What do the Germans call the Baltic?

das Baltikum
The German term das Baltikum (from Latin Balticum) generally refers to the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – where six million people live.

Where did the Baltic Germans live?

Baltic Germans are an ethnic group made up of German people who live in the Baltics region of northern Europe. The Baltic Germans decreased in population after Adolf Hitler had them resettle in Nazi Germany in the “General Government” (Poland), and they were deported to Germany after the war.

Were the Baltic states part of Germany?

In 1918, while the Baltic homelands were under German occupation, national councils declared independence and established governments. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of March 3, 1918, ceded Russian rights to the entire Baltic area to Germany, which sought to organize puppet states in the region.

Are Latvians Prussian?

The Latvian and Lithuanian people have the Old Prussians to thank more than anyone else for their existence. The Old Prussians belonged to the Western Baltic group of tribes, which also included the Curonians, Samogitians, Skalvians, Galindians and Yotvingians.

Are Latvians Germans?

The Baltic Germans (German: Deutsch-Balten or Deutschbalten, later Baltendeutsche; and остзейцы ostzeitsy ‘Balters’ in Russian) are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia.

Is Germany a Baltic country?

The countries that have shorelines along the Baltic Sea: Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden. The countries on the historical British trade route through the Baltic Sea, i.e. including the Scandinavian Peninsula (Sweden and Norway).

Did Germany invade the Baltics?

On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union and within weeks occupied the Baltic territories. There followed occupation by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944 and then again occupation by the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1991.

What race is Prussian?

Prussia, which was to become a byword for German militarism and authoritarianism, began its history outside Germany altogether. The people called Preussen in German, who inhabited the land on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic, were Slavs, related to the Lithuanians and Latvians.

Are Prussians German or Baltic?

Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians (Old Prussian: prūsai; German: Pruzzen or Prußen; Latin: Pruteni; Latvian: prūši; Lithuanian: prūsai; Polish: Prusowie; Kashubian: Prësowié) were an indigenous tribe among the Baltic peoples that inhabited the region of Prussia, at the south-eastern shore of the …

Who are the Germans from the Baltic Sea?

The Germans from the Baltics. Definition. The Baltic Germans, calling themselves “Balts” and occasionally referred to as “German Balts” (Baltendeutsche, Balten, and Deutschbalten respectively), were the ethnically German inhabitants of that area on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea which forms today the countries of Estonia and Latvia.

What was the history of the Baltic countries?

By 1285, the port cities of Riga, Reval (Tallinn), Dorpat (Tartu), Viljandi and Pärnu were all part of the German-dominated Hanseatic League (Hansa), and the entire Baltic German community retained their culture and language, even their unique dialect, for centuries.

Where did the people of the Balts come from?

The Balts or Baltic peoples, defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the lower Vistula and southeast shore of the Baltic Sea and upper Daugava and Dnieper rivers.

What kind of people are the Balts of Lithuania?

Among the Baltic peoples are modern-day Lithuanians and Latvians (including Latgalians) — all Eastern Balts — as well as the Old Prussians, Yotvingians and Galindians — the Western Balts — whose languages and cultures are now extinct.