Figure 1.--Here is a German family in Apenrade, a town in Schleswig-Holstein. It was an area seized by Germany in the Prusso-Danish War (1864). The area voted after World War I to return to Denmark in a referendum sponsored by the League of Nations under the terms of the Versailles Treaty. This left a restive German minority in southern Denmark.

In addition to the Volksdeutsche which were whole communities of Germans living in eastern and southern Europe, were Germans who as individuals moved to neighboring countries. The numbers of Germans were the largest in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherland and Switzerland. The situation here varied substantially from country to country. These Germans had varying attitudes toward the NAZIs and World War II. These were generally no communities of Germans like the Volksdeutsche, although there were some in Denmark and Switzerland. The Germans in these counties were not there as part of a government sponsored settlement program. Many Germans in these countries (except Switzerland) returned to Germany in 1945 because of hostility of the local population. We know there were many Germans in Belgium before World War I. We are not sure about what happened to them after the War. Prussia had seized most of the German speaking areas of Denmark in the Prusso-Danish war (1864). Large numbers of Germans lived and worked in the Netherlands as did the Dutch in Germany. German is one of the two main Swiss linguistic groups.

Background

There seems to be some misunderstanding about how German minorities came about in areas bordering Germany in Western European countries. Nearly all of them have been where they are now since the time of Charlemagne. The linguistic borders never changed much. These Germans are not like the Volksdeutsch who moved east and south beginning in the late medieval era. The linguistic border has not changed since the Middle Ages, but more and more young people in Alsace-Lorraine prefer to speak French only, while the Belgian Germans, being completely bi- or tri-lingual, find good jobs as translators in Belgium and in Germany. The German speakers, old and young, in Denmark and Belgium prefer their own language, although they are all bi-lingual (most of them also are fluent in English nowadays).

Countries

Germany borders on quite a number of countries, especially since World War I when many new countries were created.

Belgium

When you say there were many Germans in Belgium then one thinks of individual Germans who had moved to cities like Brussels or Antwerp (the painter Hans Memling, who worked in Bruges, was one ot them). But most of the German-speaking Belgians live along the German border in solid settlements. They used to be Prussian citizens at one time and became Belgians after WW1. But there also was an ethnic German area that never was part of the Reich. It is situated south of the Dutch border. The ancestors of César Franck, the French composer, came from that part of the country. Franck was born in Ličge and moved to Paris later in life, but his parents were from Völkerich-Gemmenich and they spoke German. Franck, a devout Catholic, as long as he lived said the Lord's Prayer in German. A second German-speaking area is the city of Arlon more south, where the people speak a dialect similar to Letzeburgisch (Luxembourgish). They also never were part of Germany in the political sense. Belgium after World War I for repreations took possession of the eastern border regions (Eupen and surroundings, the so-called Oostkantons, situated between Liege nd Aachen). They were no migrants but people living in what been their ancestral homeland for centuries and can to some extent be compared with the Auslanddeutsche in eastern Europe. In fact they have probably been there much longer than the Germans in either Russia, Rumania or Hungary. The area belonged to Prussia after 1815 and had had nothing to do with Belgium until 1918. The Belgians annexed it as war dammage compensation and began to Frenchify public life. The NAZIs in World War II re-annexed and re-integrated the area into the Reich. Their boys and men were drafted and sent to the eastern front. This in turn led to repression after 1945 when the area was returned ro Belgium. The German speakers, old and young, in Belgium prefer their own language, although they are all bi-lingual (most of them also are fluent in English nowadays). An odd development in Belgium is the fact that when Walloon Belgians need to converse with Flemish compatriots they will use English. The French-speaking Walloons refuse to learn Dutch and the Dutch-speaking Flemish, who often are also fluent in French, do not want to give in out of pride and therefore will speak English.

Czechoslovakia

The Treaty of St. Germain (1919) left substantial numbers of Germans after World War I in the new state of Czechoslovakia. The largest number were in the Sudetenland, about 3.5 million. Hitler was to use the defense of the Sudeten Germans as an excuse to demand the Sudetenland at the Munich Conference. A much smaller number were located in the Slovakian region of Czecheslovakia--the Carpathian Germans.

Denmark

Prussia had seized most of the German speaking areas of Denmark in the Prusso-Danish War (1864). The Germans living in southern Jutland enthusiastically welcomed the Prussians and Austrians in 1864. After World War I in referendum held under the terms of the Versailles Treaty, areas of Schleswig-Holstein voted to become part of Germany. We note one German family in a town that returned to Denmark. This left a restive German minority in southern Denmark. Some were impressed by Hitler and the chance of being reunited with Germany. I'm not sure what the Germans living in Denmark thought about the 1940 German invasion and how they acted toward the Danes. Nor are we sure what happened to the Germans in Denmark after the NAZI surrender (1945). The German speakers, old and young, in Denmark prefer their own language, although they are all bi-lingual (most of them also are fluent in English nowadays).

