Alemán-Chileno () (
English German Chilean) (
Deutsch Deutsch-Chilenen) 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 criteria unifying this distinctive Chilean
ethnic minority has more to do with
linguistics than to the
geographic location or the
nationality of
ancestors. Hence, the group German Chileans also incorporates descendents of
Austrians,
Swiss Germans,
Silesians,
Alsatians and other 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
Chilean nation. Most German Chileans are descendents from German
immigrants that began to settle in Chile in the middle of the 19th Century, viz. after the failed liberal
German Revolution of 1848. Their main settlements were and remain 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.
History
Germans in the Spanish colony
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.
Hamburg and Valparaíso
The bay of Valparaíso 1830
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,
musical 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
operas, for writing
poetry and
plays. 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 Germany. 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:
: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 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
: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, immigrants came from Germany. They established themselves principally in the
Llanquihue,
Osorno and Puerto Montt areas.
Valdivia prospered with industries, including shipyards, the Hoffmann
Gristmill, the Rudloff shoe factory and many more enterprises. The
steel mills 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.
German-Chilean relations
German values have influenced Chilean culture and economic development. 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 (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.
20th Century
During
World War II, 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.
Paul Schäfer even founded Colonia Dignidad, German enclave in the
Maule Region and in which abuses against human rights 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. Almost 26,000 are known to have been born in Germany (2009), and approximate figures suggest 500,000 to 600,000 direct descendants.
Today the German language is still spoken by about 200,000 Chileans in daily life. There are German schools and
German language newspapers and periodicals (e.g., CONDOR - a weekly newspaper, levy: 6.000 / economy in Chile).
Religious affiliations
Many Germans who migrated to Chile practice
Roman Catholicism but there are others with
Protestant affiliation. Germans introduced the first
Evangelical Protestant (such as
Lutheranism) churches to Chile. Many
German Jews who escaped the
Nazi persecution in the 1940s established synagogues.
Notable German Chileans
Political figures
Military and police
- Peter Hansen General of Artillery in the Waffen-SS, at the WWII
Academics, scientists and writers
Artists
Television and Media
Sports people
Others
See also
