Romanians in Germany are one of the sizable communities of the

Romanian diaspora The Romanian diaspora is the ethnically Romanian population outside Romania and Moldova. The concept does not usually include the ethnic Romanians who live as natives in nearby states, chiefly those Romanians who live in Ukraine, Hungary, ...

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. According to German statistics from 2016, the number of

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

nationals in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

on 31 December, 2015 was 452,718, which was up from 94,326 in 2008. By the end of 2019, the number had increased to 748,225.

History

Bonn-Castell Legionsweg 14 Generalkonsulat Rumänien Schild

Emigration to Germany from Romania was common throughout the 20th century, and continued steadily way into the early 21st century. Large numbers of ethnic Germans of Romania (most notably

Transylvanian Saxons The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ( ...

and

Banat Swabians The Banat Swabians are an ethnic German population in the former Kingdom of Hungary in Central-Southeast Europe, part of the Danube Swabians. They emigrated in the 18th century to what was then the Austrian Empire's Banat of Temeswar province, la ...

) left the country prior, during, and after the events that ultimately led to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In the times of the communist regime in Romania, albeit the borders were officially closed by authorities, significant numbers of Romanian-Germans were allowed to emigrate to

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

, particularly in the later years of the Ceaușescu era. This formed part of a series of ethnic migrations (including

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

), which were tolerated under the then socialist rulership. During the 1980s, more than half of the people who left Romania went to Germany. After the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred ...

which took place in December of 1989, there has been a mass migration of Transylvania Saxons to Germany, approximately half a million of them immigrated to

. Emigration of ethnic Romanians to Germany become quite common in the 21st century, particularly after the entry of Romania in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

in 2007. The

in Germany has a strong presence. If descent is actually taken into account as the main criterion of immigration, then the total number of individuals living in Germany who stem from Romania (both Romanian-German and Romanian) may amount to as much as 2,000,000 residents, therefore putting the Romanian diaspora living in this country the largest of all Romanian ones living within the European Union.

Notable people

Art

*, painter *

Adrian Ghenie Adrian Ghenie (; born 13 August 1977 in Baia Mare) is a contemporary Romanian painter, who lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Early life and education The son of a dentist, he studied fine arts at the Arts and Crafts School in Baia Mare betwe ...

, painter *

Petre Hârtopeanu Petre Hârtopeanu (15 June 1913, Dângeni, Botoșani County, Romania — 22 March 2001, Frankfurt-am-Main) was a Romanian-German Painting, painter and art professor. Life Hârtopeanu began his studies and work in Iași. He studied at the Ge ...

(1913–2001), painter * Diet Sayler, painter and sculptor * George Ștefănescu (1914–2007), painter

Entertainment

Ingrid Bisu Ingrid Bisu ( ro, Bișu; born 15 September 1987) is a Romanian actress, producer, and screenwriter, known for her appearance in the dramedy ''Toni Erdmann'' (2016), which was nominated at The Cannes Film Festival for the Palme d'Or and also for ...

, actress * Mircea Crișan (1924–2013), actor, comedian * Maria Drăguș, actress * Marc Dumitru, actor and musician *

Alexandra Maria Lara Alexandra Maria Lara (''née'' Plătăreanu; 12 November 1978) is a Romanian-German actress who has appeared in '' Downfall'' (2004), ''Control'' (2007), '' Youth Without Youth'' (2007), ''The Reader'' (2008), '' Rush'' (2013), and ''Geostorm' ...

, actress *, film producer *

Florian Munteanu Florian Munteanu (; born 13 October 1990), also known by his ring name Big Nasty, is a German-born Romanian actor and boxer. He is known for his role of the boxer Viktor Drago in ''Creed II'' (2018) and ''Creed III'' (2023), and Razor Fist in th ...

, actor, best known for his role as Viktor Drago in the drama film ''

Creed II ''Creed II'' is a 2018 American sports drama film directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. The sequel to '' Creed'' (2015) and the eighth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise, the film stars Mi ...

'' * Călin Netzer, film director *, dancer and current judge for the reality television show ''

Deutschland sucht den Superstar ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show '' ...

'' *

Lupu Pick Lupu Pick (2 January 1886 – 7 March 1931) was a German actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter of the silent era. He appeared in 50 films between 1910 and 1928. Born in Romania, Pick's father was a Jewish Austrian,Hans Morgenste ...

