Croats in Germany (; ) refers to persons living in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

who have total or partial Croatian ancestry. They form the sixth largest

ethnic minority The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

in Germany. In 2021, there were 434,610 Croats holding Croatian citizenship and living in Germany.

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

's State Office for the Croats Abroad, Croatian embassy in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and Croatian Catholic Missions estimated that there are more than 500,000 Croats and their descendants living in Germany.

Demographics

According to the German Federal Statistical Office of Wiesbaden in 2021, there were 434,610 Croatian citizens living in Germany. According to data from church institutions there are about 310,000 to 350,000 Croatians living in Germany.

Numbers of Croats

In Germany per year

* 2021: 434,610 * 2020: 426,485 * 2019: - * 2018: 395,665 * 2017: 367,900 * 2016: 332,605 * 2015: - * 2014: 270,558 * 2013: - * 2012: - * 2011: - * 2010: 220,199 * 2009: - * 2008: - * 2007: 225,309 * 2006: 227,510 * 2005: 228,926 * 2004: 229,172 * 2003: 236,570 * 2002: 230,987 * 2001: 223,819 * 1994: 176,251 * 1993: 153,146

Per federal state

In year 2019

Cities

In year 2019 Among the German cities Stuttgart and Pforzheim had the highest share of Croats in 2011 according to German Census data.

Culture

Croatian Cultural Community Stuttgart (''Hrvatska kulturna zajednica Stuttgart'', HKZ Stuttgart) was established by Croatian immigrants in the autumn of 1983. They successfully ran at the elections for the City of Stuttgart's International Council. First then soon-to-become

president of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...

visited Stuttgart and the Community in the October of 1988. HKZ organizes extracurricular classes of Croatian for the Croatian children ever since Croatia gained independence in the 1990s. HKZ regularly organizes "Ljetni festival kulture" (''Summer festival of culture''), with concerts of Croatian folklore ensembles and klapas, as well as presentations of the

Croatian cuisine Croatian cuisine () is heterogeneous and is known as a cuisine of the regions, since every region of Croatia has its own distinct culinary tradition. Its roots date back to Classical Antiquity, ancient times. The differences in the selection of f ...

and

wines Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

Language

In July 2023, The Croaticum – Centre for Croatian Language and Literature was opened at the Regensburg University.

Events

The Croatian Cultural Association of Bremen organizes summer

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

and dance festival “Sommerfest in Hastedt”. The annual

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

of Croatian musicians known as ”Hrvatska noć” (''Croatian Night'') is one of the biggest gatherings of Croats. In December 2023 it took place at the Fraport Arena in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Academia

Croatian Academic Union Germany (''Hrvatski akademski savez'') is a network of students and academics in Germany who are Croatians or of Croatian descent.

Notable Croatians and people of Croatian descent in Germany

* Fredi Bobic, former footballer * Stipe Erceg, actor *

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

, film director * Milko Kelemen, professor at the Stuttgarter Musikakademie

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

* Ivan Klasnić, footballer * Niko Kovač, football coach and former player * Robert Kovač, football coach and former player * Vanessa Mai, singer * Sandra Nasić, singer for the rock band, Guano Apes * Ivo Robić, musician *

Zvonimir Serdarušić Zvonimir Serdarušić (; born 2 September 1950) is a Croatian former professional Team handball, handball coach and player who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics for Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia. In May 1998, he also ac ...

, handball coach * Edin Terzić, football coach and former player * Jeremy Toljan, football player * Josip Stanišić, football player * Jasmin Wagner, singer * Nikki Adler, boxer * Marko Grgić,

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player

References

External links

Kroatische Zeitung
News about business, education, society, tourism and sports {{Portal bar, Croatia, Germany

Ethnic groups in Germany