Germans in Azerbaijan: a short but vivid story

The history of the Germans of Azerbaijan is not so long ago, but this people has managed to leave its indelible mark in the history of the republic over a hundred years. The German heritage is a significant contribution to the development of the mining industry and winemaking, these are neat houses and streets that have enriched the architecture of a number of cities in the country, railway bridges that have survived to this day (although without railways already). Azerbaijan became a second home for thousands of Germans, and the descendants of the first settlers considered this land their homeland.

Speaking to the press on April 2, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was in Baku on a visit, noted that it is very important to refer to our history, since historical ties are very important for understanding the current relations between the countries. "Many Germans lived in Azerbaijan," said the distinguished guest.

In 2017, Azerbaijan widely celebrated the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements on Azerbaijani soil. In August 2016, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order "On the 200th anniversary of the establishment of German settlements in the South Caucasus." The document noted that the tolerant environment that has been established in Azerbaijan for centuries has created favorable conditions for establishing deep contacts between German emigrants from the first days of their resettlement here in the early 19th century and the local population. Although they were forced to leave these places during the Second World War, where they were settled and with whom they became related, the Azerbaijani people, having demonstrated their commitment to their multicultural nature, preserved the historical and cultural heritage they left behind at the proper level. Mutual respect and reverence for each other's national values are the main features characterizing the cultural ties between the Azerbaijani and German peoples.

An interesting fact is that one seat was reserved for the German minority in the Parliament of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Baku engineer Lorenz Kuhn received the mandate. On June 9, 1919, the centenary of the German resettlement to Azerbaijan was celebrated. Speaking about this in Parliament, Kuhn stated: "The most sincere good-neighborly relations have never been violated; the Germans of the ADR calmly look to their future, firmly believing in preserving their own national identity and continuing a peaceful working life, working for the benefit and prosperity of free Azerbaijan."

Unfortunately, life had its own way. With the outbreak of World War II, the German population of Azerbaijan was deported to Kazakhstan...

Annenfeld, Helenendorf, Georgsfeld, Grunfeld, Eigenfeld, Traubenfeld... These names are no longer on the map, but they are inscribed in the history of Azerbaijan. And although Annenfeld is now called Shamkir, and Helenendorf is Geigel, these cities preserve the memory of their founders.

In the early nineteenth century, the position of the peasants in Germany, it was not the best, and many families have chosen the path of resettlement to other countries in search of work and bread, in particular in Russia. The German people are known to be hardworking, and the talents of the Germans were able to be fully realized in the Azerbaijani land.

In 1816-1818, the subjects of King Frederick I of Württemberg went in search of the Promised Land and eventually found it in the Caucasus.

The Germans arrived in Elisavetpol (Ganja) in the cold December days of 1818. As historians point out, the locals welcomed them into their homes, helped them survive the cold weather, showing hospitality. The local peasants treated the "aliens" kindly. Despite all the differences in religion and culture, close economic and cultural ties were subsequently established between the colonists and the Azerbaijanis. The new generations grew up in a peaceful environment, taking advantage of the traditional religious tolerance of the indigenous population.

With the onset of spring, German settlers began to work on the land allocated to them with their bare hands, without tools, laid gardens and vegetable gardens, built houses and factories. The current Geigel was founded as Helenendorf by immigrants from Germany who fled to the Caucasus from the chaos that reigned in their homeland during the era of the Napoleonic Wars. The first group of 1,400 settlers from Cologne arrived in the village of Hanarkhly (now the city of Goygol), settled on five streets, and a year later the settlers founded the city, naming it Helenendorf. Year after year, they planted vineyards in their new homeland, and by the early 1860s, one of the settlers, Christopher Forer, founded Azerbaijan's first full-fledged commercial wine company. It was with the establishment of the Helenendorf winery that the wine industry in Azerbaijan began.

The names of the Forer and Hummel brothers are associated with the formation and development of a large wine industry in Azerbaijan, the introduction of the most advanced technology at that time. Elenendorf, and then other German communities, turned into large wine-growing centers not only in Azerbaijan, but also in the Caucasus as a whole. Wines and other products produced by the Forer and Hummel brothers wineries and the Concordia association of Helenendorf winegrowers and winemakers have competed with well-known foreign brands since the beginning of the 20th century and were sold throughout Russia and other countries.

