Assyrians in Germany
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 100,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
|
|
| Languages | |
| Neo-Aramaic, German, Turkish, (some knowledge of Arabic and Kurdish) | |
| Religion | |
| Syriac Orthodox Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of the East |
Assyrian Germans are migrants of Assyrian/Syriac descent living in Germany as well as their German-born descendants. The Assyrians in Germany mainly came from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran that largely corresponds with the Assyrian homeland, including parts of what is now primarily northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey.
The immigrant community of people of Assyrian/Syriac descent in Germany is estimated at around 100,000 people. They are known in German either as Assyrer ("Assyrians") or as Aramäer ("Arameans"). Significant local communities exist in certain cities and towns such as Munich, Wiesbaden, Paderborn, Essen, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Ahlen, Göppingen, Köln, Hamburg, Berlin, Augsburg and Gütersloh.
Being oppressed and persecuted throughout the 20th century for their religion, many arrived from Turkey seeking a better life. The first wave arrived in the 1960s and 1970s as part of the German economic plan of "Gastarbeiter". As Germany was seeking immigrant workers (largely from Turkey), many Assyrians/Syriacs saw an opportunity for freedom and success and applied for visas along with Turks. Assyrians started working in restaurants or as construction workers for companies and many began running their own shops. The first Assyrian/Syriac immigrants in Germany started organizing themselves by forming culture clubs and building churches. The second wave came almost immediately after the first, as a result of two events.
...
Wikipedia