German Uruguayans
The German Uruguayans in Uruguay numbers ca. 10,000 German expatriates and 40,000 people of German descent. Most of them live in the Montevideo area, although there are German minorities in Paysandú, Río Negro, San José and Canelones.
History
One of the first Germans to come to the region was Ulrich Schmidl, who arrived at the oriental shores of the River Plate in the early 16th century and described the Charrúas.The 2011 Uruguayan census revealed 1,167 people who declared Germany as their country of birth.
Religion
Local Germans practise different Christian religions:- Roman Catholic: the Pallottine Fathers, with presence at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.
- Evangelical Church: with its own temple at Juan Manuel Blanes 1116 in Montevideo.
- Mennonite: there are four Mennonite settlements - Colonia Nicolich, El Ombú, Gartental, and Colonia Delta.
Institutions
German immigrants established several institutions of their own, among others:- German School Montevideo
- German Evangelical Community
- German Cultural and Social Work
- German Club
- Uruguayan-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- German Rowing Club Montevideo
- German Male Choir
- Alpine Club Montevideo
- Bertolt Brecht House
- German-Uruguayan Cultural Association
- German Cultural Association Paysandú
- German-Uruguayan Friendship Circle
- Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Uruguay
- Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Uruguay
- The Goethe-Institut offers courses on German language and culture.
- Deutsche Schule El-Ombu
- Deutsche Schule Gartental
- Deutsche Schule Delta
- Deutsche Schule Paysandú
Notable people
Arts and entertainment
- Erika Büsch, musician
- Luis Camnitzer, artist
- Jorge Drexler, musician and doctor
- Enrique Graf, pianist
- Carlos Grethe, painter and academician
- Andrés Neumann, cultural entrepreneur
- Carlos Ott, architect
- Carlos Rehermann, novelist and playwright
- Erwin Schrott, opera singer
- Carla Witte, painter
- Patricia Wolf, model and television personality
- Paula Einöder, poet and writer
Politics
- Pedro Carve
- Carlos Fischer
- Héctor Grauert
- Julio César Grauert
- Tabaré Hackenbruch
- Alberto Heber
- Mario Heber
- Luis Alberto Heber
- Roberto Kreimerman
- Andrés Ojeda Spitz
Sports
- Nicole Frank, swimmer
- Carlos Grossmüller, footballer
- Gary Kagelmacher, footballer
- Dominique Knüppel, Olympic sailor
- Nicolás Klappenbach, rugby union player
- Martín Kutscher, swimmer
- Paul Kutscher, swimmer
- Sergio Orteman, footballer
- Gerardo Vonder Pütten, footballer
Scientists
- Daniel Altschuler, physician
- Elio García-Austt, neuroscientist
- Mariana Meerhoff, biologist
- Cornelius Osten, botanist
- Bernardo Rosengurtt, botanist and agrostologist
- Lucía Spangenberg, bioinformatician researcher at the Pasteur Institute of Montevideo
Other professions
- Otto Langmann, pastor
- Siegbert Rippe, commercial jurist
- Ernesto Schmitt, entrepreneur
- Rodolfo Wirz, Roman Catholic bishop of Maldonado and Punta del Este