Albanians in Germany
Approximately 350,000 to 1 million[1] ethnic Albanians live in Germany. They migrated to Germany from Albania, Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia.
History
The first Albanian immigration wave to Germany began in 1968; they came as guest workers and worked mainly in the industry. They were usually regarded as Yugoslavs and not as Albanians, because they came from Kosovo, which at that time belonged to Yugoslavia. Due to the political situation in Kosovo, more and more Albanians arrived since the beginning of the 1980s.
During the Kosovo war in 1999, many Kosovo Albanians sought asylum in the Federal Republic of Germany. By the end of 1999, the number of Kosovo Albanians in Germany was about 480,000, about 100,000 had returned voluntarily after the war in their homeland or been forcibly removed.
Migration situation
The number of people with Albanian origin living in Germany is approximately 550,000. Most of them originate from Kosovo, 50,000 are from Macedonia and 50,000 from Albania. Currently, the cities with the largest population of Germans of Albanian descent are the metropolitan regions of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart. In Berlin in 1999, there were about 25,000 Albanians, the number dropped because of remigration and Germany's general population decline. It is quite hard to know the true number of Albanians in Germany, as they were defined as Yugoslavs or Macedonians when they came to Germany. There is also a significant number of Albanians from Kosovo and Macedonia living in Germany illegally. It is estimated that the country is home to anywhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Albanians. Germany is the most popular destination for Kosovar Albanians seeking to emigrate to Western Europe.
Famous Albanians in Germany
Entertainment
Sports
- Fatmire Bajramaj, commonly known as Lira Bajramaj, footballer of the German women's national football team
- Shkodran Mustafi, footballer of the German national football team
- Luan Krasniqi, boxer[3][4]
- Jürgen Gjasula, footballer, currently playing for VfR Aalen
- Mërgim Mavraj, footballer, currently playing for 1.FC Koln
- Valdet Rama, footballer, currently playing for 1860 Munich
- Bajram Sadrijaj, footballer, currently retired due to injury, last played for Borussia Dortmund
- Faton Toski, footballer[5] currently playing for VfL Bochum
- Donis Avdijaj, footballer, currently playing for Sturm Graz
See also
References
External links
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