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 (known locally as Ulrico Smidel), 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. There is also an important presence of German Jews, with religious activities at the NCI Synagogue.

Institutions German immigrants established several institutions of their own, among others: German School Montevideo (, established 1857)Deutsche Schule Montevideo German Evangelical Community () German Cultural and Social Work () German Club (, established 1866)Deutscher Klub Uruguayan-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (, established 1916)AHK Uruguay German Rowing Club Montevideo (, established 1922)DRVM German Male Choir () Alpine Club Montevideo (, established 1934) Bertolt Brecht House (, established 1964)Casa Bertolt Brecht German-Uruguayan Cultural Association () German Cultural Association Paysandú () German-Uruguayan Friendship CircleGerman institutions in Uruguay There are also local offices of German institutions: Friedrich Ebert Foundation in UruguayFESUR Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Uruguay The Goethe-Institut offers courses on German language and culture.Goethe-Institut Montevideo

Historic German schools:"Deutscher Bundestag 4. Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672" (Archive). Bundestag (West Germany). 23 June 1965. Retrieved on 12 March 2016. p. 29/51. Deutsche Schule El-Ombu Deutsche Schule Gartental Deutsche Schule Delta (La Boyado) 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 (Colorado; President of the Chamber of Deputies, 1876) Carlos Fischer (Colorado; President of the National Council of Government, 1958–1959) Héctor Grauert (Colorado; representative, minister, and member of the NCG) Julio César Grauert (Colorado hero, opposed the Dictatorship of Terra) Tabaré Hackenbruch (Colorado, three-term mayor of Canelones Department) Alberto Heber (Blanco; President of the National Council of Government, 1966–1967) Mario Heber (Blanco; representative and senator) Luis Alberto Heber (Blanco; senator, later minister in the cabinet of Luis Lacalle Pou) Roberto Kreimerman (Frente Amplio; minister in the cabinet of José Mujica) Andrés Ojeda Spitz (Colorado; presidential candidate, later senator)

Sports Nicole Frank, swimmer Carlos Grossmüller, footballer Gary Kagelmacher, footballer Dominique Knüppel, Olympic sailor Nicolás Klappenbach, rugby union player Martín 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

German Uruguayans

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