Ukrainians ended up in Germany as refugees, prisoners of war, deportees or forced labourers (Ostarbeiter). In 1944, a central representation of Ukrainians from the Reichskommissariat was established in Berlin. Ukrainians from the General Governorate were represented separately. During that period, two major Ukrainian civic organizations were permitted to function in Nazi Germany: the pro-nationalist Ukrianian National Union and the pro-hetman Ukrainian Hromada. Separate organizations served in order to represent the interest of stateless Ukrianians and Ukrainian students.[3]

Following World War II, the majority of Ukrainians residing in Germany were repatriated, with approximately 180,000 remaining in displaced persons camps in West Germany. Due to gradual resettlement of the latter to Western Europe, Americas and Australia, by the early 1950s the Ukrainian population in Germany had decreased to approximately 20,000. in 1946 the Ukrainian Free University resumed its activities in Munich. Shevchenko Scientific Society and Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences also established themselves in postwar Germany.[3]

In terms of religion, the majority of the Ukrainian diaspora in the country belonged to the Greek Catholic and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Churches. Numerous Ukrainian educational establishments had appeared during the first postwar years, but their number significantly decreased by 1970. Ukrainian cultural establishments and publishing houses also resumed their activities. For a period of time, the Government of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile resided in Munich, and the city also became the coordinational centre of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations.[3]

In 1999, a conflict arose involving the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who eased conditions for citizens of the former Soviet states to get German visas. Many people opposed this claim that it enabled thousands to enter Germany illegally using the abuse of visas granted to them. The majority of Ukrainians that are in Germany on scholarship are there on such visas, adding to the controversy.

Modern history

A demonstration in support of the Orange Revolution in Frankfurt am Main, 2004

The Russo-Ukrainian war has led to millions of Ukrainians fleeing their country, many of whom ended up in Germany. In 2021, before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was of 155,310.[4] At the end of 2022 there were approximately 1,164,200 Ukrainians in Germany.[1][5] Germany's Ukrainians have created a number of institutions and organizations, such as the Central Association of Ukrainians in Germany and Association of Ukrainian Diaspora in Germany.

Some Ukrainian organizations in Germany have accused Germans of racism and prejudice, and of the belief that Ukrainians are only in Germany to work illegally.[6]

Notable Ukrainians in Germany

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Rohdatenauszählung ausländische Bevölkerung" [Raw census of foreign population] (in German and English). 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "REGIONALSTRUKTUR UKRAINISCHER COMMUNITIES IN DEUTSCHLAND - Tabelle A1: Anzahl der ukrainischen Staatsangehörigen, 2020" (PDF). doku.iab.de. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Енциклопедія українознавства. Словникова частина (ЕУ-II). Доповнення. Vol. 11. 2003. pp. 139–156.
  4. ↑ "Rohdatenauszählung ausländische Bevölkerung". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Rohdatenauszählung ausländische Bevölkerung". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Deutsche Welle (German News)". dw.de. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
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