Germans in Finland

Last updated
Germans in Finland
Deutsche in Finnland
Suomen saksalaiset
Flag of Germany.svg Flag of Finland.svg
Total population
7,611 [1]
Regions with significant populations
Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa
Languages
German · Finnish · Swedish
Religion
Roman Catholicism · Atheism · Protestantism

Germans in Finland (German : Deutsche in Finnland; Finnish : Suomen saksalaiset) are immigrants from Germany residing in Finland.

Contents

History

During the Middle Ages, the most important officers and other nobles were Swedish or Germans. In Turku and Viipuri 75% of bourgeoisies were German. Germans were also merchants. By 1924 there were 1,645 Germans in Finland. [2]

German families were essential for the development of Finland and Helsinki in the 1800s. German was the third most spoken language in Helsinki at the time, and German schools which still operate today were established in Helsinki. [3]

During World War II, there were about 200,000 German soldiers in Finland in the period 1941–1944, and an estimated 700 children were born to German soldiers and Finnish women. [4] [5]

Many present-day Finnish companies were started by Germans, like Paulig and Stockmann.

FC Germania Helsinki is a sports club funded by Germans in Finland in 2017.

Finnish people of German descent

See also

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References

  1. "Population 31.12. by Region, Language, Age, Sex, Year and Information". /pxdata.stat.fi. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-10-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Saksankielinen Helsinki". Suomi-Saksa Yhdistysten Liitto. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  4. Westerlund, Lars [in Finnish] (2011). "The Children of German Soldiers" (PDF). National Archives of Finland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. Westerlund, Lars [in Finnish] (2011). "The Children of Foreign Soldiers in Finland, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Poland and Occupied Soviet Karelia" (PDF). National Archives of Finland . Retrieved 25 October 2020.