(1886–1931), film director, producer and screenwriter *, actress *, actress *, actor *

Johanna Wokalek Johanna Wokalek (born 3 March 1975) is a German stage and film actress. A student of Klaus Maria Brandauer, she received critical recognition and three newcomer awards for her performance in the play ''Rose Bernd''. Wokalek is best known for he ...

, actress

Music

*, hip hop producer, member of the production duo Soulbrotha *, producer and rapper (Romanian mother) *, rapper, best known for his association with

Kool Savas Savaş Yurderi (born 10 February 1975), known by his stage name Kool Savas, is a German rapper. Along with Taktlo$$, he formed the highly influential German rap duo Westberlin Maskulin (1997–2000). He was also a founding member of the German ...

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; 14 August 1996) was a Romanian conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over five decades, including tenures ...

(1912–1996), conductor and composer *

Roger Cicero Roger Marcel Cicero Ciceu (6 July 1970 – 24 March 2016) was a German jazz and pop musician. Biography Roger Cicero was born in 1970 in Berlin to Romanian jazz pianist Eugen Cicero and dancer Lili Cziczeo. Cicero represented Germany at the ...

(1970–2016), jazz and pop musician *

Michael Cretu Michael Cretu ( ro, Mihai Crețu, ; born 18 May 1957) is a Romanian-German musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He gained worldwide fame as the founder and musician behind the musical project Enigma, which he formed in 1990. Cret ...

, music producer, songwriter and founder of

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

Damae Daniela Marina Elisabeth Klein (born 10 July 1979), known by her stage name Damae, is a German TV presenter and singer-songwriter who debuted as a vocalist on the Fragma track "You Are Alive". At the age of 14, Damae was discovered by a photogra ...

, singer, former vocalist of trance group

Fragma Fragma are a German vocal trance music group, originally comprising three producers. The group was successful in the early 2000s when they released several singles that charted successfully across Europe, especially the United Kingdom and Irel ...

(Romanian mother) *, hip hop producer *, singer and composer (Romanian mother) *

Peter Herbolzheimer Peter Alexandru Herbolzheimer (31 December 1935 – 27 March 2010) was a Romanian-German jazz trombonist and bandleader. Biography Herbolzheimer was born to a Romanian mother and a German father in Bucharest, Romania. His family emigrated in 1 ...

(1935–2010), jazz trombonist and composer *

Nicolae Herlea Nicolae Herlea (; 28 August 1927 – 24 February 2014) was a highly acclaimed Romanian operatic baritone, particularly associated with the Italian repertory, especially the role of Rossini's Figaro, which he sang around 550 times during his career ...

(1927–2014), baritone *, jazz saxophonist * Ramona Nerra, singer and songwriter *

Miss Platnum Miss Platnum (born Ruth Maria Renner on 27 September 1980), formerly known as Platnum, is a Romanian-German singer, songwriter and musician, currently signed to Virgin Records Germany. Biography Early life Platnum was born in Timișoara, Roma ...

, singer and songwriter * Michael Radulescu, composer *, cellist *, singer and songwriter

Politics

* Joana Cotar, member of the

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. ...

(AfD) party *

Markus Frohnmaier Markus-Cornel Frohnmaier (born 25 February 1991) is a Romanian-born German politician from Alternative for Germany. He was elected Member of the Bundestag for Baden-Württemberg in the 2017 German federal election Federal elections were held ...

, member of the

(AfD) party * Ramona Pop, member of the

Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...

Octavian Ursu Octavian Ursu (born 27 October 1967) is a German politician for the Christian Democratic Union and mayor of Görlitz since June 2019. Life Ursu was born in Bucharest and graduated from the National University of Music Bucharest in 1986. He was ...

, member of the Christian Democratic Union

Sports

Karim Adeyemi Karim-David Adeyemi (born 18 January 2002) is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger, striker or attacking-midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. Club career Red Bull Salzburg Adeye ...

, footballer (Romanian mother) *

Michael Andrei Michael Andrei (born 6 August 1985) is a Romanian-born German volleyball player, who is a member of the German national team and Topvolley Antwerpen. He won the bronze medal at the 2014 World Championship. Sporting achievements National team * ...

, handballer *

Alina Astafei Alina Astafei (known before 1995 as Galina Astafei; born 7 June 1969) is a Romanian-German track and field athlete who attained German citizenship in 1995. She was one of the world's leading high jumpers in the 1990s. Representing Romania, she ...

, track and field athlete * Francis Bugri, footballer (Romanian mother) *, basketball coach, who discovered German NBA player

Dennis Schröder Dennis Schröder (; born September 15, 1993) is a German professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for SG Braunschweig and Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, be ...