The traditions laid down by German winemakers live on to this day. JSC "Goygol Winery" continues to hold high the brand of its founders, who laid its foundation in 1860. It is one of the oldest wineries in the South Caucasus. During the Soviet period, Concordia owned 183 stores throughout the USSR. In the 1980s, the company was the third largest producer of brandy and wine in the Soviet Union. The products of the Goygol plant have repeatedly won prestigious international competitions. The Goygol plant has proved that success and quality exist where there are traditions. And the traditions laid down by German winemakers are very strong.

But let's go back to the century before last. The German community grew rapidly. The birth rate in these communities was more than four times higher than the death rate. And soon new settlements began to appear - Georgsfeld (Chinarly village in Shamkir), Alekseevka, Greenfeld (Hasansu village in Aghstafa), Eigenfeld (Irmashly village in Shamkir), Traubenfeld (Tovuz city), Elizavetinka (Aghstafa city). In 1903, water lines, electric lighting, and telephone communication were brought to the houses of Helenendorf. For the first time, Erickson's wall telephone (with a network length of 20 versts) he appeared in the house of entrepreneur Christopher Forer.

The Germans had a significant impact on the emergence and development of certain branches of economy and industry in the Caucasus, and contributed to the spread of new or improved tools and advanced management methods. Thus, the names of the Siemens brothers are forever etched in the history of the mining industry in Azerbaijan.

A significant layer of the history of the industrial surge in this part of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries is associated with the German company Siemens. Although the company left the Caucasus on the eve of the Sovietization of Azerbaijan, today it continues to cooperate with our country in other areas. So, in November last year, Azerbaijan's SOCAR Green, Siemens Energy and Nobel Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of projects in the field of renewable energy sources. This is a new area for Siemens in Azerbaijan. The German company is no longer involved in the country's mining industry, but its legacy, technologies and innovations have played a role in the development of the industry.

Walter was the first of the Siemens brothers to arrive in Baku. The company began to acquire small oil fields. According to archival documents, in 1869 the company had 3 wells, and in 1881 it had 270. In addition, an oil refinery was built. But everything changed when the younger Siemens managed to lure the elder Werner, the founder of the company, to the Caucasus. On Werner Siemens' first visit, he was shown the Gedabek copper mines. After the trip, he immediately ordered the purchase of mines and the construction of a copper smelter. The deposit itself was discovered in the 1850s by the Mekhov brothers, Greeks from Turkiye. However, the previous owners were unable to set up work, and until the acquisition of the mine by Siemens, it remained abandoned.

The Siemens enterprise and mine became, in fact, the first industrial area in the Caucasus. On August 25, 1865, the Siemens plant started operating and soon it was called one of the most advanced in the world. With the technologies used there, he bypassed similar enterprises in other countries. In 1900, Siemens enterprises accounted for about 35 percent of all-Russian and about 70 percent of all-Caucasian copper production. This success was achieved not only due to the riches of the Azerbaijani land, but also due to the new technologies used in the mines and factories of the Siemens brothers. The Gedabek and Galakent copper smelters, which opened after it, were unparalleled in the Russian Empire, outstripping all existing enterprises in terms of technical equipment, production organization, end product quality and applied know-how. Soon a telegraph line was built here and a railway was laid. Seven bridges were built for the railway line. Some have survived to this day. In Gedabek, which foreigners called Gedabek City for its modernity and well-being, Siemens mines and factories had electric lighting, while only gas and kerosene lamps were used on the streets of even the capital of the Russian Empire.

It is impossible not to recall the role of Siemens in the electrification of the Baku oil industry. In 1901, a power plant was built in Bibi-Eybat. The station operated on the basis of the most advanced technologies at that time. A year later, another power plant was commissioned, supplying energy to the Sabunchi fields.

The Siemens brothers are remembered in Azerbaijan. Just like the Nobels are remembered here. Of course, the riches of the Azerbaijani land brought huge incomes to the famous clans, but both played an unprecedented role in the formation and development of industrial Azerbaijan. The names of the Siemens brothers are forever inscribed in its history.

We are not exaggerating when we say that the Germans have become a part of the history of Azerbaijan. A very bright and important part of it. And we hope that Germany also remembers what connects their country with the Azerbaijani land.