Potato Germans

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The Lynghede near Vrads, south of Silkeborg ( Denmark )

Potato Germans ( Danish : Kartoffeltyskerne ) is the name given to families of German origin who immigrated to southern and central Jutland . They came to the Jutland heathland between 1759 and 1762 at the invitation of the Danish king from Baden , Württemberg , the Palatinate and Hesse ; they should cultivate and cultivate them . They had brought the potato , unknown to the Danes, from their old homeland and planted it in their new homeland.

history

Church in Frederiks (built 1766)

In the 18th century, Jutland and Schleswig-Holstein consisted of approximately one million hectares of heathland. The Danish King Frederick V (1723–1766) had acquired fallow heathland in Jutland around 1740 and nationalized it. He was now anxious to convert this into fertile farmland . The future arable land was around Alheden near Viborg and Randbøl Hede near Billund . He promised the German farmers and adventurers who had been recruited their own land, they were allowed to keep pets and received a kind of trousseau . He released them from military service for 20 years and guaranteed them a tax-free life. The future colonists , also known as the “Palatinate”, were assured that they would cultivate their own language and customs . These privileges fueled discontent among the indigenous people of central and southern Jutland. In 1764 the colonists received lease contracts for the land they cultivated . In 1852 the leases were canceled and the land was partially sold to the settlers for a symbolic price . South of the Karuper Heide, a church for the German immigrants was built in Frederiks (named after King Friedrich V ) in 1766 , where preaching was still in German until 1870. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary (1959), the Frederiks parish placed a memorial stone at the church in memory of the first German immigrants .

Settlement areas

Settlement areas of German immigrants in Jutland

The first German immigrants came to Alheden in 1759. Here is the heathland in Central Jutland to the east, the small town of Karup on its western edge and Frederiks in the southern border area. In the middle of the landscape is the " Kongenshus Mindepark ", a memorial to the reclamation of the heather. In Karup is the NATO - Base Karup, the heath is still remaining partly as a military training area used, the nearest large city is Viborg . 2 colonies with 30 double courtyards were established in Alheden . Another settlement area was the south-west of Randbøl location Randbøl Hede (Randbøl Hede), it covers about 750 hectares, at the time of immigrants by about 1761/62, it was royal property. The city of Billund with its airport , the focal point for Europe-wide flight operations, is now on the northern edge of the Heider .

The potato Germans

Potato tuber

The term “Kartoffeltyskerne” (the “Potato Germans”), which had no derogatory meaning, is derived from the fact that the German immigrants brought the potato to Jutland. As further vegetables they brought white cabbage , red cabbage , kale , carrots , peas and the grain millet . The Danish population, because they did not know the potato, initially regarded it as a weed and only later learned to appreciate its benefits.

Spread over the two settlement areas, 265 families with 965 people came to Denmark . The Danish state was unable to cope with the onslaught of those willing to immigrate. There were illegal settlements and after a short time several families left this barren land, some of them had to be expelled. Many of these "impatient", as they were called, moved to Russia and settled near Saint Petersburg and on the Volga . Some also moved back to their German homeland . 59 families finally settled down. The new farmers and new residents initially had little success, the harvest was just enough for their own food and the work in agriculture was hard and arduous. The first usable converted heathland could only be successfully experienced by a few families after almost 100 years in 1864. They survived with their families and dominated the villages , names such as Bitsch, Cramer, Dickes, Frank, Hermann or Ölschläger still refer to the potato Germans.

Potato Germans today

Memorial stone to the first immigrants in Frederiks

In 1852 the Danish government declared that it no longer wanted to support the farms at Alheden. The residents there were free to decide whether they wanted to buy the farms with immediate cash payment or take them over as a long lease . Some preferred to give up their own farm, others moved their families to live with their relatives and still others took over the farms. The landscape has changed from a pure heathland to arable farming as well as timber and forestry . Only a few hectares are still pristine heathland, in the middle of this primeval land lies Kongenshus Mindepark, a memorial park about the reclamation of the heather. The first offspring remained connected to one another for 2-3 generations , they married and raised their children according to the German pattern. The families had a large number of children between 8 and 10 offspring. Marrying into resident Danish families and assimilation did not begin until around 1800, which was due to the fact that several Danish farmers now also settled in the former heathland.

Even after assimilation, some “potato Germans” continued to cultivate their traditions and also maintained connections with their “old homeland”. The Heimatverein der Kartoffeldeutsche was founded in Frederiks in 1985 and keeps history alive with 29 families. In 1959 the 200th anniversary of the immigration year was celebrated and a commemoration ceremony was held. In 1984, for the 225th anniversary, the potato girl (Danish: potato pies ) created by a Danish artist was installed in Frederiks .

The association members visit the German places of origin at regular intervals and return visits are made from Germany, for example at the 250th annual celebration in 2009.

Coat of arms of the potato Germans

The three-part coat of arms shows in the upper left part, on a blue background, the coat of arms of Hesse , in the lower left part, on a gold background, the coat of arms of Württemberg . The right half shows the flag of Denmark . In the center is a silver-backed diamond with the number 1759 and a gold-colored image of the so-called potato girl.

literature

Non-fiction
  • Alexander Eichhorn, Jacob Eichhorn, Mary Eichhorn: The immigration of German colonists to Denmark and their further emigration to Russia in the years 1759–1766 = The immigration of German colonists to Denmark and their subsequent emigration to Russia in the years 1759–1766 . 1st edition. Eichhorn, Bonn 2012, ISBN 978-3-00-035073-3 (German and English).
  • Etlar Kramer Johansen: From foreign lands they came - History of the Potato Germans . Viborg Bogtrykkeri, Viborg 2000 (English, 64 p., Marquart.org [PDF; 668 kB ; retrieved on December 15, 2019] Danish: Fra Fremdmed land de kom - Kartoffeltyskernes historie . Viborg 1999. Translated by Kurt Marquart).
Fiction
  • Gerda Hauge Nielsen: Fata Morgana . 1st edition. bogForm, Randers 2003, ISBN 87-986423-5-9 (Danish).

Web links

Commons : Jutland  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Potato Germans
  2. ↑ Hvem er potato kernels? (Who were the potato Germans?) (Danish)
  3. ↑ The "Kartoffeldeutsche = Kartoffeltysker", the "Kartoffeldeutsche = Kartoffeltyskerne", these are potato Germans = "Kartoffeltyskerne"
  4. ↑ Potato kernels på Alheden [1]
  5. ↑ Some Gronau families also maintain close contact with descendants of the potato Germans in Denmark. Bergsträßer Anzeiger, Monday, September 20, 2010 [2]
  6. ↑ Emigration, 1759 / Potato Germans in Denmark / Coat of arms  in the German Digital Library