Potato Germans
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The Potato Germans (Kartoffeltyskere) were a group of German families who settled in the heathlands of central Jutland in Denmark during the mid-1700s.[1][2] The term is sometimes also extended to their descendants.
History
[edit]The German immigrants moved to central Jutland when King Frederick V of Denmark promised 20 years of tax freedom, soil, livestock, money, and freedom from military service, for anyone who would cultivate the Jutlandic heaths. The settlers were mostly from Hesse and the Palatinate in modern-day Germany as well as from Austria. Men, women, and children included, 965 individuals spread across 265 families first arrived between 1759 and 1763.
The majority settled on Alheden[clarification needed] in the southernmost part of Fjends and the northernmost part of Lysgård in central Jutland. This comprises the site of the towns of Frederiks, Grønhøj, Havredal, and Karup.[3] Much of this land was difficult to cultivate because of how much heather the soil contained, but after it was burned the area became better suited for the cultivation of potatoes.[4]
The situation was difficult for the families. Many of settlers were craftsmen with little knowledge of farming. Most of the settlers subsequently left, with many moving back to Germany, but 59 of the families stayed on Alheden for more than a year.[5][self-published source?]
Surnames
[edit]The Potato German settlers introduced a number of new surnames to Denmark. Though still rare in the country as a whole, many people living near Alheden still carry these surnames.[6]
- Agricola
- Betzer, Bitsch, Bräuner, Bärthel
- Cramer
- Dickes, Dürr
- Frank
- Gantzhorn
- Harritz, Herbel-Schmidt, Hermann, Herold
- Jung
- Keller
- Krath, Kriegbaum
- Lajer, Lauth
- Marcher, Marquard, Maul, Morratz
- Philbert
- Rost
- Schönheider (also spelled Schønheider)
- Wacher, Wendel, Winkler, Woller, Würtz
See also
[edit]- History of Denmark § Changes in the agricultural economy
- North Schleswig Germans
- The Promised Land (2023 film)
References
[edit]- ^ "kartoffeltyskere". Den Store Danske. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ "Kartoffeltyskernes historie". henrikfrank.dk. Archived from the original on 2015-01-07. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ "Alheden". Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon. Vol. I (2nd ed.). 1915. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ Gullestrup, Hans (2006). Cultural Analysis: Towards Cross Cultural Understan. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Business School Press. ISBN 978-8763001816.
- ^ "Frederiks kirke, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt". Church and Manor in Denmark. August 7, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ "Kartoffeltyskerne på Alheden". Udarbejdet af ThiseWeb.dk. 23 April 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
Bibliography
[edit]- Valdemar Andersen (1970) Den jyske hedekolonisation (Aarhus: Universitetsforlaget. Skrifter udgivet af Jysk Selskab for Historie, Number 24) ISBN 9788750402213
External links
[edit]- "Bemærkninger over Alheden og dens Colonier, af Fr. C. Carstens, Præst paa Colonien. Viborg, 1839. 137 S. 8." (Historisk Tidsskrift, 1. række, Bind 1; 1840)
- Ejlif Bøgebjerg: "Den danske Regering og de tyske Kolonisters Indkaldelse 1759—65" (Historie/Jyske Samlinger, 5. række, Bind 1; 1932)
- P. M. Rørsig: "Fra Alhedens første Kolonisation" (Historie/Jyske Samlinger, 4. række, Bind 5; 1925)
- Fridlev Skrubbeltrang (anmeldelse af): "Valdemar Andersen: Den jyske hedekolonisation. Skrifter udgivet af Jysk Selskab for Historie 24. Universitetsforlaget i Århus, 1970" (Historisk Tidsskrift, 12. række, Bind 5; 1971)
56°22′30″N 9°04′33″E / 56.375137°N 9.075851°E
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