* Călin Colesnic, former managing director of the

Hispania Racing F1 Team HRT Formula 1 Team, formerly known as Campos Meta 1 and Hispania Racing, was a Spanish Formula One team founded by former driver Adrián Campos. It was sold to José Ramón Carabante before its debut in 2010, and then to investment group T ...

* Nicolae Firoiu, water polo coach * Ralph Gunesch, footballer *

Andreas Ivan Andreas Ivan (; born 10 January 1995) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for the German club Schalke 04 II. Ivan spent the first part of his senior career in the lower leagues of Germany, repre ...

, footballer * Petre Ivănescu, handball coach *

Simone Laudehr Simone Melanie Laudehr (born 12 July 1986) is a German former footballer who played as a central midfielder or winger. Career Club Laudehr began her career at the age of three at FC Tegernheim. In 1996, she joined SC Regensburg, before playing ...

, football player (Romanian mother) *

Mihai Leu Mihai Leu also known as Michael Loewe (born 13 February 1969, in Hunedoara) is a Romanian former professional boxer who competed between 1991 and 1997. He held the WBO welterweight title in 1997. Leu retired after one title defense, against Mich ...

, professional boxer * Elena Leonte, handball player * Stelian Moculescu, volleyball coach * Maximilian Nicu, footballer *

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (born 1 August 1976) is a Romanian (until 2014) and German (since 2014) chess grandmaster. His peak FIDE rating was 2707 in October 2005, when he was ranked fifteenth in the world, and the highest rated Romanian player ev ...

, chess grandmaster *, handballer * Gerhard Poschner, footballer *, professional boxer and IBF European Middleweight Champion * Marcel Răducanu, footballer *

Albert Streit Albert Streit (born Albert Ursachi 28 March 1980 in Bucharest) is a Romanian-German former professional footballer. Career Streit signed a three-year contract with Eintracht Frankfurt following the relegation of his previous team, 1. FC Köl ...

, footballer * Romy Tarangul, judoka *

Monica Theodorescu Monica Theodorescu (born 2 March 1963) is a German retired equestrian and dressage rider. Biography Born in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Monica Theodorescu is the daughter of the German, former Romanian, dressage rider George Theodorescu ...

, equestrian *

Andreas Toba Andreas Toba (born 7 October 1990 in Hanover) is a German gymnast. He is a three-time Olympian, having represented Germany at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympic Games. Personal life Toba is the son of former Romanian-German gymnast Marius Toba, ...

, artistic gymnast *

Alexandra Wenk Alexandra Wenk (born 7 February 1995) is a German swimmer who competes in the Women's 100 metre butterfly. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she finished 21st overall in the heats in the Women's 100 metre butterfly and failed to reach the final. At ...

, swimmer (Romanian mother) * Luminita Zaituc, long-distance runner

Other

* Cornel Chiriac (1941–1975), journalist, radio producer and jazz drummer * Ricarda Ciontoș, curator and production manager *, biophysicist * Eugen Coșeriu (1921–2002), linguist * Miriam Davoudvandi, journalist (Iranian Romanian) *

Georg Maurer Georg Maurer (11 March 1907 – 4 August 1971) was a German poet, essayist, and translator. He wrote under the pseudonyms ''Juventus, murus,'' and ''Johann Weilau''. The son of a teacher, he was born in Szászrégen, Austria-Hungary (now in Roma ...

(1907–1971), poet * Paul Miron (1926–2008), linguist. The first professor of Romanian language and literature in West Germany *

Vlad Mugur Vlad Mugur (born 22 June 1927, Bucharest, Romania; died 22 July 2001, Munich, Germany) was a Romanian-born German theater director. He graduated from the Bucharest Theater Institute (directing class) as valedictorian in 1949, but he had already sta ...

(1927–2001), theater director *

Dan Petrescu Daniel Vasile Petrescu (; born 22 December 1967) is a Romanian football manager and former player, who is currently in charge of Liga I club CFR Cluj. As a player, Petrescu was deployed as a full-back or a winger and represented Premier Leag ...

(1953–2021), Romanian businessman and billionaire, one of the richest people in Romania at the time, stayed in West Germany for around a decade and had German citizenship * Ion N. Petrovici, neurologist *, writer * Nicolaus Sombart (1923–2008), sociologist * Catalin Voss, entrepreneur

References

{{Immigration to Germany European diaspora in Germany