France

Most of the Germans living in France resided in the northeastern provinces of Alsace and Loraine. Some had lived there for centuries. Others came after Germany seized the provinces in the Franco-Prussian War. Many of these were expelled when the French reclaimed the two provinces after World War I in 1918. Most were only allowed to take 50 kg of belongings with them when they returned to Germany. The official language is French since 1918. Nearly all Alsatians feel French, but many keep speaking their German dialect at home and in the villages. Because of the antagonisms between Germany and France we do not believe that large numbers of Germans lived in France. After the NAZIs seized power in 1933, German Jews and political refugees began to appear in France. For them of course, the German invasion in May 1940 was a disaster. Today more and more young people in Alsace-Lorraine prefer to speak French only.

Italy

Italy borders on Austria. As part of the World War I peace settlement. Italy was given a part of the Tyrol. The Germans there were supressed by Italian authorities, especially after Mussolini rise to power. This was one group of Germans Hitler ignored as he attacked neigboring countries with German minorities.

Luxemburg

The Luxemburgers speak "Letzeburgisch", a German dialect, although they claim that it is a language, not a dialect. However, there are still no rules how to spell that language. That's why all official material is in French or High-German, the two languages all Luxembourg children learn at school.

The Netherlands

Large numbers of Germans lived and worked in the Netherlands as did the Dutch in Germany. The Germans in the Netherlands varied greatly in attitudes. Some had taken out Dutch citizenship and were assimilating into the Dutch population. Others were pro-NAZI and even formed Hitler Youth units for their children. Some were anti-NAZI and after 1933 Jews and political refugees appeared. As in France, the May 1940 German invasion was a disaster for the later. Many of the Germans were apolitical. A Dutch reader tells us, "I was born and raised in the Netherlands and I experienced the NAZI occupation as a young teenager. My father was born in Germany. My mother was Dutch. My father was shocked when the Germans invaded Holland in 1940. He had become a Dutch citizen before the war. He did not like the NAZIs and stayed away from them as much as possible. However, he had sometimes mixed feelings about certain sympathies which was understandable of somebody who was educated at a German university and loved the music and literature of the country he hailed from. After the War he had a hard time to get a job on account of his name and accent."

Poland

A strugle developed between Slavs and Germans as to the boundary in the Medieval era. Poland rose as the dominant power in the East, but gradually was defeated by Russia in the east and Sweden and German in the west. Poland as a country disappeared as a result of the Polish Partitions in the 18th century. Russia took the greatest area, but Prussia nd Austria got smaller sections. Thus when Poland was reserected after World War I, Germans found themselves in the new Polish state, especially the Polish Corridor. After the NAZI invasion of Poland (1939), the Germans began deporting Poles from what had been western Poland. As the Red Army surged west, many Germans followed the Wehrmacht baxck to Germany. The boundary of Poland was redrawn west. The Soviet Union annexed what had been eastern Poland before the War and deported the Poles west. The new Poland was given much of East Prussia and eastern Germany and the Germans who had remauned were forcifully deported to occupied Germany. As a result there are almost now Germans living in Poland today. Occassionaly the old animosities arise between the two countries. The Polish Government complained in 2006 about a Bdrlin exhibition focusing on the suffering of German refugees at the end of World War II.

Slovenia

Slovenia borders on Austria which after the 1938 Anchluss became a part of the Reich. Germany invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941. Slovenia at the time was the northern part of Yugoslavia. After the defeat of Yugoslavia, Germany and Italy divided Slovenia and each of the two sections were annexed. Slovenia thus became a part of the Reich. I an not sure how many Germans lived in Slovenia before the War. After annexation, Slovenians became German citizens. I am not sure if any racial tests were involved to become German citizens. Such tests were required in occupied Poland for Poles wishing to become German citizens. NAZI administrators differed on how rigorous this process was.

Switzerland

Switzerland is a different than the other countries on the list here. Of course, Switzerland is a different story again: It is an artificial country with three different cultures within its border. Most Swiss speak a German dialect, while others speak French or Italian, but they all our proud to be Swiss and get along with each other. The northern and central part of the country speaks German, the western cantons French and the southern canton of Ticino speaks Italian. There also are some isolated areas in the Alps where the population speak Räto-Romansch, an old Latin language, that has been recognized as an official language in Switzerland. German speakers were and continue to be a majority in Switzerland. Both German citizens and a much larger number of German-speaking Swiss lived in Switzerland. German is one of the two main Swiss linguistic groups. I do not at this time much information as to the attitudes of these two groups toward Germany, especially during the Third Reich and World War II era. As far as we can tell, German speakers in Switzerland were nuch more divided about the NAZIs than in many other neigboring countries. We note one German-speaking family whose father hated the NAZIs.

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Created: January 31, 2002
Last updated: 6:56 PM 11/6/2006