Italians in Germany

Italians in Germany

Notable Italians in Germany: 1st row: Johann Maria Farina • Clemens Brentano • Lujo Brentano • Bernard Bolzano 2nd row: Romano Guardini • Leo von Caprivi • Ferruccio Busoni • Oliver Neuville 3rd row: Franka Potente • Daniel Caligiuri • Diego Contento • Gianluca Gaudino
Total population
830,000 (with Italian ancestry) 556,145 (Italians citizens)
Regions with significant populations
Berlin · Hamburg · Munich · Rhein-Ruhr · Frankfurt · Stuttgart · Cologne
Languages
German · Italian
Religion
Major Catholicism · Lutheranism · Others
Related ethnic groups
Italian people · Other European peoples

Italians in Germany consist of ethnic Italian migrants to Germany and their descendants, both those originating from Italy as well as from among the communities of Italians in Switzerland. Over time most Italians moved from home to Germany for reasons of work. Some also left for personal relations, study, or political reasons. Today, Italians in Germany form one of the largest Italian diasporas in the world and account for one of the largest immigrant groups in Germany.

History

Italian emigrants in Germany (called "Gastarbeiter"), receiving instruction in 1962

Large numbers of Italians have resided in Germany since the early Middle Ages, particularly architects, craftsmen and traders. During the late Middle Ages and early modern times many Italians came to Germany for business, and relations between the two countries prospered. The political borders were also somewhat intertwined under the German princes' attempts to extend control over all the Holy Roman Empire, which extended from northern Germany down to southern Italy. During the Renaissance many Italian bankers, architects and artists moved to Germany and successfully integrated in the German society.

When the huge Italian emigration of the 19th century began, only a few Italians moved to the German Empire under Prussian rule.

With Germany's post-World War II economic boom (Wirtschaftswunder), a large wave of immigrants from Italy relocated to Germany. Italy and Germany have been joint members of the European Coal and Steel Community (later the European Economic Community). Since the establishment of freedom of movement for workers between the two countries in 1961, more than 580,000 Italians migrated to Germany for work, mainly from southern and north-eastern Italy.

The workers in the Contemporary Art Museum of Casoria in Naples, Italy, proposed a plea of asylum to Germany.

Social integration

Italians in Germany are actively involved both in regional and federal German politics; areas of concern are European integration and assimilation.

They also had a substantial influence on the development of Fine Arts in Germany from Romanesque and Gothic architecture to contemporary fashion and design.

Employment

Italians in Germany run a lot of businesses mainly in the following areas:

• restaurants, coffee shops and food markets
• retail and fashion
• art and media

Italian-run Assicurazioni Generali and Unicredit are some of Germany's largest insurance and finance companies and employers.

Notable people

• Alessandro Abruscia, football player
• Mario Adorf, actor.
• Johannes Agnoli, late scientist
• Marco Baldi, CEO of ALBA Berlin
• Angelo Barletta, football player.
• Bernhard Bolzano, mathematician, logician, philosopher, theologian and Catholic priest.
• Lujo Brentano, economist.
• Clemens Brentano, poet and novelist.
• Ferruccio Busoni, composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and piano teacher.
• Leo von Caprivi, general and statesman.
• Diego Contento, football player.
• Rudolf Caracciola, racing driver.
• Luigi Colani, industrial designer.
• Gianluca Gaudino, football player.
• Maurizio Gaudino, football player.
• Giuseppe Gemiti, football player.
• Daniel Caligiuri, football player.
• Marco Caligiuri, football player.
• Johann Maria Farina, perfumier.
• de:Reto Francioni
• Giuseppe Gemiti, football player
• Vincenzo Grifo, football player.
• Romano Guardini, Catholic priest, author, and academic.
• de:Vittorio Hösle
• Bruno Labbadia, former football player.
• Bruno Maderna, Italian conductor and composer.
• Vincenzo Marchese, football player.
• Denis Moschitto, actor.
• Oliver Neuville, football player (Italian mother).
• Massimo Ornatelli, football player.
• Marcello Pirani, scientist
• Franka Potente, actress.
• Nicola Sansone, football player.
• Elia Soriano, football player.
• Roberto Soriano, football player.
• Angelo Vaccaro, football player.

See also

• Germany–Italy relations

Bibliography

• Johannes Augel - Italienische Einwanderung und Wirtschaftstätigkeit in rheinischen Städten des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts - Bonn, L. Röhrscheid, 1971.
• G. Corni, C. Dipper - Italiani in Germania tra Ottocento e Novecento: spostamenti, rapporti, immagini, influenze - Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006, ISBN 88-15-10731-2.
• Marco Fincardi - Emigranti a passo romano: operai dell'Alto Veneto e Friuli nella Germania hitleriana - Verona, Cierre, 2002, ISBN 88-8314-179-2.
• Brunello Mantelli - Camerati del lavoro. I lavoratori emigrati nel Terzo Reich nel periodo dell'Asse 1938-1943 - Scandicci, La Nuova Italia, 1942.
• Claudia Martini - Italienische Migranten in Deutschland: transnationale Diskurse - Amburgo, D. Reimer, 2001, ISBN 3-496-02496-8.
• Edith Pichler, Ethnic economics: the Italian enterpreneurs in Germany, in: Chiapparino, F. (Hg.), The Alien Entrepreneur, Milano, S.54-82, 2011.
• Edith Pichler, 50 anni di immigrazione italiana in Germania: transitori, inclusi/esclusi o cittadini europei?, in: Altreitalie, International journal of studies on Italian migrations in the world, Nr. 33, S. 6-18. Torino, 2006.
• Edith, Pichler, Junge Italiener zwischen Inklusion und Exklusion. Eine Fallstudie. Berlin, 2010.
• Edith, Pichler, Dai vecchi pionieri alla nuova mobilità. Italiani a Berlino tra inclusione ed esclusione, in (a cura di) De Salvo, E./Ugolini, G./Priori, L., Italo-Berliner. Gli italiani che cambiano la capitale tedesca, Milano-Udine, Mimesis, 2014.

External links

• Italian emigration in Germany during the 20th century (in German)
• Website of the Italiani in Germany
• Webgiornale.de, News from the Italian community in Germany
• Italians in Germany, from Storia dell'emigrazione italiana pag.121 (in Italian)
• Italian Embassy in Berlin